Dress 2 Impress: A Jennifer Cloud Novel (Jennifer Cloud Series) Page 21

  “Die?” Campy’s voice sounded a little shaky.

  “Yep. I guess you didn’t tell him that, did you, Mitchell?”

  “He’s with me, bitch, so get your ass out of here,” Mitchell said, lunging at me.

  Marco grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and held him a few inches off the floor.

  Pickles came over, and together they escorted Mitchell, screaming obscenities, outside.

  “That’s why Caiyan came back for you. But he can’t stay because if he doesn’t leave this moon cycle, he’ll be born in January.”

  “He told me he came back for Rocksanna,” Campy said.

  “That would be impossible. He can’t take her into the future, and he can’t stay,” I explained.

  Campy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I could stay for a little while. I like playing the guitar and some of the guys in the band.”

  “But you being here might change the way things are in our time.”

  Campy frowned. “Some things need to be changed.”

  “Your mom is really worried about you.”

  “She is?”

  “Yes, and Aunt Itty.” I reached over and placed my hand over his. A smooth warm feeling encircled our hands like a winter muffler. Apparently this young man had his hormones in check, unlike Marco and Caiyan.

  “You know, they don’t have iPhones, Xbox, or Call of Duty. And they only have five TV channels that you can watch.”

  “It’s going to be a while before those things are invented.”

  “I’m getting tired of Mitchell telling me what to do all the time. He’s worse than Mom.” Campy made a face. “Every night the guys have hooch, girls, and blow. Caiyan said if I touched the blow, he would tell my mom.” His shoulders sagged as he relayed the rest of his story. “I liked the girls at first, but they all smell like cigarettes and hairspray.” He looked up at me and sat up straight. “Not like you. You’re pretty, and you smell nice.”

  “Thanks, Campy,” I said. “I work for an agency that could train you to be a secret time travel agent.”

  “For real?”

  “Yep, your uncle Caiyan works for them, and I’m sure in time you would be really good at it. You might even be able to come back and visit your friends.”

  Campy looked in awe, like maybe a secret agent was equally as cool as a lead guitarist. “I think I’m ready to go home.”

  “Go back to the hotel with your band. I need to have a chat with your uncle.”

  “OK. I guess I need to break it to the guys that I won’t be playing with them anymore.”

  “Do you think they’re going to be upset?”

  “No, they’re talking about splitting up. They keep trying to get me to choose sides and go with them, but I can’t decide which one to go with. They’re all stellar.”

  My inner voice was pointing to the tall one with curly hair, and I agreed that his solo career took off, while the other band members stayed unknown. I decided to keep this to myself. I saw Marco making his way back into the lounge.

  I turned to Campy and said, “Stay at the hotel, and I’ll come get you. If you see Mitchell, do not take off your key for any reason. He can’t take it off you, and he can’t kill you.”

  Campy nodded as I stood to meet Marco. A petite girl dressed in, well, not much, came over and squeezed in next to Campy. He rolled his eyes, but I saw him place his hand nonchalantly on her knee. I hoped he would be waiting for us when we returned with or without Caiyan. Our time was running out, and I hated to take him by force. Gertie was right. If we took him against his will, he would probably just return to 1985, but at least the WTF would have a crack at him first. Based on all those black pins on Al’s map, we could use the help. As I watched Marco make his way through the crowd, I wished there was a way to convince him to join as well. My inner voice put that on her to-do list right under rescuing Caiyan from the rock slut.

  Marco finally reached me, after avoiding the blonde he’d been wearing earlier. He told me Pickles had Mitchell tied up and secured for now. I related the info on Campy, and we both agreed to find Gertie, get Caiyan, and get the hell back home. Caiyan might have to sacrifice his key, but hey, that’s the choice he made when he took the damned thing off. I was not feeling any sorrow for the two-timing Don Juan, even if the other woman was in the past.

