Rescue From Planet Pleasure
Page 33
“Congratulations. It’s quite a promotion. If that’s what you want.” Soon Carmen would be gone. Again. I grasped the wine bottle but set it back down. Suddenly I wanted something stronger. Scotch. Rye. A neck teeming with Type O Negative.
“I know you’re no fan of authority, but the Araneum needs me.” She bunched her clothes. “I’m the only vampire with so much first-hand knowledge about the aliens.”
“Who’s holding you back?”
“You won’t miss me?”
“Silly question. Plus there are a couple of bennies for me in this. One, it wouldn’t hurt to have an ally among the hallowed ranks of our superiors. And two, with your elevated pay grade it’ll be easier for you to spot me a loan.”
“That’s worrisome.” Carmen laughed. “You sound a lot like Coyote.”
“You’re right, that is worrisome. When are you going to tell Jolie?”
“Soon. I’ll sweeten the news with a romantic getaway.”
I chuckled. “First you’ll have to pry her loose from her Navajo stud.”
“That’s your job.” Carmen dropped the ball of clothes on a chair.
“Whattaya mean?”
She walked to me. “You have a vested interest in pulling them apart because that romantic getaway includes you.” Carmen gave a smile that was better than Viagra.
Acknowledgments
I feel like Lazarus with this book, and that’s a very good thing as I’ve been gone a while. First on my thank-you list, Kevin J. Anderson, the honcho at WordFire Press, and Peter Wacks, his over-worked and relentlessly optimistic editor, plus the behind-the-scenes elves who keep the gears oiled and turning at WordFire. My critique group, who make literary beat-downs something we all look forward to: Jeanne Stein, Warren Hammond, Angie Hodapp, Aaron Michael Ritchey, Travis Heermann, Tamra Monahan, Lou Berger. And Terry Wright. A special nod to those great folks at Lighthouse Writers for allowing me into their tribe of awesomeness: Andrea Dupree, Michael Henry, Nick Arvin, Dan Manzanares, Kerry Booth, and the rest of those amazing word scribblers. Su Teatro for keeping me in the loop. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, my literary home. A special mention of Eric Matelski for nailing the cover art. Jen Mosquera and Eric Jaenike for never letting me forget my shortcomings as a human being. Mark Graham, Manuel Ramos, and Rudy G for their props and support. My sister Sylvia and her partner Janet for keeping the faith. My sons Alex and Emil for putting up with me. And lastly, to my fans, for stoking the fires and bombarding me with, Where the f*ck is Felix? I hope this story was worth the wait.
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About the Author
Mario Acevedo is the author of the Felix Gomez detective-vampire mystery thrillers. A former helicopter pilot, paratrooper, engineer, and art teacher, Mario lives and writes in Denver, Colorado. He takes his orders from Scout, a Shiba Inu.
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