White Trash Zombie Gone Wild (White Trash Zombie 5)

Focus, Angel. Bright smile. “Hey, Andrew, can I talk to you? Like right now?”

Though taken off guard, Andrew kept his cool and turned to Rosario with a professional smile. “Would you excuse me a moment, please?” he said then moved away with me without waiting for a reply.

“That’s a cadaver dog!” I growled as soon as we were out of earshot. “What were you thinking letting it get so close to you?”

Andrew scowled. “I know she’s a cada—” Color drained from his face. “I wasn’t a zombie the last time I saw him. Does that mean Rosario knows?”

“If he noticed his dog indicating on you and knows zombies are real, he does.” I gritted my teeth as stress woke my hunger.

Sweat beaded Andrew’s upper lip. “Oh god.” He rubbed a trembling hand over his mouth. “Yes. He knows about zombies.”

“Can’t catch a break,” I muttered. I needed a hit. Or brains. No. I needed to keep my goddamn head. I squared my shoulders. “Look, I saw Rosario on the subway in New York. The dog growled at me then, too, so he already knows I’m a zombie. That is, if he didn’t already know about me from working with Saberton.” I had tons more questions concerning Rosario and his job description, but they would have to wait. “It doesn’t matter if Marla pegs

me as a zombie again today.”

Andrew’s face lit with understanding. “So I’ll make an exit, and you’ll—”

“I’ll do something brilliant to make Rosario think the dog indicated on me and not you so that you can maintain your I’m-still-human cover,” I said. “Now go. You getting outed won’t help any of us.”

Without another word, he gestured sharply to his bodyguards and stalked away toward Justine Chu.

Rosario stood beside Marla, a damn nice smile on his face as he watched me. Asswipe. I rushed his way. “Andrew had business to take care of,” I said. “He’ll be—” I stumbled to a stop as Marla stood, growling at my whirlwind approach and smell. Good doggie, doing exactly what I wanted.

“Will she bite?” I asked, wide-eyed. Marla’s growl deepened, no doubt fueled by my apparent unease. I crossed mental fingers that she wouldn’t actually bite me since that would pretty much suck—especially with me in perpetual brain deficit.

Rosario rested his hand on the dog’s head. “Shhh. Easy, Marla,” he murmured. “She won’t bite you, Angel.”

He knows my name. Bastard. Had he used that dog to torment Saberton’s captive zombies? Maybe the dog would tell me herself. I bit my lip oh-so prettily. “Will she let me pet her?”

“I promise she won’t bite you,” he said. “It’s okay, Marla.”

His words were like dog Valium. Marla’s ears dropped and her tail thumped. I extended my hand—with caution—and scratched behind her ears. I didn’t have to fake the residual nervousness, especially after her previous aggression. To my relief, she appeared to love the attention and gave no sign that she was used to ripping zombies apart.

“How’d you know my name?” I asked, glancing up in time to catch his slight start and the whisper of chagrin that ran across his face. Aha! He’d slipped up.

But he recovered smoothly and gestured toward my lanyard. “It’s on your badge.”

“Oh, right!” I giggled. “Duh.” Slick cover, dude. I hadn’t imagined his “I’m busted” look, though.

He stuck out his hand. “Dante Rosario.”

After an instant of hesitation, I took it. He had a confident grip, sure of himself but not too cocky. “I’m Angel Crawford. Nice to meet you.” Not. “Your dog sure is cool. I mean now that she’s not acting as if she wants to eat me.”

Rosario gave me a long and guarded look. “She’s like that with some people,” he said slowly, as if choosing each word with care. “But she’s fine now that you’ve been introduced.” He flicked a glance around the tent. Looking for Andrew?

I snuck a peek behind me, relieved to see Andrew safe on the far side of the tent and surrounded by studio people. “I thought her name was the Marquise de Saber.”

Amusement lit his eyes. “That’s her official name. It’s a little too snooty for daily wear.”

“You’re right about that,” I said, keeping everything nice and agreeable. “Are you sticking around for the screening?”

He shook his head. “I’m on my way out. We did two demos today, and Marla needs a break.”

That was fine by me. “Aw, puppy naptime.” I made a kissy face at the dog and gave her one more headscratch before lifting my eyes back to Rosario. “Well, I hope I run into you again soon,” I lied. Unless it was with my car.

“I’d like that,” he said and gave me a nice enough smile. “Come on, Marla.”

Eyes narrowed, I watched the Saberton dude and his zombie-sniffing cadaver dog depart. I’d be keeping close tabs on those two. If they were up to anything besides doing charity demos, I intended to find out.