  My inner voice pulled out her notepad and showed me the facts. Caiyan had not been back to see Rocksanna since he had met me in October. Caiyan only went back at Jake’s request and to help his nephew. Caiyan never actually said he loved me or that we were exclusive. Man, I wanted to wad up that paper and shove it up Caiyan’s behind.

  Gertie was sitting on the drummer boy’s lap and sticking her tongue in his ear. Groady as they say in 1985.

  “Gertie, let’s go.”

  “Aw, Jen, right now?”

  “Right now!”

  The drummer boy squeezed Gertie’s butt as she got up, and with a very charming English accent, he said, “Catch you later, alligator.”

  “Remember what I told ya,” Gertie replied. “I’m coming to get you in the year 2013.”

  “Radical, babe.”

  “Gertie!” I shoved her toward the door. “You can’t tell him that.”

  “Oh, what’s the difference?” She pouted. “He doesn’t know what I meant anyhow.”

  Marco, Gertie, and I made our way back to our seats. We were not going to miss Rocksanna’s final concert. Marco’s groupies had found other attachments, and we stood as the lights were lowered. Rocksanna came up through a lift in the center of the stage. Two men were strapped to poles on either side of her, and she began singing her number one hit, “S&M Is What I Like.” Her fans went wild, and my inner voice was wondering if Caiyan was into S&M. He never mentioned it to me, but with Rocksanna parading around in a black leather bustier and fishnets, whipping the crap out of the men she had tethered to poles, it was difficult to believe she preferred the missionary position.

  The rest of the concert was exhilarating. I will give her credit; she put on an amazing show. At one point, she flew over the audience with the help of a safety harness. Rocksanna’s concert was coming to a close. This was it. The final performance. After she got into her limo, that was the end of her life. Her finale.

  The band returned, and we listened to another song as the crowd went crazy and glitter shot out of air canons and doused us all with a stream of gold glitz. I looked over at Marco, and he seemed to be untouched by the glitter. Gertie and I were in the running for Christmas tree toppers.

  “How come you don’t have any glitter?” I asked loudly.

  “I have an internal sparkle. Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and zap! His internal sparkle shot straight to my doodah.

  Pickles told us earlier that after she performed, Rocksanna would be escorted down the hall to her dressing room. She would not go to the lounge, but she would make an exciting exit for her fans who were lucky enough to figure out which exit she would use. She would go to an after-concert publicity party at a club, where the manager paid her a ton of money for an appearance, and then on to the after-after party, usually at her hotel.

  We waited patiently in the long hallway of the Rock City Hotel that led to the outside exit. The security team started to pass us, making a cluster around Rocksanna. Caiyan was right there holding her hand. I shouted for him, but he couldn’t hear me. They made a pit stop in her dressing room for a quick change. The fans were chanting her name, and the security people were barking orders like the Third Reich. I followed the remaining entourage out to a secure area where the performers’ limousines waited to take then back to the safety of their hotel. A small crowd of VIP fans and paparazzi gathered for the exit. The Beasts entered their limousine, and I gave Campy a wave as they dove inside.

  Next a woman who looked like Rocksanna, but I was pretty sure wasn’t, waved to the crowd
and got in the next limo, and it drove away. The crowd cheered, and a million flash bulbs went off, making me feel slightly dizzy. I scanned the building. Where were Caiyan and the real Rocksanna? Then I saw Pickles standing next to a black BMW.

  I walked over to Pickles. “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Dat was de decoy car,” he said. One of the security team came out of a side door and nodded at Pickles.

  He looked at me. “Time to go.” He got into the BMW.

  Before he could close the door I said, “Don’t forget to buckle up. Better safe than sorry, I always say.” He nodded and put on his seat belt. I backed out of the way so he could shut the door and start the engine.

  He rolled down the window. “I hope to meet you again real soon.”

  “Thanks for all your help.” I said a little prayer as he rolled up the window.

  A light mist of rain had begun to sprinkle on us, and the cool wind had me pulling my jean jacket tighter and putting my hands in my pockets. Marco and Gertie were standing back under the cover of the building, motioning for me to come over.

