01 Rock 'n' Roll is Undead - Veronica Mason Page 7

  I frowned and stared for a beat before answering. “Okay, too much information and what does that even mean? What the heck is trusted underwear?”

  “I have no idea, maybe you should Google it.”

  “Yeah, I’ll try that later. I have to go.”

  Kitty followed me back to the table where Buzz waited. Danny ambled over from whatever dark corner he’d been lurking in and stood beside her.

  “Maybe we should have practiced first, like Frank said, but what can I say? I’m starving,” I said before we approached the table.

  “You’re always thinking about food,” Kitty said.

  This coming from a werewolf who ate her weight in steak.

  “I have a fast metabolism,” I said.

  “Apparently. Good thing you’re thin. Otherwise, you’d weigh a ton. They’d have to reinforce the stage before you got on it.” Kitty chuckled at her own joke.

  Heat went to my cheeks. I didn’t embarrass easily, but in front of Buzz, I felt uncomfortable. Kitty and her lame attempts at humor didn’t help.

  “Veronica, before you go, could you practice that one song? It’s kind of the whole reason I came. It’s got that great swing vibe, I love that.”

  “I thought you came to bring me coffee?”

  “All right, all right, all right, the real reason is because I’m nosy and wanted to see who you chose as a new bass player. I figured Frank would drag in some real losers like he has in the past. Everything he does is like watching a train wreck. Good thing Buzz came along.” She winked at him. “But I still want to hear the song.”

  “The guys are ready to leave,” I said.

  Frank and Craig stood by the front door. It looked as if Pierce had cornered them before they’d left. I wondered whether they were talking dead bodies or music. Double yuck. I hoped music.

  I looked to our newest member. “Besides,” I said, “Buzz doesn’t know the song yet. Give the guy a chance, Kitty.”

  I brushed an invisible piece of lint off my skirt, attempting to appear nonchalant.

  “If they’re up to it, so am I.” Buzz gestured toward Frank and Craig. “Just start playing, I’ll fall in.” He exposed his dimples again.

  “C’mon. Just the one song?” She clasped her hands together in a prayer gesture.

  “It’s not up to me. Ask them.”

  Kitty yelled to Frank and Craig and motioned for them to come back over. Not sure how Kitty would get Frank to listen to anything she said, but she had a way with words…even with vampires. Her pack—not to mention her parents—didn’t like her hanging around vampires, but Kitty never did what anyone told her to do, anyway. Her dad hated her dating Danny. The one and only time her parents had him over for dinner, her dad fed him garlic, poured him a glass of holy water and wore a crucifix. He knew those things didn't work, but it was more symbolic. I think Danny took the hint.

  While Kitty convinced Frank and Craig to play the one song, I studied Pierce as he talked on his cell phone. The conversation wasn’t discernible because of the distance, but he was moving his arms and hands a lot.

  “You ready?” I asked when the guys neared.

  “As ready as I'll ever be,” Buzz said.

  Frank snorted. With a warning glare, I reminded him of what we’d discussed earlier. Not that he’d ever listened to me, but I digress. I climbed on stage and adjusted the microphone while the guys got in place behind me.

  “You know they don’t clean those microphones, right?” Frank smirked. “No telling how much spit is on that thing.”

  “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll try not to lick it while I’m singing.”

  I waited for Frank to strum the first chords. I sang and the other instruments started. The words came out smoothly, although my throat hurt a tad. I hoped I wasn’t coming down with something. I was proud of the song. I’d written the lyrics after a night of pizza chased with cookie dough. You can’t get much more inspired than that. The song came out a lot better than my stomach did that night.

  Buzz looked down at his upright bass as he pounded out the music. He was good. And he seemed into the music. The crowd was going to love him. Right now, our only audience was Kitty and Danny. Pierce had obviously left while I wasn’t watching. Some fan, he didn’t even stick around to hear the music. I was glad he didn’t hang around to listen, though. I’d definitely have to talk with Buzz about him.

  Kitty smiled while swaying along with the song. Her man didn’t seem as enthused. He picked at his nails again, chewing on a few fingers while staring at the floor.

