Page 25 (1/2)
Chapter 44
This is the only night of the year that Bert allows us to wear black to work He thinks the color is too harsh for normal business hours I had black jeans and a Halloween sweater with huge grinning jack o&039; lanterns in a stoh line I topped it off with a black zipper sweatshirt and black Nikes Evenun in an inner pants holster I also had two extra clips inI had replaced the knife I&039;d had to leave in the cave There was a derringer in my jacket pocket and two extra knives, one down the spine, the other in an ankle holster Don&039;t laugh I left the shotgun home
If Jean-Claude found out I&039;d betrayed him, he&039;d killtold er had given me and called the number If it had to be done, it best be done quickly
"Hello?"
"Is this Karl Inger?"
"Yes, it is Who is this?"
"It&039;s Anita Blake I need to speak with Oliver"
"Have you decided to give us the Master of the City?"
"Yes"
"If you&039;ll hold for a moment, I&039;ll fetch Mr Oliver" He laid the receiver down I heard hi but silence on the phone Better than Muzak
Footsteps coood of you to call"
I sed, and it hurt "The Master of the City is Jean-Claude"
"I had discounted him He isn&039;t very powerful"
"He hides his powers Trust me, he&039;s a lot e of heart, Ms Blake?"
"He gave me the third mark I want free of him"
"Ms Blake, to be bound thrice to a vampire, and then have that vampire die, can be quite a shock to the system It could kill you"
"I want free of him, Mr Oliver"
"Even if you die?" he said
"Even if I die"
"I would have liked to have met you under different circumstances, Anita Blake You are a remarkable person"
"No, I&039;ve just seen too much I won&039;t let him have me"
"I will not fail you, Ms Blake I will see him dead"
"If I didn&039;t believe that, I wouldn&039;t have told you"
"I appreciate your confidence"
"One other thing you should know The laue with another master named Alejandro"
"Really?" His voice sounded amused "What did he offer her?"
"Her freedom"
"Yes, that would tempt Melanie I keep her on such a short rein"
"She&039;s been trying to breed Did you know that?"
"What do you mean?" I told him about the ed He was quiet for a moment "I have been most inattentive I will deal with Melanie and Alejandro"
"Fine I&039;d appreciate a call tos went"
"To be sure he&039;s dead," Oliver said
"Yes," I said
"You&039;ll get a call from Karl or myself But first, where can we find Jean-Claude?"
"The Circus of the Damned"
"How appropriate"
"That&039;s all I can tell you"
"Thank you, Ms Blake, and Happy Halloween"
I had to laugh "It&039;s going to be a hell of a night"
He chuckled softly "Indeed Good-bye, Ms Blake"
The phone went dead in my hand I stared at the phone I&039;d had to do it Had to So why did e to call Jean-Claude and warn hiht? Did I love Jean-Claude in soe, twisted way? God help me, I hoped not
Chapter 45
It was full dark on All Hallows Eve Larry and I had made two appointments He&039;d raised one, and I&039;d raised the other He had one ht
What Larry earing was not nor for the holiday I&039;d chosen the sweater Larry had chosen a costu blue denim overalls, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a straw hat, and work boots When asked, he&039;d said, "I&039;m Huck Finn Don&039;t I fit the part?"
With his red hair and freckles, he did fit the part There was blood on the shirt now, but it was Halloween There were a lot of people out with fake blood on theht
My beeper went off I checked the number, and it was Dolph Damn
"Who is it?" Larry asked
"The police We&039;ve got to find a phone"
He glanced at the dashboard clock "We&039;re ahead of schedule How about the McDonald&039;s just off the highway?"
"Great" I prayed that it wasn&039;t another ht At the back of , two sentences kept playing: "Jean-Claude is going to die tonight You set hi to kill him from a safe distance To not look hiive him a chance to kill me first Fair play and all that Fuck fair play; it was him or me Wasn&039;t it?
Larry parked in the McDonald&039;s lot "I&039;?"
I shook ht?"
"Sure I&039; it&039;s not another ht of that"