Page 70 of Positively Pricked

Chapter 24

"Well," I began, "when we showed up, it was absolutely crazy with people everywhere."

"You mean like party guests?" Charlotte said.

"No. With workers, like me." I made little air quotes. "The help."

"And…?"

"And they even hired a valet parking service. I have no idea where they parked the cars, but the whole setup was really official, with guys in fancy red uniforms and everything."

"But what does that have to do with you?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm getting to that," I said. "So anyway, Naomi and I are unloading our stuff. And Imight'veleft the van open, which wouldn’t have been a problem, except, well, there were these two crazy hounds."

Charlotte said, "Flint and Lansing?"

"Right.Hisdogs, apparently. And get this. Somehow, they end upinsidethe van."

"Somehow?" Charlotte laughed. "You mean through the door you left open?"

"Oh, fine. Yes. Probably. But anyway, they're rampaging through the whole cargo area, causing this huge ruckus, and some 'helpful' valet guy decides the only thing he can do is – get this – shut the van door."

"You're kidding." Charlotte looked horrified. "He trapped theminsidethe van?"

"Right. And I just wanna clarify, I wasn't even out there when this happened."

"Where were you?" she asked.

"Inside the house, getting everything set up. But then, I hear all this yelling."

"From who?"

"Everyone," I said. "But mostly, from this event planner – Ms. Hedgwick. Apparently, she'd hired some 'dog-wrangler' to keep the dogs entertained, and she was hollering for the guy to get out there and do his job."

Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed. "Dog wrangler?"

"Actually, I don't know what his official title was, but he was supposed to keep the dogs somewhere else, where they wouldn’t cause any trouble."

"Like where?"

"I dunno. But trust me, they had plenty of space." I waved away the distraction. "So anyway, like I said, I hear all this yelling, so I run out there, and everyone's standing around the van, doing nothing but listening."

"To what?" Charlotte asked.

"Mostly clattering and barking."

"So what'd you do?"

"So I go to the back of the van, fling open both doors, and there they are." I tried not to smile. "The hell hounds."

"So they were vicious?"

I thought of the dogs, with their excited eyes and floppy tongues. I felt a warm, happy glow as I recalled them slobbering all over Zane's front windows. "No. But theywereinsane. And snacky."

"Snacky?" Charlotte cringed. "You don't mean –?"

"Yup," I said. "For party food."