Big Bad Beast
Page 27
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Stubborn. As stubborn as a mule. Even worse, Rics technique was to keep questioning her until he either wore her down or the entire street descended on them in a mass attack.
No, what Dee needed to do was get this over with quickly.
Come on then, she snapped and got out of the car.
She stood on the street and glared down one end of the block to the other. She saw bodies step back into the darkness, not wanting to be seen by her. No one wanted to be seen by Dee. She didnt know why specifically, but she didnt mind. Not around here.
Together they quickly walked up the stairs of the building, Dee finding herself more and more embarrassed as they stepped over trash and filth and a couple of piles that were breathing and smelled like ninety-proof liquor. Trying to be rich or look like she was rich was not something Dee-Ann ever thought about. Normally, what people thought of her or how they saw her, didnt matter much. But, for the first time that she could remember, Dee was embarrassed. Terribly embarrassed that Ulrich Van Holtz of the mighty Van Holtz Pack was seeing a Smithany Smithliving like this.
Lord, she hoped her momma never found out about this. That She-wolf would have a fit! Where Dee-Ann and her daddy usually couldnt care less what people thought, they did care an awful lot what Darla Lewis thought.
Finally at her door, Dee quickly unlocked it. Thanks, she said and stepped inside. She turned to close the door behind her but Van Holtz had already walked in. Normally as polite as any Southerner Dee had grown up with, Van Holtz would never do such a thing. But when it came to Dee-Ann, he seemed to be less about polite and more about getting his own damn way.
Oh, Dee-Ann.
She could hear the horror in his voice and she forced herself not to cringe. Look, I aint got time to put in fancy furniture and clean up. Its not like Ive had much time these last few months.
Dee-Ann, a couple of crates does not true furniture make. He hit the switch for the lightslights that didnt come on. Is the Group not paying you enough? Dee cringed. This was getting worse by the second. Of course, they are. You are. I just havent been back here for a while and I havent had time to set up the apartment bills to be automatically paid online. Its not a big deal. Ill take care of it tomorrow.
Its roasting in here. The middle of summer. No electricity, no AC. Youll overheat.
Ill pant.
Youll be like a dog locked in some idiots car. He took several steps farther in. And youre still living out of your bags? He faced her, his eyes naturally reflecting the light coming from a streetlamp outside her apartment window, which had no curtains or blinds. How long have you had this place? Months, but she wasnt about to admit that. Itll be fine. She walked past him to her window. Her eyes narrowed and she openedthe window, leaned out, and gave one of her vicious snarling-barks at the males circling around Van Holtzs car. They took off running and Dee turned around to find Ric . . . cleaning her floor?
What in hell are you doin?
Youre not staying here. I am not letting you stay here. He wasnt cleaning her floor, he was shoving the few clothes she had here back into her duffle bag. Dee rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide her mortification at this current situation.
Thats real sweet of you, Ric, although she had to work hard not to sound bitter, but I dont need you to . . . what are you looking at?
Still crouched on the floor next to her bag, he was staring off in a dark corner near her barely used closet. Standing, he walked over, spun around, and came right back, picking up her duffle bag.
Were out of here.
What is it?
Vermin. You have vermin. He looked at her duffle bag, flung it to the floor. Ill buy you new clothes.
Darlin, this is New York City. Theres vermin everywhere. They were just circling your car.
Im not talking human vermin, Dee-Ann. I can handle human vermin. This kind of vermin . . . I cant handle.
Surprised a wolf would openly act so freaked out about a goddamn rat, Dee-Ann walked over to her closet to show Van Holtz how a Smith handled a little ol vermin problem.
Ric stood by the door, foot tapping impatiently, his entire body coiled and ready to make a crazed sprint out the window and to the safety of the unsafe street below. But, as much as he might want to, he would never leave Dee-Ann alone to face that . . . that thing she had living in her closet.
It was a known fact around the world that there were two things the Van Holtzes hated universally, whether it was the American Van Holtzes, the German, the Italianwhatever. And those universally hated things? Roaches and rats, the bane of any restaurants existence.
For the Van Holtz Pack the hatred went far deeper than that. It wasnt unexpected that one of their restaurants would be shut down for weeks if there was any sign of vermin. Even the health departments more scummy inspectors, willing to take a payoff to overlook things, didnt bother to try to elicit bribes from any Van Holtz. What was the point when the whole group reacted to any sign of mold, fungus, or vermin with an intense violence rivaled only by actual house cats? In fact, a few Van Holtzes, including Ric, were known to hire feline line cooks just so they could deal with any rodent problems. But there could be no playing with the vermin, as some felines liked to doespecially those mountain lions and leopardsthey were there to kill, kill, kill. One of Rics favorite grill men was an Ecuadorian cheetah who went after vermin with an almost psychotic glee. When he finally left the restaurant to run his own kitchenRic cried a little.
