“Call me Wayne,” he said magnanimously, which reminded me that you catch more flies with honey.
With a smile, I said, “I didn’t understand it was a big deal. I get so much junk mail. It all starts to look the same.”
“Well, if you ever get something from the City of Valentine, you should read it. We don’t send junk mail.”
I tried to be demure. “I see that now. This is the first time I’ve taken on a big project like this.”
All relaxed and manly, he rolled up his sleeves and said, “While I’m here, let me explain some of your bigger issues.” He glanced up and frowned. “Miss Blair, you didn’t mention that you had a guest.”
I followed his gaze. Oh, shit.
Heaven stood at the top of the stairs wearing a Strawberry ShortcakeT-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, her pink and yellow braids piled atop her head in a bun.
Wayne smiled and waved, probably excited to explain rules to even more people.
Heaven’s eyes were glowing, twin beams in the dim light. When she licked her lips, I caught a flash of gleaming fangs. She was looking at Wayne like he was her favorite order from the falafel place in our old neighborhood. Oh, no.
“Heaven,” I called, “go back to your room.” With a glance at Wayne, I said, “My roommate isn’t feeling well.”
“This shouldn’t take long,” he said.
With a sharp look and a faux-casual tone, I said, “Heaven, honey, let’s get you back to bed.”
“I’m cool,” she said, but she absolutely wasn’t. Ignoring me, she came down the stairs faster than I’d ever seen her move and took Wayne’s hand.
No no no no no.
“It’s all right. Your roommate should hear this too,” Wayne said, oblivious to the danger.
I grabbed her arm, trying not to make it obvious that I was restraining her. I was strong, but her baby vampire bloodthirst made her stronger. “Maybe we can finish this up later?”
“This’ll be quick.” He took a glance around. “If you do what I say, it’ll get you out of hot water with the city.”
Heaven was starting to drool.
“For one, you need to fix all of these exposed wires.” He pointed to the ceiling. “This is what I like to call ‘death trap wiring.’ ”
Oh, he was in a death trap all right. “Let’s go over this later, Wayne,” I said to no effect. The man kept going on about plastic coating on wires like it was his greatest passion.
Meanwhile, Heaven was about to drain him like a Capri-Sun. Her lips were drawn back over her teeth in a way that ought to make anyone uncomfortable. Wayne moseyed his way over to the fireplace and gesturedto the darkened walls. “You’ve got a lot of smoke damage in here. That’s cosmetic, but you’ll have to pry off the plaster around the fireplace and make sure there isn’t any structural damage.”
While he patted the wall, Heaven sidled up to him and took a whiff like she was smelling a steak dinner.
“Well, uh, hello,” he said, laughing. “Come take a look at this wall.” He cleared his throat. “Even if you’re not comfortable with tools—I know a lot of ladies aren’t—you might be able to do this part on your own. Tyrone, across the road, probably has a crowbar you can borrow.”
Heaven bared her fangs and hissed.
“Heaven, no!” I used all my might to hold her back.
He backed away and eyed her as if he was only just beginning to realize Heaven wasn’t as interested in the structural integrity of the house as he was.
Heaven, who was barely recognizable compared to her usual happy-go-lucky self, jerked out of my grasp. She literally went for the jugular.
Oh, fuck. “Heaven!” I yelled.
Mr. Jarvis shrieked. “Help me—” His voice cut off in a gurgle.
“Damn it!” I grabbed Heaven by the collar of her Strawberry Shortcake shirt. “For heaven’s sake, get off of him!” I yelled, trying my best to pull her away. “You can’t kill the city inspector!”
