Page 60 of Cognac Secrets

“Uh-huh,” I said, my café au lait and the beignets sitting all but forgotten on the table.

“And all I can see is like this silhouette, right? And I’m fuckin’terrified –and the longer I stare at this thing the more I realize, this motherfucker has to be like eight or nine feet tall, and it’s just fuckin’ loomin’ over homeboy there and then itfucking reaches,and to see that hand comin’ out of the dark when Iknowme an’ my homies was all expecting like a paw or something? Nuh-uh!” he shuddered visibly.

“Holy shit.” True was barely breathing.

“Please tell me you all got away,” I said, a bead of sweat popping out at my own temple just from listening to his story.

“Man, this hand was reaching out the dark and it was fuckin’ easily four times bigger ‘n mine and I don’t know what made me think it, but it just popped into my head – man I am staring at a real life, honest-to-fucking-God motherfuckingwerewolf!”

“How’d you get away?” True demanded.

“My brain is telling me,man, you’s gots to go!But my loyalty had me rooted to the spot, and my whole body just like locked up keeping me trapped between like fight or flight which is when it happened?—”

“What?” I asked.

“My homeboy J-dawg pulled this thirty-eight out of somewhere and he fuckin’ shot at the thing, and it took off, man. We didn’t waste any fuckin’ time, man. Weran. Full tilt. Fuck our plans, fuck the convenience store, we all just split and each went home, man. I made it home and got the fuck inside and I locked my shit uptight,man. The next day, we all hooked up in the bright light of day right and we was all just thankful to bealive,man and we was all talking about it and this old homeless guy he overhears us and calls out somethin’ about us seeing a Loup Garou. I went and looked it up – and sure enough, that’s exactly what it was we seen. A Louisiana werewolf. A Loup Garou.”

“No shit?” True asked, astonished.

“The guys give me no end of shit about it,” he said. “But dead ass, I’m telling you ladies both, I know what I fuckin’ saw that night, and it was a motherfuckin’ werewolf.”

He sat all the way back in his seat and so did I… I mean, it was a fantastic tale, but I didn’t doubt for one second his sincerity.

I exchanged a look with True who looked almost excited. She dug the spooky shit a little more than I did.

“I met a vampire once,” she blurted.

“What?” I asked, laughing.

“For real,” she said. “No fooling!”

“You’ve never told me that!” I cried.

“That’s because I didn’t think anyone would believe me!” she cried.

I scoffed.

“Bitch!” I complained.

“Seriously, Sandy,” she said. “This is nuts.”

She leaned in across the table and told us all about this stranger she’d met at the vampire bar, which is the point where I couldn’t help myself. I’d laughed.

“I know it sounds bad,” she said, rolling her eyes, “But he was totes different from any of the other cringey posers in the building. I don’t really know how to describe it.”

“He hit on you?” Louie asked with a grin.

“Everyonehits on True, she’s gorgeous,” I said with a wink.

“Definitely have to agree,” Louie said and shot True a flirtatious smile which what totally lost on her – but that’s sort of how it always was. She had trouble and was awkward when it came to social cues and I helped her out when and where I could. I nudged her foot with mine under the table and she looked at me, her eyes going a little wide, and she blushed furiously.

Thatwas new! I could count on one hand and have the majority of my fingers left over the number of times True found herself in the situation wheresheliked someone enough to get all blush worthy and shit after meeting them.

Did shelikeLouie?

I mean, it wasn’t completely unheard of, it was justsuperrare for her.

Well, well, well,I thought to myself.The plot thickens.

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