  “That was fantastic,” I said to Buzz when we finished the song. “It didn’t even really sound like us.”

  “Yeah, we actually sounded good.” Craig stood from behind the drums.

  Kitty clapped and whistled.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Frank motioned to Craig, then jumped off the stage.

  “Where are you going?” I called after him. “Don’t walk away from me while I’m still talking to you.”

  “What do you want me to do if I don’t walk? Run? I have an appointment. I'll be back at one. Enjoy lunch,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

  Craig followed behind Frank like a lost puppy. Frank was as stubborn as a mule; he’d just have to get over his attitude. I’d hired Buzz. It was my choice to make. I had the final decision and I wouldn’t let Frank influence me just because he wanted to hook up his so-called friends. The hinges on the front door of the bar groaned in protest when Frank slammed it shut. I halfway expected the door to fall in or for him to kick it on his way out. Court ordered anger management was in his future.

  “Looks like it's just us.” I looked at Kitty. My voice echoed through the club.

  “We have to go to. Sorry. The song was great.” She winked.

  “What? You’re going already?” The realization that I’d be alone with Buzz hit me. Alone with a gorgeous man. “Come have lunch with us. Your grandmother’s underwear isn’t going anywhere.”

  Buzz raised his eyebrows, but didn’t ask.

  “Call you later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Kitty grinned with mild amusement as she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. She motioned over her shoulder for Danny to follow. How did everyone have people trained to follow them? A magic spell? If so, that would explain why no one listened to a darn word I said. Craig followed Frank. Danny followed Kitty. Now that I thought about it, I was glad I didn’t have anyone following me.

  “I hope you’re hungry, ’cause I’m starved,” Buzz said with a sexy southern drawl.

  “A little.” My heart beat slightly faster. I watched Kitty march toward the door. “Bye….” I wanted to yell come back, but knew I couldn’t.

  What the hell? I acted as if I’d never seen a good-looking guy before. But it wasn’t every day a girl saw a good-looking Elvis look-a-like. Buzz was in the band now and I needed to keep things professional. No drooling. No flirting. Not that he was flirting with me, because he’d given me no illusions that he was. I moved across the stage, making my way toward the stairs. When I placed my foot on the first step, it gave way, completely collapsing. I landed with a loud thud on my face, on the hard floor. The jolt knocked the wind out of me and a pain surged through my shoulder. A surge of panic spread through my body when I heard Buzz call to me.

  Chapter 16

  My shoulder had twisted when I’d landed. Please let it not be broken.

  “Are you okay?” Buzz yelled.

  My mouth moved, but no words came out. My normal breathing hadn’t returned.

  Buzz jumped off the stage and rushed over to me. I assumed he ran because within a second he kneeled over me. “Are you okay?” he asked again.

  My eyes met with hard pectorals. “I think so.” I muttered. “My shoulder hurts.”

  “Can you sit up?” He reached for my hand.

  I sat up, leaning my back against the stage. I looked over at the broken steps. Kitty sprinted toward me, her heels clicking against the hard floor. “Oh, my God, I hea
rd the crash. What happened?”

  Danny ran behind her. At least, I thought you’d call it a run. It might have been the first time I’d ever seen him move faster than a shuffle. It was more like a hurried shamble. Vampires were supposed to be quick, but he never got in a hurry. Another reason why he wouldn’t have been a good fit for our band. His movements were in slow motion. Danny’s eyes held a faint glow as he watched the scene. I doubted he’d seen this much excitement since Coca-Cola came out with a blood version of Vanilla Coke. I wasn’t sure what Kitty saw in him. He treated her well, but I hadn’t had a chance to get to know him. You can’t always control whom you’re attracted to, I guess. They had that Lyle Lovett/Julia Roberts thing going on.

  “I’m okay. Calm down. I tweaked my shoulder a bit, that’s all.” And bruised my ego a tad. Fortunately, my fall hadn’t hurt me, but unfortunately, when Buzz’s hand touched mine, my stomach dropped and my toes tingled. Me attracted to Buzz Vaughn? No, I wouldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t let it happen. But was there any way to stop it now? Damn. Suddenly I was like a giddy teenager attracted to sparkly vampires in novels. Not that Buzz was a vampire. I didn’t know what he was.

