A/N: You've been waiting for this… and I've had the song picked out since I started this book!
She's a Killer Queen/Gunpowder, guillotine Recommended at the price/Insatiable an appetite/Wanna try? To avoid complications/She never kept the same address Perfume came naturally from Paris/For cars she couldn't care less She's a Killer Queen/Gunpowder, guillotine Drop of a hat she's as willing as/Playful as a pussy cat
Dynamite with a laser beam/Guaranteed to blow your mind/Anytime
In conversation/She spoke just like a baroness
Little Man from China/Went down to Geisha Minor
Then again incidentally/If you're that way inclined
Fastidious and precise
Dynamite with a laser beam/Guaranteed to blow your mind/Anytime
Then momentarily out of action/Temporarily out of gas
To absolutely drive you wild, wild..
She's all out to get you
- Queen
"It'll take me about two hours to fetch Rodney and pick up your blokes, Kitten. Are you going to be all right with Annette until then?" I was very happily running late. The past hour was the best reason for being late in the history of reasons for being late, in my opinion. Kitten seemed to agree. She was lolling, sated, on our bed and looking like temptation itself. I kept reminding myself that I really did have to leave. No, must not have Rodney rent a car and put the address in GPS…
"Don't worry about it. If she gets really lippy, I have my silver." She gave a pointed if lazy look at her weapons stash in the closet.
I chuckled. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather come back to both of you the way I left you."
"If you insist. Go on, I'll be waiting for you."
She wasn't fully thinking about how she worded her reply, I could tell since her eyes were still a bit sex-fuzzed, but it stung nonetheless. I'd heard that before only to come back to an empty house. And while I didn't think Annette would honestly let Kitten leave me again without inflicting serious bodily harm, it wasn't something I wanted to ponder.
She saw the look on my face and sighed. Kicking off the sheet, she crossed the room to hug me.
"You can tell Rodney to bet his ass I'll be here this time."
I decided that, all things considered, I just had to trust her. And the look on her face was one of complete and utter honesty – no tears, no clever wording that could be double entendres, just a simple hug and a smile. It was good enough for me and brought my own good mood back.
I dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Too right you will. Call your men and have them ready; I'll see you shortly."
"Don't smack Tate on the way over."
I snorted; that might be asking too much. "We'll see."
I drove 'round to the airport and picked up Rodney. Even without being able to feel him as his sire, you could say he stood out, being about six feet tall and built like a bearded linebacker. I gave him a heartfelt hug in greeting; he was a great mate.
After that I swung by Cooper, Juan and finally Tate's houses, Tate being last as he lived closest to us. I rang the bell for Cooper and Juan but merely blared on the horn for Tate, informing him through the driver's window that he'd have to squish into the middle of the backseat. He then had to ride the entire way to our house with his knees stuck up to his chest. Chuckling to myself, I made sure to check the rearview mirror as many times as was safely possible. I'd kept to Kitten's request not to smack him, but that didn't mean I couldn't have any fun. Hee hee hee.
A few miles from home, however, my laughing stopped as I picked up on two very familiar voices. Both angry. Accompanied by the sound of breaking furniture. And punishing blows being dealt. A glance at Rodney said he'd heard it, too. Bloody hell. I knew they shouldn't have been left alone, but I'd only been gone two hours!
I knew Annette had been spoiling for a fight since she arrived and Kitten took the upper hand. Although whatever she must've said to cause them to start brawling, she clearly wasn't able to back up her words because I heard her give a pained gasp.
"At least you lived up to your billing, but you missed. Not close enough."
Kitten snarled. "I didn't miss, bitch. One flick of my wrist and you're a bad memory and an even worse smell. I think we need to have a little talk, woman to skank. I know why you're doing this. You want me to leave him again, but I can save you the oxygen in your words, because it won't happen. Bones forgave me for deserting him and running off for years, so you can bet your overused, group-orgy twat that I will forgive him for one bad mouthful of you. Now, are we very clear on that?"
"You don't deserve him."
"You're right. That's his issue, though, not yours. Here's your issue: are you going to accept things the way they are, or are you exiting his life? See, I'm not plugging your ticker now because Bones really does care for you. Poor bastard doesn't have any sense when it comes to women, does he? If you can handle being around him in a platonic way, I'll deal with not slicing up your heart even though I really, really want to. What do you say? Do we have a deal?" Kitten asked, almost with humor.
Suddenly, Annette must've recognized the sound of our car and knew we could hear them. That or she felt me. "Do get off, he's almost here! Faith, he'll be so cross with me!"
"Deal?" Kitten pressed.
I knew I'd better catch them mid-fight or else it would be a classic case of she-said, she-said that I'd never be able to sort out. I stomped on the accelerator.
"Heavens yes, now let me up! I have to put the house to right. Blast it, he just sped up!" Annette sounded frantic.
I got home just as after Kitten let her go, apparently. I fairly flung the front door open to find almost all of the furniture of the house in ruins, Annette looking studiously innocent and Kitten giving an unconvincing stretch. As if I wouldn't notice the bloody stain and tear on the front of Annette's blouse. Do they think I'm bloody blind?
"And that, Annette, is called Pilates," she said blithely.
"Very entertaining," Annette agreed, giving me calf eyes. "Why, Crispin, you're back early—"
Right. And I was reborn yesterday. "Save it," I interrupted. I crossed the room to Kitten and un-tucked the bloody knife from the back of her trousers. Then I raised a brow and dangled it in front of Annette. She blanched to an odd bone shade.
"Unless Pilates has become downright lethal, I'd say the two of you were fighting.
Fighting so loudly, in fact, that I could hear you miles away," I growled. Neither of them would admit to anything and the air grew thick with tension.
Suddenly Kitten looked as if she'd found a lifeline. "Rodney!" She flung her arms around him and waved frantically at her mates, who had stayed shuffling 'round by the car.
Then she gave a large, fake smile as another car pulled into the drive.
"Look. The food's here! Who's hungry?"