  I started toward them but was stopped by a couple leaving out of the side door. The woman had a shawl draped over her head and Caiyan on her arm. One of her large bodyguards was helping her into the BMW. I made a mad dash around the car.

  “Caiyan!” I yelled. “Do not get in that car!”

  He stopped and looked at me. I grabbed his arm. “You know—” was all I said, when he pulled me to him and kissed me with such passion all ten of my toes curled.

  He broke the kiss, and his green eyes were soft as they stared deep into my soul. “I love you, Jennifer Cloud,” he said. Then he turned, climbed into the car, and it sped away.

  Chapter 19

  I stood staring at the taillights of the BMW as it disappeared into the night. Gertie came over and put a hand on my shoulder. “You tried to stop him.”

  “Stop him?” I asked, reeling from what just happened. “Yes, we have to stop him.” I looked frantically around for a car. I reached for my key. I was going to call my vessel and cut him off at the pass. Marco grabbed me bear hug-style from behind, pinning my arms to my sides.

  “Not here,” he said.

  “Let me go!” I screamed, drawing the attention of a few people standing near us.

  “Jennifer,” he said with his mouth pressed against my ear. “Look around. If you call your vessel here, the paparazzi will get it on film. You might not EVER be able to leave this time.”

  My eyes cleared, and I could see he was right. The street was crowded with photographers, crazed fans, and people leaving the concert. I stopped struggling and just began to cry. Marco held me, and the electric shock that usually sends us into a fit of ecstasy wrapped me in a warm blanket of comfort.

  After I calmed down, I heard Marco’s name being shouted from the street. I turned and saw the two Christies from last night. They were driving by in their Honda Prelude. Marco grabbed my hand, and Gertie followed us over to the car.

  “Hello, Christies,” Marco said, leaning against the car door. “Would you two lovely ladies assist us in locating another one of our friends?”

  “Sure, that would be rad,” said the blonde.

  “Anything for you, stud,” the brunette replied.

  We piled into the backseat as Marco gave the blonde directions to the way the BMW headed. “The Heat Is On” was blaring over the radio as we made our way south on Highland Avenue and took a left on Hollywood Boulevard.

  I was sitting on the edge of my seat, keeping a lookout for the BMW. I caught sight of the car as we made the turn. “There’s Rocksanna’s car!” I shouted over the music

  The blonde shouted back, “They’re going to the Avalon for the after party.” I guess as groupies, they knew the rock star’s every move. She floored the Honda, but we lost them in traffic. When we didn’t make the stoplight, my inner voice started biting her fingernails. We sat idle, waiting for the light to turn green. My heart was thumping hard in my chest. How were we going to save them? Gertie couldn’t remember what time or where the accident took place. She thought it might be after they stopped at the publicity party. I was mentally running scenarios through my mind, when Gertie said, “Oh my God.”

  Marco and I both looked at her. She was pointing to the opposite corner with her hand covering her mouth. “It’s her.”

  “Her who?” I asked.

  “Red Riding Hood,” she said. “You know, the next victim of the Bus Stop Killer.”

  Everyone looked out through rain-covered windows and saw the girl standing at the bus stop, wearing the red raincoat. Then we looked up at the street sign. “Hollywood and Vine.”

  Gertie looked over at me. “We have to help her.”

  “What about Caiyan?” I asked.

  “We can’t catch them, Jen.” Marco stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “We have a moment in time to prevent something bad.”

  “What if it messes up the future?” I asked.

  “Then so be it,” he said, pointing his finger to the stereo speaker as Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” began playing on the radio. It was kismet. I had to help this girl. Maybe we could help her and still get to Caiyan.

  “Hey, I think that’s one of our friends over there at the bus stop.” Marco pointed, and the blonde made a turn and pulled into a convenience store on the corner. The three of us got out of the car and told the girls to go on to the after party that Rocksanna would never attend.

  The rain was coming down harder, and I took off my jacket and held it over my head.

  “Now what, Magnum PI?” Gertie asked.