  Buzz squatted down beside me. I straightened out my skirt. Nothing like falling flat on your face in front of a hunk and flashing your pink panties with little guitars on them.

  “That’s all? That’s all? What happened?” Kitty asked again.

  I pointed toward the steps. “I guess they broke. Seems like they just pulled away.”

  Buzz stood, then moved over to the steps. He got down on all fours with his butt facing in our direction. Oh, heaven help me. The pain in my shoulder eased with the new view. He wore his jeans well. They were cuffed at the hem and his black t-shirt stretched tight across his muscular chest.

  Buzz examined underneath where the steps had been attached to the stage. “This bolt was on the ground.” He held it up. “Looks as if it was cut. The metal shards are fresh. There's even metal residue on the ground.”

  “What the heck? Why didn't it collapse before?” I asked.

  “I think everyone climbed on stage without the steps,” Kitty said. “Come on. Let's get you out of here. You sure you’re okay?” Kitty stretched her hand out and helped me to my feet.

  “Physically maybe.” The bolt Buzz had discovered was disconcerting. “I'll have to call Monty and tell him what happened. He’d better not blame us.” I brushed off my skirt.

  “He needs to fix the damn thing,” Kitty said. “Someone could have been killed.” She draped her arm over my shoulder as the guys followed along behind us. Kitty was like the Pied Piper of men.

  “I don’t think I came close to death, but I could have broken a leg.”

  “What if you’d hit your head? Brain injuries can cause death. Killed.”

  The last word she spoke was stuck in my head. Killed. Dead just like Johnny. Someone could have been killed.

  Kitty and I stepped outside onto the sidewalk. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

  “No, the pain is basically gone now.”

  “Basically?” She quirked a brow. “Can you move your shoulder?”

  I moved my arm up and down. “I’m fine, see. I think it just scared me more than anything.”

  “Okay.” She paused. “If you're sure.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Danny stood beside her with that goofy grin on his face, fangs extending over his lips. “We’re headed out. I'll call you soon. Be careful and have fun at lunch.” She winked as they made their way to Danny’s car.

  “Looks as if it’s just us,” Buzz said.

  My stomach did a little dance. “Yeah, looks that way.” I smiled but didn't meet his gaze.

  “You took quite a fall back there. You sure you don’t want to have a doctor look at your shoulder?”

  It wasn’t as annoying when he asked. “I’m okay. Just tweaked it a little.” Maybe if he knew a little first aid. Mouth to mouth resuscitation would be good.

  “Okay then. So where to?” he asked.

  “There’s a great diner just down the street. That’s if you like greasy burgers and fries?”

  “Who doesn't?” Buzz flashed his gorgeous smile. Whatever teeth whitening system he used, it worked.

  “Where’s your car?” I scanned the parking lot.

  “That’s it.” He gestured.

  “Which one?” There were only about a dozen parked in the lot.

  “The first spot there.”

  “The motorcycle?” My brow rose.

  “Yeah, that's my bike.”

  “No offense, but do you mind if I drive?”

  “What? You don't trust me?” He grinned.

  “Not exactly. I mean, I don't know you. We just met. I don’t know your driving skills and when there’s nothing between me and the pavement, I’d rather not find out you’re a lousy driver that way.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Plus, I'm wearing a skirt.”

  His gaze traveled down the length of my body, stopping at my skirt. He looked at me intently, as if trying to memorize every feature. “All good reasons. So which car is yours?”

  Heat rose in my cheeks.

  “How about you take a guess.” In a word, he was super hot. Okay, that was two words, but I digress.

  “He looked out over the parking lot. His gaze settled on my car. “The old Buick?”

  “The vintage Buick? Yes.”

  “Nice ride.”

  “Thank you.” I felt like a proud mama.

  “It's very nice. A ’57?”

  “Yep. My father and brother restored it.”

