Page 46 of In the Nick of Time
While he’d been sleeping, his brain had been working overtime. What if Velvet Elvis, with his silky deep voice so much like the real Elvis’s, could do something…occultwith it? What if he did have some kind of subpar power and used it for evil instead of good?
Maybe it wasn’t evil to make toddlers fall asleep in a restaurant so others could enjoy their meal, but it probably was morally gray to make gamblers so sleepy that they weren’tpaying much attention to what they were doing. To what kinds of bets they were making and how much they were winning or losing.
If this was the case, why hadn’t his voice affected Nick? Even if Doug wasn’t ready to admit it, Nick knew he’d been affected by something—if it hadn’t been Velvet Elvis’s doing, who or what was it? Maybe he hadn’t been as sleepy as the guy one table over last night, but he’d been acting out of character.
“What are you thinking about? I can practically feel your brain spinning.” Doug’s chest rumbled under Nick’s cheek.
“Last night. I have a theory about Elvis. I don’t know if it has anything to do with why SPAM agents are being offed but”—he tapped Doug’s taut stomach and then traced his treasure trail—“it’s possible.”
“Spill.”
Rolling over to lie on his back, Nick laid out his absolutely unsupported hypothesis that Velvet Elvis was up to something. Or that The Ace of Clubs and he were in cahoots somehow.
Doug followed up with the important question. “If that’s the case, why weren’t you affected?”
“Hear me out.” Nick was talking to the popcorn ceiling, which was much easier than having to ignore the skeptical expression on Doug’s face. “It’s kind of a curse, but sometimes things that generally make other people sleepy, like Benadryl, make me hyper. Last night, I felt like I had bugs crawling over my skin, couldn’t sit still at all. Maybe my body chemistry just reacts differently?”
“I don’t remember being sleepy or tired,” Doug said.
“What do you remember?” Nick was curious.
“Not much, to be honest, which makes me think you could be onto something. We were escorted into the back room and ordered drinks that I don’t remember drinking. The dealer dealtme in and next thing I knew, the lights came up and everyone was leaving.”
“You played at least three hands. We were there for over an hour.”
“That’s interesting. We need to see if SPAM has Velvet Elvis on their radar because I’ve never heard of him. Did you see the porkpie hat guy?”
Nick nodded. “Yes, but not at the club. I wouldn’t have noticed him except for that hat and the fact that he dresses like an old-time gangster. But he was in the crowd of people at the fountain last night when we passed by.”
“You’re sure?”
“As sure as I can be.”
“Hmm.”
Doug rolled off the bed and padded to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. The shower water turned on. He was debating whether a shower-sex-ambush was in order when Doug’s cell phone hummed from where it sat on the desk. Nick stepped over to look at the screen. He couldn’t help it, it was automatic.
April:Check in
The bathroom door opened and Doug emerged.
“April pinged you.” Nick felt guilty about looking at the phone. But hell, he was a SPAM agent too.
“Damn. I was hoping we’d have more to tell her.”
Doug quickly got dressed. Casual again today, jeans and a plain, navy blue t-shirt.
“Are you going to get dressed or do you want to stand there naked while we talk to April?”
Rolling his eyes, Nick turned and dug through his suitcase for something to wear. Eventually he decided on a pair of Bermuda shorts and a light blue polo shirt. Hopefully, he wouldn’t blind anyone with his pale skin.
“Do we have any sunscreen?”
“Sun—what?” Doug scowled and shook his head. “No. Get your ass over here and we’ll see what April has to say.”
Nick crowded in on the edge of the office chair, as close to Doug as possible.
“Really?” Doug asked dryly, shifting so he wouldn’t fall off.
