“No, that’s great. I’m probably going to add some plants. I suppose those might need watering on occasion. And I have a cat. Lucky. I hope having him here will be all right?”
“You can have any pets you like,” Charlie said.
Temo chewed the bite of sandwich he’d just taken, then swallowed. “I like cats. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“You’ll like Lucky,” Donna said. “He’s a sweetheart. I’m not sure how he’ll like the change in his environment, but hopefully it won’t bother him too much. Good to know he’s allowed in the building too.”
“I haven’t been a good host.” Charlie took a mug down from the cabinets. “Would you like some coffee? Or something else?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine. Pierce?”
He shook his head. “I’m good. And we only have a couple hours before sunrise.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Donna said. Even though the sun wouldn’t affect her, she had to keep up the ruse that she was as vulnerable as every other vampire. “We should get going. I look forward to working with both of you. I am very new to all of this, so I hope you’ll be patient with me.”
“Of course,” they both said.
She looked at Charlie. “Can I ask you to do something for me?”
Charlie smiled. “You can ask me to do anything. That’s what I’m here for. What we’re both here for.”
Donna nodded, laughing softly. “Right. That’s going to take some getting used to. Can you put together a little dossier on the governors of the surrounding states? Artemis told me there’s a good chance they’ll drop by. Governor Fitzhugh especially.”
“Oh, he’ll be here.” Charlie pulled out her phone. “I’ll get them to you by sunup. I keep files on all of them. I can email them to you, in fact. Which reminds me, we need to exchange contact information with both of you.”
They all got their phones out and took care of that detail, then Donna was about to say goodbye when the lights flashed.
Charlie looked up. “There’s someone at your door.”
“Is that what that means?” Pierce asked.
She nodded. “Part of our system. Helps us be ready in case we’re needed, but it can be turned off if the governor wants more privacy, although it’s only activated in the common areas.”
“I’m okay with it, I guess.”
Charlie’s brows rose slightly. “Are you sure? Because it’s very easy to turn off. Claudette never wanted anyone sneaking up on her.”
“I’m kind of surprised visitors aren’t buzzed in or announced or something.”
“They are, unless they’re on a vetted list.”
“Oh.” Donna tucked her phone back into her purse. “Maybe it’s Claudette coming to get her stuff.”
“This close to sunrise?” Temo asked. “I don’t think so.” He rolled his head around, audibly cracking a few vertebrae like he was prepping for a fight. “You want me to see who it is?”
“No, I’ll do it,” Donna said. “I’m the governor, right? It’s my job. But good to know you’re available for such things if necessary.”
Temo grinned. “Happy to assist as muscle when needed.”
“Nice,” Donna said. She’d never had her own lunk before. Although, Temo was too nice to refer to by that term. Still, being the vampire governor was starting to feel a little like being back in the Mafia. But without the dark underbelly of criminal intent.
“Technically,” Pierce said, “getting the door is my job.”
She shot him an amused look. “Well, then, I should let you do it.”
He headed upstairs and toward the door while Donna, Charlie, and Temo followed, out of sight several yards behind. He opened it. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for the new governor,” a man answered.
“Who’s calling?”
“Governor Fitzhugh,” he said.
Pierce glanced back at Donna and silently mouthed the words, that didn’t take long.
No, it didn’t, she mouthed back. There was no other option. They couldn’t take the chance that Fitzhugh’s hearing would pick up their conversation. I’m not ready to meet him.
Mostly because her casual outfit of leggings, boots, and oversize sweater wasn’t really the first impression she wanted to make. When she met the other governors, she wanted to wear something like a power suit and good heels. Something much more woman-in-charge than woman-on-a-Starbucks-run.
Pierce nodded but didn’t open the door any wider. “You can make an appointment. Tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. is open.”
“I’ve come all the way from uptown Manhattan.”
“Without an appointment,” Pierce pointed out.
Donna grinned.
A moment of silence followed. “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow evening.”
“Very good.” Pierce shut the door and faced Donna. “He must really want to see who’s taking over for Claudette.”
Charlie clucked her tongue. “He just wants to know if he can intimidate you. He’s counting on being able to. He talked Claudette into co-sponsoring a few things that did a whole lot for New York and nothing for the state of New Jersey except make a dent in our budget.”
Donna frowned. “Doesn’t he have his own money to spend?”
“Sure, but why do that when you can get someone else to kick in?”
Donna snorted. “That’s not happening on my watch. Claudette doesn’t seem like the pushover type. How did he talk her into doing those things?”
Charlie crossed her arms. “Simple. He’s a good-looking guy and very persuasive. Claudette wanted him to like her. They might have…actually, it’s not my place to say.”
“Say what?” Donna asked. “Come on, I need to know what kind of relationship my predecessor had with him.”
Charlie sighed. “Call it intuition, but I always got a feeling when they were together that they’d been…intimate. Just a feeling, though. Nothing I can substantiate.”
“I can,” Temo said.
Everyone looked at him, but Donna spoke first. “How do you know that?”
He made an odd face. “Because it happened in the car. That’s why she didn’t like me. I just didn’t want to say anything earlier, but since we’re being straight up, why not? When it happened, the privacy screen was up, but I knew what was going on. She was embarrassed by the whole thing and didn’t want to see me after.”
“Wow. That explains that,” Pierce said.
Donna snorted. “If Fitzhugh thinks we’re going to have that kind of relationship, he’s going to be very disappointed.”
Charlie pursed her lips for a moment. “Fitzhugh probably wants to meet you to suss you out. You’ve only been a vampire for a short period of time. Your rise has been a little meteoric, and I’m sure he’s curious to see what kind of woman survives a council trial and becomes governor a week after she’s turned.”
“Is that whole situation common knowledge, then?”
“It is,” Charlie answered. “You’re a little bit of a celebrity in the local vampire world. I’d say you can expect a lot of appointments in the coming days. Mostly from vampires who want to meet you, but also so they can try to get on your good side.”