Dead Reckoning: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel

he’d heard. “So thanks to Victor’s employee,” Eric began, “you knew about my Sookie. And you knew how to warn her when Victor was going to poison us.”
    Colton looked angry. Shouldn’t have, he thought.
    “Yes, you did what you ought to do,” I said, maybe a little huffily. “We’re people, too.”
    “You are,” Eric said, reading Colton’s expression as accurately as I read his thoughts. “But Pam and I aren’t. Colton, I want to thank you for your warning, and I want to reward you. What can I do for you?”
    “You can kill Victor,” Colton said immediately.
    “How interesting. That’s exactly what I want to do,” Eric said.

Chapter 10
    As dramatic statements go, Eric’s had a high impact. Both Audrina and Colton tensed up. But I’d ridden this pony before.
    I puffed out my cheeks in exasperation and looked away.
    “You’re bored, my lover?” Eric asked, in a voice that could have taught icicles something about chilly.
    “We’ve been saying that for months.” That might have been a slight exaggeration, but not much. “All we’ve done is talk smack. If we’re going to do something bad, let’s go on and do it—not talk it to death! You think he doesn’t know he’s on our hit list? You think he’s not waiting for us to try?” (Apparently, this was a speech I’d kept secret even from myself, for way too long.) “You think he’s not doing all this shit to you and Pam to provoke you into something, so he’ll be justified in smacking you down? This is a win-win situation for him!”
    Eric looked at me as though I’d turned into a nanny goat. Audrina and Colton were openmouthed.
    Eric started to say something, then closed his mouth. I had no idea if he was going to yell at me or walk out silently.
    “So what’s your solution?” he said, his voice quiet and steady. “Do you have a plan?”
    “Let’s meet with Pam tomorrow night,” I said. “She should be in on this.” Also, it would give me a time to think of something so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself.
    “All right,” he said. “Colton, Audrina. Are you both sure you want to risk this?”
    “Without a doubt,” Colton said. “Audie, baby. You don’t have to do this.”
    Audrina snorted. “Too late, buddy! Everyone at work knows we live together. If you rebel, I’m dead anyway. My only chance is to join in so we can do this thing right.”
    I like a practical woman. I looked at her outside and I looked at her inside. I came up with sincerity. However, I would’ve been naïve not to see that it would be extremely practical if Audrina went to Victor and turned us in. That would be the most practical course of all. “How do we know you won’t be on the phone the minute we’re out of the trailer?” I asked, deciding I might as well be blunt.
    “How do I know you won’t do the same?” Audrina retorted. “Colton done you a good turn in letting you know about the fairy blood. He believed what Heidi said about you. And I guess you want to live through this as bad as we do.”
    “‘Survival’ is my middle name. See you tomorrow night at my house,” I said. I’d written directions down on an old grocery list. Since my house was isolated and warded, we’d at least have some warning if anyone was following Eric and Pam or Colton and Audrina.
    It had been a very long night, and I was yawning hard enough to crack my jaw. I let Eric drive us to Shreveport, since we were closer to his house than mine. I was so sleepy (and sore) that another bout of sex was out of the question, unless Eric had suddenly developed an interest in necrophilia. He laughed when I said as much.
    “No, I like you alive and warm and wiggling,” he said, and kissed my neck in his favorite spot, the one that always made me shiver. “I think I could wake you up enough,” he said. Confidence is attractive, but I still couldn’t summon any energy. I yawned again, and he laughed. “I’m going to find Pam and bring her up to date. I should ask about her friend Miriam, too. In the morning, Sookie, go home when you get up. I’ll leave a note for Mustapha about the car.”
    “Who?”
    “My new daytime man’s name is Mustapha Khan.”
    “Seriously?”
    Eric nodded. “Plenty of attitude,” he said. “Be advised.”
    “’Kay. I think I’ll stay in the upstairs bedroom since I have to get up,” I said. I was standing in the doorway of the largest ground-level bedroom, the one Eric wanted me to move into. The one Eric used had