  We walked over to the Bel-Air and I slid onto the leather seat. I reached over and unlocked his side. Then the thought hit me: maybe I shouldn’t be going off with a complete stranger. I still didn’t know what he was or what he wanted. Was he a paranormal? He couldn’t be a werewolf or Kitty would have sniffed him out.

  Buzz climbed in, propping his arm across the seat. Dangerously close to having his arm around me, I might add. A few fluffy clouds dotted the sky and the sun shone, blanketing the area in brightness.

  “Do you mind if I let the top down?” I asked, pretending not to notice his nearness.

  “I don't know…it might mess up my hair.” He didn’t crack a smile.

  I looked at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Do I look serious?” He winked.

  “Not now.” I chuckled. “But you never know.”

  His short hairstyle wasn't going anywhere in the wind. Mine, on the other hand, would blow everywhere. I pulled the scarf from the glove compartment and tied it around my hair.

  “And you gave me that look because of what I said about my hair?”

  “I have long hair. You try driving with hair blowing in your face.” I grinned.

  We looked like a couple straight out of 1957. Well, sort of…Buzz had a couple tattoos as well, although, it was a lot more common back then for men to have them. Women? Not so much. What looked like an upright bass peeked out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt.

  “Where’d you say this place is?”

  “Um, I didn’t. It’s right here on Beale, though. Just down the road. Tully’s Diner. It’s close, not quite close enough to walk, but I know a shortcut.”

  He nodded. “Sounds great.”

  “Have you been there?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve been a few times.”

  “I love the atmosphere. Great tunes and good junk food. The cheese fries are awesome.”

  My words were focused on food, again. Maybe I needed one of those shock collars. Talk about a one-track mind. Now that I thought about it, I’d have to tone down the shoving fries in my mouth routine. I didn’t want to scare the guy off with my eating habits. Unfortunately, taking him to eat wouldn’t solve the what-is-he question. Vampires could shovel in the food without a second thought, as long as they had their daily blood intake, they were good to go. Kitty once told me some vampires could hide their fangs—mostly t
he half vampires. She said they exposed them only when they wanted to. She called them ‘living’ vampires. I’d heard it had something to do with not being fully turned. Whatever that meant. I’m not sure I believed her, but now…I didn’t know. Was Buzz part vampire?

  “How’s the shoulder? You okay to drive?” he asked as we pulled out.

  “Oh, it’s fine.” I turned the huge steering wheel. “Just tweaked it a little.”

  You Belong To Me streamed from the rear speakers; barely loud enough to make out the words. It was one of my favorite love songs, just what I needed—a love song. I switched off the radio.

  Chapter 17

  “What do you think happened in there? You know, to the steps?” I asked.

  “Oh, I guess the bolt wore loose or something. Could have been faulty, who knows,” he said.

  It was hard to concentrate with his spicy scent wafting my way. Did I detect sandalwood? Someone needed to save me from his intoxicating aroma. It was enough to make me drunker than my Uncle Wendell on a Saturday night.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I felt his stare and glanced over, taking my eyes off the road for a second. “What?”

  “Sorry to hear about the other bass player. How you discovered him, and all.”

  Pretending he didn’t know had been silly. Of course he knew about Johnny. His friend had to have told him.

  “Thank you. It was a shock, to say the least. I didn’t want to sing for a while, but Frank talked me into it. Taking a rest seems like a good idea to me. But he insisted.”

  “I can understand, but you have to go on with life.”

  “I know, and I have, but I just figured I owed Johnny some sort of grieving time. One minute he was on stage and the next, he was gone. It still hasn’t registered that Johnny isn’t coming back. We haven’t even had a memorial service for him yet. Maybe it'll hit me then. But gosh, I feel so badly for his wife and parents.”

  We pulled up beside the diner and I eased the Bel-Air into a spot up front. I’d barely gotten the engine off and the key out of the ignition before Buzz had jumped out and hurried over to open my door. Rick had never done anything like that. He was always too busy messing with his hair or something. I wasn’t going to tell Buzz not to do it, though. Actually, I kind of liked it. Plus, maybe it would make him feel bad if I said not to, right? His Mama had taught him manners.