Stubborn. As stubborn as a mule. Even worse, Rics technique was to keep questioning her until he either wore her down or the entire street descended on them in a mass attack.
No, what Dee needed to do was get this over with quickly.
Come on then, she snapped and got out of the car.
She stood on the street and glared down one end of the block to the other. She saw bodies step back into the darkness, not wanting to be seen by her. No one wanted to be seen by Dee. She didnt know why specifically, but she didnt mind. Not around here.
Together they quickly walked up the stairs of the building, Dee finding herself more and more embarrassed as they stepped over trash and filth and a couple of piles that were breathing and smelled like ninety-proof liquor. Trying to be rich or look like she was rich was not something Dee-Ann ever thought about. Normally, what people thought of her or how they saw her, didnt matter much. But, for the first time that she could remember, Dee was embarrassed. Terribly embarrassed that Ulrich Van Holtz of the mighty Van Holtz Pack was seeing a Smithany Smithliving like this.
Lord, she hoped her momma never found out about this. That She-wolf would have a fit! Where Dee-Ann and her daddy usually couldnt care less what people thought, they did care an awful lot what Darla Lewis thought.
Finally at her door, Dee quickly unlocked it. Thanks, she said and stepped inside. She turned to close the door behind her but Van Holtz had already walked in. Normally as polite as any Southerner Dee had grown up with, Van Holtz would never do such a thing. But when it came to Dee-Ann, he seemed to be less about polite and more about getting his own damn way.
Oh, Dee-Ann.
She could hear the horror in his voice and she forced herself not to cringe. Look, I aint got time to put in fancy furniture and clean up. Its not like Ive had much time these last few months.
Dee-Ann, a couple of crates does not true furniture make. He hit the switch for the lightslights that didnt come on. Is the Group not paying you enough? Dee cringed. This was getting worse by the second. Of course, they are. You are. I just havent been back here for a while and I havent had time to set up the apartment bills to be automatically paid online. Its not a big deal. Ill take care of it tomorrow.
Its roasting in here. The middle of summer. No electricity, no AC. Youll overheat.
Ill pant.
Youll be like a dog locked in some idiots car. He took several steps farther in. And youre still living out of your bags? He faced her, his eyes naturally reflecting the light coming from a streetlamp outside her apartment window, which had no curtains or blinds. How long have you had this place? Months, but she wasnt about to admit that. Itll be fine. She walked past him to her window. Her eyes narrowed and she openedthe window, leaned out, and gave one of her vicious snarling-barks at the males circling around Van Holtzs car. They took off running and Dee turned around to find Ric . . . cleaning her floor?
What in hell are you doin?
Youre not staying here. I am not letting you stay here. He wasnt cleaning her floor, he was shoving the few clothes she had here back into her duffle bag. Dee rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide her mortification at this current situation.
Thats real sweet of you, Ric, although she had to work hard not to sound bitter, but I dont need you to . . . what are you looking at?
Still crouched on the floor next to her bag, he was staring off in a dark corner near her barely used closet. Standing, he walked over, spun around, and came right back, picking up her duffle bag.
Were out of here.
What is it?
Vermin. You have vermin. He looked at her duffle bag, flung it to the floor. Ill buy you new clothes.
Darlin, this is New York City. Theres vermin everywhere. They were just circling your car.
Im not talking human vermin, Dee-Ann. I can handle human vermin. This kind of vermin . . . I cant handle.
Surprised a wolf would openly act so freaked out about a goddamn rat, Dee-Ann walked over to her closet to show Van Holtz how a Smith handled a little ol vermin problem.
Ric stood by the door, foot tapping impatiently, his entire body coiled and ready to make a crazed sprint out the window and to the safety of the unsafe street below. But, as much as he might want to, he would never leave Dee-Ann alone to face that . . . that thing she had living in her closet.
It was a known fact around the world that there were two things the Van Holtzes hated universally, whether it was the American Van Holtzes, the German, the Italianwhatever. And those universally hated things? Roaches and rats, the bane of any restaurants existence.
For the Van Holtz Pack the hatred went far deeper than that. It wasnt unexpected that one of their restaurants would be shut down for weeks if there was any sign of vermin. Even the health departments more scummy inspectors, willing to take a payoff to overlook things, didnt bother to try to elicit bribes from any Van Holtz. What was the point when the whole group reacted to any sign of mold, fungus, or vermin with an intense violence rivaled only by actual house cats? In fact, a few Van Holtzes, including Ric, were known to hire feline line cooks just so they could deal with any rodent problems. But there could be no playing with the vermin, as some felines liked to doespecially those mountain lions and leopardsthey were there to kill, kill, kill. One of Rics favorite grill men was an Ecuadorian cheetah who went after vermin with an almost psychotic glee. When he finally left the restaurant to run his own kitchenRic cried a little.