  “I don’t see any sign of the killer,” I said. “Let’s go have a chat with Red Riding Hood.”

  We walked over to the bus stop and introduced ourselves as undercover agents who were investigating the Bus Stop Killer. We told her she was in danger, and she agreed to let me wear her red raincoat. We swapped jackets, and Gertie escorted her to a cluster of bushes where they could hide until the bus arrived. I sat on the bench, pretending to wait for the bus, mentally praying that the car accident happened after they made their stop at the after party, and Caiyan could get out safely.

  Marco was hiding with Gertie in the group of bushes about thirty yards away. The rain had stopped, and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I reassured myself Marco was a short distance away. My inner voice crossed her arms over her chest and reminded me he didn’t have his key. He’d saved us the last time we were in trouble by using his ability to slow down time for a few seconds. It was long enough for him to pull Gertie out of harm’s way and take a bullet in the chest.

  An old Cutlass slowed down and cruised past the bus stop. The windows were tinted, and I couldn’t make out the driver. The car turned the corner, and I lost sight of it. The girl told us the bus ran every half hour, and it should be here fairly soon. The air felt creepy. A few people wandered the streets, but no one was close to the bus stop. It left an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach. I started to recite my mantra: I’m spunky and I’m fierce and I’m smarter than most men. Bad guys run and hide ’cuz here comes SuperJen.

  I felt better. The mantra my brother and I had created when we were kids made me feel brave. I sat praying for Caiyan and hoping the Bus Stop Killer decided tonight was not his night. After about twenty minutes, I was about to tell Marco this was a bust, when a hand clamped over my mouth and I felt a jab in my ribs.

  “Don’t move a muscle,” came the voice from behind me.

  Now how did this asshole sneak up on me? My inner voice drew a dream bubble with Caiyan inside. He had come around the bench and grabbed me as I was leaning forward to look down the street toward the Avalon Club.

  “What do you want?” I asked into the hand.

  “I’m going to cut you, cheating bitch.” He slurred the words into my ear. He had been drinking. That
was good. Slow reaction time. Cheating bitch? Now that set my blood to boiling. If anything, I was the faithful one. Wait a minute. I grasped reality. I don’t think he was referring to me specifically. I think his crazy was for women. All women. I moved cautiously into the object that was jabbing my side. It sent a sharp pain into my skin. Not a gun, maybe a knife. Most likely a knife because that’s how he created his forehead masterpieces.

  “You’re going to come with me.” He gripped my arm and stood, pulling me to my feet. There was something oddly familiar about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I was sure I knew this person.

  “I think I know you,” I said as I caught a look at his face. He had a black knit cap on his head and wore a gray Members Only jacket. I realized it was the guy from the shopping mall. But there was something more familiar about him. Like someone from church you only run into at the grocery store, and you can’t figure out how you know him.

  He stopped, grabbed me around the neck, and threw me over the bench. I landed on my back in the shadows of the bus stop. He straddled me as I tried to recover from the sudden attack. I could feel his hard penis rub against my stomach as he held me down. Ewww. My arm flung out and knocked the knife out of his hand. His beady eyes stared down at me in the darkness as his hands closed around my throat. I was bucking and fighting, but his grip was cutting off my air. I felt like all the training Jake had put me through was for nothing. I couldn’t move. Arms came around his neck, and he released his grip on me. Marco had him in a chokehold, and he reared back, ready to fight. I gasped for air as I watched Marco throw a right hook into the man’s gut. The man reared back in pain, knocking Marco’s grip loose. Marco stumbled back a few steps, and the man swung one of his bear-size paws at him. He caught Marco on the left cheek and knocked him to the ground. I saw Gertie and Red Riding Hood come running down the block behind him. I stood up, finally breathing again, and we squared off. He lunged for me just as Gertie jumped on his back and bit his ear. He yelped in pain, swatting at Gertie. I gave the guy a good hard kick in the balls. He grabbed his crotch and doubled over. Marco gave him a few hard punches until the man lost consciousness. I pulled Marco off him and hugged him.