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purse and clutched it to her chest.
    "Sorry, Lucky. But immortality comes with a price." I stalked to the kitchen and pulled out a plastic garbage sack. "Here, you can use this for your stuff." I dropped it next to her. "Have it ready for me when I come back." I almost skipped to the door, Valdez on my heels. My own Birkin bag. Sweet.
    "Can't I just write you a check?" Lucky pulled out a leather checkbook.
    "Nope. Taking cash for turning you vampire would seem kind of, umm, sleazy. But I'll accept a token of your gratitude." I ignored Lucky's grumbling as I walked to the door. "Come straight down to the shop when you're dressed. No wandering off."
    "Maybe I should take a look around. Whoever attacked me thinks I'm dead. And Brittany's missing." Lucky had a speculative look I didn't like. "Got a stake handy?"
    I grabbed her hand and squeezed hard enough to make her look at me.
    "What? Ouch, you've got a grip like a linebacker." She jerked her hand free. "And trust me, I've been gripped by more than a few." Trust her? Not on your life. Especially not with a stake. I looked into Lucky's eyes and put the whammy to work. "Listen to me, Lucky. You are to come straight downstairs. My shop is right outside the door." I told her the code to get the door open.
    "You are not to tell anyone you're a vampire until we've had time to go over the ground rules. Nod your head if you understand what I'm saying." She nodded, obviously unable to do anything else. God, I love the whammy. Maybe I'd hold off teaching her that particular vamp trick. I released her and told her to snap out of it.
    "I'll change and come downstairs. You say I can raid your roommate's closet?"
    "For now. When you come down, maybe we can find you a few things to wear in the shop. Unless you brought luggage."
    "No, I was flying in and flying out. There's a makeup bag in my rental car downstairs. I don't suppose . . ."
    "Use my makeup for now. I've got to go."
    Lucky got up and sighed. "I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to do makeup without a mirror." She wrinkled her nose when she spied the blood-soaked coat I'd stuffed into a plastic garbage bag the night before. "Why don't you dump that thing on your way out?"
    "Let's give a dry cleaner a shot at it first."
    She shuddered. "I'll never wear it again. Toss it."
    I picked up the bag and carried it to the door. If I could get it clean, it was perfect to sell in the shop. Oh, hell, the shop. What was going on down there?
    "Fine." I opened the door. "Valdez stays with me. I'm worried about what might be going on down at the store."
    "Go. I can take care of myself." Lucky headed down the hall toward Flo's room. I bit my tongue before I made a snarky comment. Take care of herself? I don't think so. If I hadn't stumbled across her, she'd be in the morgue downtown right now. My cell rang when I was halfway down the stairs. Caller ID told me Jerry was checking up on me.
    "Hi, Jerry."
    "Gloriana, what happened last night with the person you found?"
    "She's now a vampire, thanks to me." I dropped the bag with Lucky's coat, punched in the security code and pulled open the outside door. "And I'm stuck with her. She's a very complicated person." I waited inside while Valdez darted to the park across the empty street and took care of business.
    "Obviously she has enemies, unless you think the attack was random."
    "Doubt it. She's a loan shark. Here to collect a debt. I figure someone owed her more than they could pay and decided to settle things permanently."
    "This doesn't sound like someone you need to be involved with."
    "Too late. I'm involved up to my eyebrows." Which could stand plucking. Lucky's had been perfect. Sure, our bodies never change, but our hair, nails and brows still grow. Fast if we've been drinking a lot of high-octane blood. And don't get me started on my legs.
    I picked up the bag with her coat again. "Listen, Jerry. I've got to go. No one's answering in the shop and I've got to check on things."
    "I'll be home