Stone In Love

Chapter 35

Sylvie spent the first hour of the drive chatting up Rizzo and getting him to make funny sounds with his nose. Although Rizzo didn't have the kind of face women would use as their screen saver, he was in seriously fit shape, as well as being a genuinely decent guy, and I could see a connection happening between the two. If Sylvie only knew Rizzo's dirty little secret she would run screaming, or she might be into the wings and sharp teeth. Sylvie tended toward the freaky side of life, which was one reason she and I got along so well. We didn't judge each other.

While Sylvie and Rizzo talked, I called Mr. Pearlman to let him know I would be out of town for a couple days and to wish him a quiet Halloween. As usual, he planned to keep his door locked and ignore everyone. The last leg of our trip was spent singing to Rizzo's playlist, which included a lot of excellent songs, although most of them were in French, so Sylvie and I ended up listening to him sing.

We arrived in Albany a couple hours before the party and checked into the hotel Vincent had arranged for us, which ended up being the same hotel the event planner wanted to put us up in. Rizzo excused himself to make a call, probably to Vincent, while Sylvie and I dressed in our costumes. I did my best to keep my battle wound properly concealed, having already covered it with a thick layer of foundation before leaving the penthouse.

When we got to the Governor's mansion, we were greeted by Debra Brown, a young, voluptuous woman who wore enough makeup to cover my entire body. I introduced Sylvie and Rizzo, and Debra escorted us to the ballroom without questioning the presence of our bodyguard. While Sylvie and I scoped out the lighting, Rizzo familiarized himself with the room and spoke with every member of the security team. His paranoia had become obvious as soon as we arrived at the mansion, which I figured had something to do with a threat from Vincent. Surely, he and Vincent didn't believe demons would crash the party.

As the ballroom started filling up with guests, Sylvie took one side of the room while I traveled the other, popping of shots and talking to people, or in many cases, talking to pirates, vampires, and bananas. Rizzo kept me and Sylvie supplied with waters as he played chaperone. He even appeared to be enjoying the music, but as the evening wore on, he grew more ill-at-ease as he obsessively checked his phone. He finally walked over to me, looking like someone with too many worries.

"We may have a problem, Reese," he said. "I sense demons. At least two. Don't let anyone get you alone."

"Oh, crap. Why would demons be here?"

Rizzo gave me an incredulous look that I read perfectly. Great. I was a fucking magnet for demons. I nodded my acknowledgment as I surveyed the sea of costumed bodies, reminding myself I was perfectly safe among the throng, although any one of them could be a demon. Would I be able to sense one now that I knew what they smelled like? I moved casually around the room until Sylvie and I caught up with each other.

"How're you doing, Sylvie?" I asked.

She offered her usual thumbs up. "This is a great gig. I'm glad you asked me to be part of it. Oh, and there's a buff guy in a skeleton costume who has been checking you out. Maybe you should get a close-up." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully, which usually worked, but I wasn't in the mood for romance with a skeleton. What if he turned out to be a demon?

I scoured the crowd for Skeleton Man, and the first skeleton I came across was clearly female. She had painted her face like a sugar skull, which was totally cool, and the rose-colored John Lennon glasses rocked the look. A buff guy in a skeleton costume snuck into my peripherals as he walked behind the buffet table, and I had to assume this was Sylvie's man. She was right. The guy had a beefcake of a physique under his synthetic body suit, and his face makeup was profesh; black eyes, sunken cheekbones, and teeth drawn around the lips.