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Circus of the Damned :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 16 из 210We've taken money, signed contracts."
"I asked you to hire extra help months ago."
"I hired John Burke. He's been handling some of your vampire slayings, as well as raising the dead."
"Yeah, John's a big help, but we need more. In fact, I bet he could take at least one of my zombies tonight."
"Raise five in one night?"
"I'm doing it," I said.
"Yes, but John isn't you."
That was almost a compliment. "You have two choices, Bert; either reschedule or delegate them to someone else."
"I am your boss. I could just say come in tonight or you're fired." His voice was firm and matter-of-fact.
I was tired and cold sitting on the bed in my bra and undies, I didn't have time for this. "Fire me."
"You don't mean that," he said.
"Look, Bert, I've been on my feet for over twenty hours. If I don't get some sleep soon, I'm not going to be able to work for anybody."
He was silent for a long time, his breathing soft and regular in my ear. Finally, he said, "All right, you're free for tonight. But you damn well better be back on the job tomorrow."
"I can't promise that, Bert."
"Dammit, Anita, do you want to be fired?"
"This is the best year we've ever had, Bert. Part of that's due to the articles on me in the Post-Dispatch ."
"They were about zombie rights and that government study you're on. You didn't do them to help promote our business."
"But it worked, didn't it? How many people call up and ask specifically for me? How many people say they've seen me in the paper? How many heard me on the radio? I may be promoting zombie rights, but it's damn good for business. So cut me some slack."
"You don't think I'd do it, do you?" His voice snarled through the phone. He was pissed.
"No, I don't," I said.
His breath was short and harsh. "You damn well better show up tomorrow night, or I'm going to call your bluff." He slammed the receiver in my ear. Childish.
I hung up the phone and stared at it. The Resurrection Company in California had made me a handsome offer a few months back. But I really didn't want to move to the west coast, or the east coast for that matter. I liked St. Louis. But Bert was going to have to break down and hire more help. I couldn't keep this schedule up. Sure, it'd get better after October, but I just seemed to be going from one emergency to another for this entire year.
I had been stabbed, beaten, shot, strangled, and vampire-bit in the space of four months.
"I asked you to hire extra help months ago."
"I hired John Burke. He's been handling some of your vampire slayings, as well as raising the dead."
"Yeah, John's a big help, but we need more. In fact, I bet he could take at least one of my zombies tonight."
"Raise five in one night?"
"I'm doing it," I said.
"Yes, but John isn't you."
That was almost a compliment. "You have two choices, Bert; either reschedule or delegate them to someone else."
"I am your boss. I could just say come in tonight or you're fired." His voice was firm and matter-of-fact.
I was tired and cold sitting on the bed in my bra and undies, I didn't have time for this. "Fire me."
"You don't mean that," he said.
"Look, Bert, I've been on my feet for over twenty hours. If I don't get some sleep soon, I'm not going to be able to work for anybody."
He was silent for a long time, his breathing soft and regular in my ear. Finally, he said, "All right, you're free for tonight. But you damn well better be back on the job tomorrow."
"I can't promise that, Bert."
"Dammit, Anita, do you want to be fired?"
"This is the best year we've ever had, Bert. Part of that's due to the articles on me in the Post-Dispatch ."
"They were about zombie rights and that government study you're on. You didn't do them to help promote our business."
"But it worked, didn't it? How many people call up and ask specifically for me? How many people say they've seen me in the paper? How many heard me on the radio? I may be promoting zombie rights, but it's damn good for business. So cut me some slack."
"You don't think I'd do it, do you?" His voice snarled through the phone. He was pissed.
"No, I don't," I said.
His breath was short and harsh. "You damn well better show up tomorrow night, or I'm going to call your bluff." He slammed the receiver in my ear. Childish.
I hung up the phone and stared at it. The Resurrection Company in California had made me a handsome offer a few months back. But I really didn't want to move to the west coast, or the east coast for that matter. I liked St. Louis. But Bert was going to have to break down and hire more help. I couldn't keep this schedule up. Sure, it'd get better after October, but I just seemed to be going from one emergency to another for this entire year.
I had been stabbed, beaten, shot, strangled, and vampire-bit in the space of four months.