Maggie frowned at him. "You'll have to tell her if you intend to have a future with her."
"I will." But not now. She was already looking for a reason to run away from him.
Phil and Maggie threaded their way through the crowd at the Horny Devils. When Maggie spotted Pamela at the bar, she squealed, and the two women spent five minutes hugging and laughing. Phil could hardly hear them over the noise.
He lifted a hand in greeting. "Big crowd tonight."
Pamela grinned and handed him a beer. "Isn't it marvelous? That awful Corky told everyone not to come because we were so nefarious and evil." She laughed. "And of course, they just had to see for themselves."
"Does Vanda know about the boycott?" he asked.
"No, thank heavens, and we need to keep it that way. She might go ballistic, and we can't afford any more lawsuits." Pamela spotted Cora Lee and waved at her. "Look who's here!"
Cora Lee ran over to Maggie, and the squealing and hugging started all over again. Then Maggie produced a stack of family photos from her handbag, and the ladies gushed over how adorable Maggie's daughter was. Phil wondered how she'd managed to have a child but refrained from asking since the explanation might take a long time, and he wanted to see Vanda as soon as possible.
"Hey, bro!" Phineas walked toward him with two female Vamps hanging on his arms. "I dropped by like you asked. You sure were right about the hot chicks."
"Any sign of Max?" Phil yelled over the noise.
"No." Phineas gave his new friends an apologetic look. "I hate to say this, ladies, but I gotta go back to work."
"Oh no, Dr. Phang." The brunette on his left arm stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "How can you leave us?"
"Duty calls, sweetness." Phineas patted her hand. "But I'll come back every few hours to make sure you're safe."
"Oh, Dr. Phang, you're so brave." The blonde on his right rubbed against him.
"Where do you work?" the brunette asked, trying to draw his attention away from the blonde.
"I can't say, darlin'," Phineas replied. "Top secret stuff, you know."
"Oooh." The blonde shivered. "Are you a spy?"
"All I can say is when danger lurks in the shadows, they call on Dr. Phang." Phineas stepped back and lowered his voice. "I'll be back."
"I'll be waiting for you," the brunette yelled as Phineas disappeared.
The blonde sidled up close to Phil. "So are you a spy like Dr. Phang?"
"We…work together." Phil noticed Maggie was headed with Cora Lee and Pamela to Vanda's office. He started to follow, but the two Vamp women had latched onto his arms.
The brunette caressed his biceps. "You seem incredibly strong for a mortal."
"And handsome in such an earthy way," the blonde added.
"Actually, I'm not in Dr. Phang's league." Phil extricated himself from their grip. "He's much stronger than me. And a little dangerous. You should probably stay away from him if you like to play it safe."
The brunette's eyes lit up. "He sounds so exciting."
"Well, he is called the Love Doctor, you know," Phil admitted.
The blonde stepped back. "No offense, cutie, but I'm going to wait for the Love Doctor."
The brunette turned toward her. "No, you're not. I saw him first."
While the two women argued over Phineas, Phil hurried to Vanda's office.
Maggie spotted him quietly closing the door. "Vanda, I hope you don't mind, but I brought Phil with me."
Vanda stiffened and turned toward the door. The smile on her face vanished, and a blush crept up her neck.
He remained by the door. "Hello, Vanda."
The blush rose to her cheeks. "Hi."
Pamela and Cora Lee greeted him with knowing smiles.
He nodded briefly at them, then returned his gaze to Vanda. "How are you?"
"Yes, dear, how are you?" Maggie asked when Vanda didn't answer. "Phil told me about that horrible snake, and I just had to make sure you were all right."
"I'm…fine," Vanda said quietly.
"Well, it was mighty nice of Phil to call you up," Cora Lee said to Maggie.
"And we're delighted to see you again," Pamela added.
"It's lovely to be here," Maggie said, smiling. "The club is a huge success. I've never seen such a big crowd."
"Yeah, that'll show Corky Courrant," Cora Lee muttered.
Pamela winced and shook her head.
Cora Lee gasped and covered her mouth.
Vanda frowned at them. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Pamela and Cora Lee answered together.
Vanda glared at Cora Lee. "Out with it."
"It's nothing!" Cora Lee insisted, then turned to Pamela for help. "It amounts to nothing, right? We have a huge crowd. They all came to see why Corky said our club was violent and evil."
"What?" Vanda yelled.
Phil walked toward her. "It's all right. Corky used her TV show to announce a boycott of your club, but her plan obviously backfired."
Vanda's eyes flashed with anger. "She's trying to destroy me."
"Your club will be fine," Phil said softly.
"Not as long as that bitch is around," Vanda hissed, and she vanished.
"No!" Phil made a grab for her, but she was already gone.
"Land sakes," Cora Lee whispered. "Where did she go?"
"Where do you think, bigmouth?" Pamela snapped. "She went to DVN to let Corky have it."
"Sweet Mary and Joseph," Maggie breathed. "We need to stop her."
They have lousy security," Phil said as he followed Maggie down a hallway at DVN. No alarm had gone off when they had teleported into a costume room. "You'd think they'd be more careful after that incident last December."
Maggie leaned close and whispered, "These guys aren't exactly grounded in reality."
"I see what you mean," Phil muttered. They passed a group of actors in the hallway, and one of them, dressed as a giant chicken, was practicing his squawk.
"That's it!" one of his companions said. "Now do it again, but with more passion."
Another actor, dressed as a pirate, joined in. "Yaar, me hearty. Ye must believe that ye be a chicken."
Phil snorted. A chicken with fangs.
"This is it." Maggie stopped in front of a door decorated with a giant gold star. Corky Courrant was painted across the star in bright red cursive script.
Maggie listened. "I don't hear any fighting inside."
"That's a good sign," Phil said.
"Unless Corky's already dead," Maggie whispered.
Phil opened the door and marched inside. Corky was very much alive, seated behind her desk, studying photos. In the corner, a little bald-headed man with a camera gasped, then teleported away. No sign of Vanda.
Corky glanced up. "How dare you barge in like that!" She gathered up the photos and shoved them into a desk drawer. "Who the hell are you?"
"Don't you know?" Phil asked. "You posted my picture on your show tonight."
Corky sniffed, then waved a hand in dismissal. Her large jeweled rings glittered under the fluorescent lights. "I'm not interested in the identity of a mortal. Get out of my office."
"I was the man pinning down the dancer at the Horny Devils nightclub. How did you get that photo?"
"I'm a journalist. I never reveal my sources." She glanced at the corner where the little man had teleported away. Her bosom heaved when she sighed with relief.
"Hello, Corky." Maggie strode inside, her cowboy boots clunking on the linoleum floor.
Corky sat back. "Well, if it isn't little Maggie, known for her short stature and her equally short career as a mediocre actress. What brings you to New York?" She eyed Maggie's clothes with disdain. "A little shopping, I hope?"