How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back (White Trash Zombie 4)

“Erm, no, I’m still with her, at her hotel,” I said. “And, she’s on board. Like, totally.” I fought to keep my shoulders down and totally unhunched.

Brian remained silent, and I had the weirdest sense that if he’d known my middle name he’d be using my full and proper legal name like a mama calling a misbehaving kid downstairs to face the music.

“It’s about damn time,” he finally said.

My knees actually wobbled briefly. “Oh, shit, really?” I plopped down into a nearby chair. “I thought you’d want to kill me.” Kind of like Victor probably wanted to do. Did Brian even know he was a zombie? Probably, I realized, since Pietro had arranged the security for Jane.

“She’s needed to know for a while now, in my opinion,” he said. “Mr. Ivanov made me swear I wouldn’t tell her.”

“Yeah, well, luckily I have no damn judgment,” I said. “Anyway, she wants to know how she can help.”

“Since she knows, she needs to cover her ass,” he replied. “I don’t know what the Sabers have planned, but anything she can do to create a political counteroffensive to Saberton’s interests would be called for. Something she can hold ready if needed.”

“Right. Hang on.” I covered the phone and repeated it to Jane. Her eyes went hard, and she nodded.

“I’ll take care of it,” she replied with an edge to her words that made me extremely glad she still liked me. Jaw set, she stood, moved to the office, then began making calls.

After that, Brian wanted to talk to Victor. I handed the phone over, and Victor moved far enough away that I couldn’t hear him. Judging by the dark looks he shot my way I had no doubt he was tattling about my accidental outing of him. Damn. That was a bad fuckup on my part, and it could’ve been really ugly. A few minutes later Victor returned and handed my phone back.

“He wants to talk to you again,” he said. I wasn’t sure, but I thought that maybe he wasn’t glaring quite as hard at me.

“Hey, Brian.” I grimaced. “I guess he told you about my latest fuckup?”

“Yes, he did,” Brian replied. “It’s serious, but I don’t need to tell you that. You’re a smart woman. He says you need training, and I told him you weren’t security or an operative. But here you are, in the thick of a huge crisis.”

I turned toward the window. “I’m trying my best,” I said, voice cracking.

“I know you are,” he said gently. “Shit happens sometimes to all of us. Say the wrong thing. Do the wrong thing. Make the wrong choice. All you can do is learn from it and move on.”

I fought back a sniffle, warmed. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Thank you, Angel, for what you’re doing. You didn’t have to put yourself out there like this.”

The warmth continued to spread like a tingly hug. “Yeah, I did.”

“Exactly,” he said, a smile in his voice. “That’s what makes you you. Once we get out of this shit, we’ll make sure you have the basics. More if you want it.”

A vision of my sensei’s pained face swam through my head. “Sure,” I said. “If you think you’re up for it.”

“Bring it on,” he said with a low snort.

“Thanks, Brian. I’m really glad you’re not a bad guy anymore.”

He laughed. “Me too.” And with that he hung up.

Feeling about a thousand times better about everything, I turned back to see Jane still on her phone in the office and Victor standing by the sofa, with arms folded over his chest, silently regarding me.

“I’m sorry I outed you,” I said, grimacing. “I swear I didn’t mean to.”

Some of the tension in his jaw eased, and he gave a slight nod. “Understood.”

Jane returned from the office, set her cell phone on the coffee table, then flopped onto the sofa with a sigh. I held back a grin. She’s a flopper too!

“There’s more to do, but the groundwork is laid,” she said. Barely a second later her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She sat up and glanced at it, then narrowed her eyes at the caller ID. “Damn it. It’s that horrible woman. At this hour.”

There was only one horrible woman she could mean. “Answer it,” I said quickly, before she could send it to voicemail.

Jane hesitated, then hit the answer button and lifted the phone to her ear. “Jane Pennington,” she said with total calm.