Walter’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t my fault—” he protested, but Nero cut him off.
“I know it wasn’t. I know you and Bing are the ones who cleaned up the problem. Now because it’s late, I’m going to make this quick.”
Bing nodded. Nero had never been one for small talk. It was what Bing liked the most about him.
“We’d like you to work for us,” he said to Walter. Then he flicked Bing a glance. “You too.”
Bing wasn’t even insulted by the offhand glance. He’d heard this pitch before, and he knew the pros and cons better than anyone. Besides, it all depended on Walter.
“Work for you?” Walter sputtered. “Aren’t you all werewolves?”
“We’re branching out,” Yordan said. “We’ve got a gelatinous alien now.”
Nero shot him a wry look, then turned back to Walter. “You wouldn’t be on the front lines, but I don’t think you understand just how important a true Creator is. We’d like you to start writing stories about us, about how cool werewolves are, and maybe give us some extra oomph.”
“Oomph?”
“Yeah. Like X-ray vision or invisibility,” Yordan said with a grin. “That’d be cool.”
“That’d be ridiculous,” Walter countered. “I can’t make people believe something that’s unbelievable!”
“Come on,” Yordan groused. “You gave Red Wolf the ability to hypnotize. What’s a little X-ray vision? Or maybe make us able to fly.”
Bing held up his hand. “What’s the offer, Nero?”
“You can’t amp us up unless others believe, right?”
Walter nodded. “It appears so.”
“So we’re going to help you with the Red Wolf movie. Fund it or promote it or whatever. Make it good, make him cool.” He looked at Bing. “Then, you take your amped-up powers and help us.”
“And write about me,” Yordan said with a grin. “Amp me up—”
“No,” Bing interrupted. “Being an icon isn’t easy.” He looked at Walter. “I don’t think I could do it without a very stable partner keeping me steady.”
“And in your very human, very not imaginary body,” Walter said with a grin. “I’m not amping up anybody. But I will redo the movie as we originally intended.” He looked at Bing, who nodded back. “And I’ll take your funding and any help I can get for the publicity.”
“Yeah. Great.” Nero sounded like he’d just ticked an item off his to-do list. “And you?” he said to Bing.
Bing, however, was still looking at Walter. Although the man was playing it cool, he could see that Walter was thrilled with the offer. They were about to get everything they wanted and more. The movie, help with the publicity, and a way that Bing could still be relevant in the fight against the paranormal. “You okay with me still in the fight?” Bing asked. “The real fight?”
“You okay with staying in contact with me and not disappearing for weeks on end?”
“I promise nightly calls.”
“I promise to make you the most adored heartthrob in the world, even though you have to commit to a single person.” He lifted his chin. “Me.” Then he flashed a sly smile.
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking of how to use some of what we’ve already shot. What if we make it a love story? Between my character—”
“And mine.” Bing grinned. “I love it.”
“I’m almost done writing it.”
Nero blew out a breath. “Great. So we have a deal? You both are on the payroll?”
“Yes,” Bing said.
