Big Easy Evil

by Heather Graham

  “It’s amazing!” Sean whispered. “That such evil can exist!”

  Wolf, still nursing an injured paw, woofed, as if in total agreement.

  “Ah, yes, but it’s equally amazing that the good to counter it exists as well!” Danni said softly, and she stood. “Hey! Kids are coming. Let’s get over to Hattie’s.”

  They left—locking up carefully—and walked down to Esplanade. Hattie was already there, waiting in the yard with Detective Jake Larue. He was off-duty, but being Larue, he wanted to see to this.

  He didn’t want to know how they’d brought down Denton and Martin; he was just glad they had.

  And he was smiling as he came toward them.

  Quinn watched Danni greet Hattie and Larue, and then walk up to the mannequins—Mr. and Mrs. Devil Demon.

  She’d seen to it they were completely repaired.

  She kissed each on the cheek, smiling, and then stepped back, slipping into his arms.

  “You just kissed mannequins,” he told her.

  She smiled, shaking her head. “I just kissed some kind of goodness,” she told him. “I don’t understand how or why, but they are imbued with…love and care and protection.” She looked up at him. “It is a mystery I will pursue!”

  He smoothed her hair back. Dear God, but he was in love with her.

  A bus drove up to empty out a load of excited children.

  “Oh, watch them as they go in! They’re adorable!” Danni said.

  “We could have a few of our own,” he told her.

  “We could. We could really do that marriage thing first.”

  “Yes, we do need to do that, but…hm.”

  “Yes?”

  “While we’re in the planning stages, don’t they say something about practice?”

  “Kids here!” she whispered.

  “I’m being totally PG!”

  She watched as the kids screamed delightedly as Sean’s giant dinosaur seemed to do a bow.

  Then she turned in his arms and told him.

  “So…later. You don’t have to be PG.”

  “I don’t intend to be,” he promised her. And as she smiled up at him, he said, “I’m going straight for an X-rating.”

  She laughed, and they watched the children.

  Laughing, shrieking, having so much fun.

  And, he decided, Halloween was one of those holidays you had to watch out for.

  But, it could also be pretty great as well.

  New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

  Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

  Heather loves travel and anything having to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation, and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.