"What woman?" Dotes and Saucerhead and Puddle all grinned like shiteating possums. Thought they had me on the run.
"You claim I'm working. Where's the woman? I get into one of my weird cases, there's always a lovely around. Right? So you see a honey on my arm? Hell, my luck's so bad I'd almost go to work just to... Huh?"
They weren't paying attention. They were staring at something behind me.
2
She liked black. She wore a black raincloak over a black dress. She wore high-top black boots. Raindrops shimmered like diamonds in her raven hair. She wore black leather gloves. I imagined she'd lost a black hat and veil somewhere. Everything about her was black except her face. That was as pale as bone. She was about five-six. She was young. She was beautiful. She was frightened.
I said, "I'm in love."
Morley's sense of humor deserted him. He told me, "You don't want anything to do with her, Garrett. She'll get you dead."
The woman's gaze, arrogant from amazing black eyes, passed over us as though we didn't exist. She chose to perch at a table isolated from those that were occupied. Some of Morley's patrons shivered as she passed, pretended they didn't see her.
Interesting.
I looked some more. She was about twenty. She wore lip paint so red it looked like fresh blood. That and her pallor gave me a chill. But no. No vampire would dare TunFaire's inhospitable streets.
I was intrigued. Why was she afraid? Why did she scare those thugs? "Know her, Morley?"
"No. I don't. But I know who she is."
"So?"
"She's the kingpin's kid. I saw her out there last month."
"Chodo's daughter?" I was stunned. Also a lot less romantically inclined.