Kitty in the Underworld (Kitty Norville) Read Online Free PDF Page A

how much you made stripping, why do it at all?”
    Colette sat back in her chair, legs crossed. “Why strip, or why be a vampire?”
    “Well, yeah,” Jen said.
    “Really, becoming a vampire had nothing to do with whether or not I was stripping. But what would you say if I told you I’ve found wonderful pickings at my places of employment.”
    “You mean … oh,” Jen said. The phone clicked off.
    “And I think we’ve lost Jen,” I said, suppressing an urge to chortle. “Next caller, you’re on the air.”
    The caller was male, brash, and I’d lay money that he’d been drinking. “Yeah, Colette, great talking to you. Do you do private parties?”
    “You couldn’t afford me.”
    “But what if—”
    “Really,” she said. That purr again.
    I cut the caller off before he could embarrass himself further. “And how about we break for station ID? This is The Midnight Hour, and we’ll be back in a sec.” I waved at Matt thought the window, but he was a step ahead of me, cuing up the PSAs. The on-air sign dimmed—a reprieve.
    I sat back and regarded my guest. “What do you think?” I asked.
    “Angelo said this would be fun, and he was right. Certainly shakes things up.”
    “You’re a natural at this,” I said. “I have to prod some people to get them to talk.
    “Show business is show business.”
    I could argue about that, but I’d lose. “Maybe you could convince Angelo to come on the show for an interview.”
    “And how likely do you think that is?”
    None. None likely. “You putting in a good word for me couldn’t hurt, could it?”
    She narrowed her gaze. “Why are you so interested in interviewing Angelo?”
    “I don’t know much about him. I’d love to know more. If I’m going to ask him stuff anyway, I might as well get a show out of it.”
    “Just knowledge and entertainment, then? No ulterior motive?”
    “Well, more like stories. Vampires have the best stories. That’s why I wanted to talk to you—I never would have expected a vampire to work as a stripper. Most of them are so … private. Or what’s the word I’m looking for…”
    “Elitist?”
    Nailed it. “But here you are, and the Family approves. So what does the Family get out of having one of their own working as an exotic dancer?”
    Her smile shined. “It’s not always about the Families, Kitty. Sometimes there’s no secret agenda, no conspiracy. Not even much of a story. Sometimes there’s a stripper who just happens to be a vampire. A radio host who happens to be a werewolf.”
    She might have had a point. I’d been trying to unwrap Roman’s conspiracy for so long, I’d started to see everything as a thread leading back to it. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
    “And Angelo really is just a guy who was unexpectedly put in charge when he’d rather sit the whole thing out.” She shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
    “So you think he’s a nice enough guy,” I said, not sure I trusted her opinion on the matter.
    “To tell you the truth, I miss Rick. But Angelo’s not a bad guy.”
    And that had to count for something I supposed.
    We came back on the air, she answered another round of questions. All in all, this show was turning into one of my better efforts.
    During the next break, she unfolded from her chair. “This has been fun, but I really need to get going. Thanks for inviting me.” She offered her hand, and I shook it, and she gave me a charming little wave before stalking out of the studio.
    Matt had to knock on the glass to get me to notice his countdown. On the air in five, and me without my guest. Right. Seat of my pants, here we go.
    “All right, welcome back to The Midnight Hour. A little change of plans. My guest, Colette, has turned into a bat and flapped away. Not really, vampires don’t really turn into bats. They only want us to think they do. Never mind. But I want to thank her for stopping by and giving us some insight into her world. But