Little did anyone know that all I was a danger to currently was anything sweet. Before I'd turn to alcohol for useless comfort. Now I used sugar, but there was a lot of pain and not nearly enough sugar.
"When does Spade get back?" I asked Annette. He'd gone out earlier with a vague statement about business. No one told me anything that could be used against me. We all knew Gregor was still snooping in my mind, even though I'd barely slept, and he'd been able to learn almost nothing. I didn't know where we were. How many people were with us. What day it was. Actually, none of those things meant shit to me. All I knew was this - it had been five days since Bones walked out. That's how I measured time. In the minutes and seconds since I'd last been with him.
"After dark," she answered.
Fabian came downstairs and sat - in a fashion - next to Annette. The ghost was smiling at her in a way that could only be called besotted.
I rolled my eyes. Even phantoms had a thing for Annette, it seemed. She'd probably found a way to have sex with him. Though he was transparent and as solid as a particle cloud, if anyone could do it, Annette could.
"What a charming man," she remarked. "Faith, Cat, you might have started a trend. When I leave, I daresay I'll be trying to sneak him past you."
It took so much willpower not to ask, "And how soon will that be?" After all, I'd been trying to control my think it, say it tendencies.
"Annette, I think I'll just skip the movie and read something. Watch it without me."
Halfway up the stairs, I passed Vlad. He'd stayed on, making the comment that he'd leave when things were settled. I bet he hadn't figured on being here this long.
I was nearly to the bedroom when I heard my cell phone ring. The sound made me hurtle through the door, almost diving to get it.
"Bones?" I answered.
A contemptuous scoff filled my ear. "No, cherie. Still hoping for your lover's return? How amusing."
Gregor. Just what I needed.
"What's up, dear?" Sarcastically. "Still snooping in my dreams, I see. Are you done apologizing to your ghouls because I'm sucking in air instead of blood? Just when you think you've got the little woman cornered, oops, you forget she has a knife."
"You should have stayed with me and spared yourself the humiliation of being yet another castoff of that peasant whore," he purred. "While you pine for Bones, he ruts with other women."
"Liar. Bones might be pissed at me, but he's a better man than that. Of course, that's something you wouldn't understand."
Gregor just laughed. "Oh, Catherine, soon you will see you're very wrong. Did you really think he'd changed? He saw a way out, and he took it."
I hung up, stopping myself from my stamping on the phone only out of concern that Bones might call next, and I'd have broken the thing. I was breathing heavily, like I'd been running. When Vlad tapped on the doorframe, I whirled around and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Do you know where Bones is? Tell me the truth!"
Vlad flicked his gaze to his shirt, as if to say, Do you mind?
"No, Cat. Going to shake me next?"
I dropped my hands, balling them in frustration. "That bastard is playing games with me. He knows what I'm most afraid of, and he's using it to hurt me!"
"Gregor?" Vlad asked evenly. "Or Bones?"
I stopped pacing and shot him a measured look. "I meant Gregor, but...you might have a point."
Vlad smiled. "And what are you going to do about it?"
"When Spade gets back," I said grimly, "I'm going to shake him."
Spade just made it through the front door when I grabbed him by the shirt.
"You contact Bones and tell him he's made his point. I might have been wrong, but he's being cruel, and I've had enough."
Spade flicked my hands as if they were lint. "You couldn't relay that without creasing my shirt?"
"An attention-getter," I replied with a glint. "Just in case you needed one."
Vlad was on the other side of the room with Fabian and Annette. All three of them were waiting to see if Spade complied or refused. I'd moved some furniture out of the way, just in case Spade chose the latter. No need to trash the place.
"Cat," Spade began, "give me a few more days."
"Wrong answer," I said with a smile, and hit him.
Maybe it was the smile that put him off his guard. His head jerked to the side from the blow, then he took me seriously. The looseness was gone from his posture, and he took a wary step backward, his hands flexing in readiness.
"It's not so simple, but I can't explain why."
"You'd better find a way."
"I need a little more time," he snapped.
I stopped in sudden understanding and let out a harsh laugh.
"Oh, I get it. You can't reach him, can you? That's why you're hemming and hawing. You don't know where he is!"
Spade ground out a curse. "Good show, Reaper! As soon as you sleep, that fact will now be repeated to Gregor. Want to hang a bloody target around Crispin's neck?"
"How long?" I prodded, the first leaking of fear starting through me. "Do you even know where he went?"
"I won't give more information that could endanger - "
"Yes, you will," I said, anxiety and anger sharpening my tone. "Don't you worry about me, if I have to stay awake until this is squared away, I will. I'll break the world record for going without sleep if I have to, but you're spilling your beans, and you're doing it now."
Spade's mouth tightened. Emerald flashed in his tawny eyes, and he gave me a look filled with steel.
"You'd better be prepared to keep that vow, for I'll hold you to it."
The details Spade outlined had me on an emotional roller coaster. Yes, he'd known how to contact Bones when he left. Before I even returned with Vlad, Bones had tersely given him a number for emergency use, leaving his location undisclosed. Two days ago, Spade had left him a message to find out when he was coming back. His call went unreturned. Since then, Spade had paged him, e-mailed him, and tried a few trusted friends as well. No one had heard from Bones.
"I've been making discreet inquiries, such as today when I was gone, and I think he might have been seeking an audience with Marie," Spade finished. "Rodney says he spoke to Crispin three days ago, and he made a comment about how hot it was in New Orleans. Why else would he be there? I've sent Rodney to investigate. That's all I know."
"Why didn't you just call Liza and ask her instead of waiting for Rodney to get there?"