g his hands above and around her, then he returned to face both
of them.
With a grin, Cade laughed, "Trusting soul, aren't you? Nope, no wires, Paul.
She wants to go public and she's willing to put on a little show. If you can
squeeze her into tonight's program, I'll introduce you."
"Ah..." Paul groped for words, then he seemed to pull himself together
quickly and asked, "A show?! When?!"
"Like I said, sometime tonight, but..."
Paul interrupted with, "I'll make some calls. We'll put her in at the end.
That way she can have all the time she wants."
"In that case," said Cade, "Mandi, meet Paul Money. Paul, this lovely
superlady is Mandi Steele."
Mandi extended a hand and Paul -- who'd many times in the past escorted name
bands and TV and movie stars around a DragonCon -- took it as if he'd never met
a celebrity before.
After introductions were finished, Cade said, "Paul, you didn't let me
finish. Don't make any calls about her. No announcements. We'll keep tonight's
appearance under wraps until the last minute."
Looking at Cade with more than a little confusion, Paul asked, "Under
wraps?"
"Yup. Tonight's crowd will already be assembled to watch the costume
contests and the bands. There's almost no chance that anyone with a grudge about
today's events will be able to try anything on such short notice."
Paul's face turned troubled and cautious. He glanced at Mandi for a moment,
then looked around the auditorium.
When his gaze again met Cade's, he quietly and soberly asked, "You mean like
another bomb, don't you?"
Nodding, Cade said, "You got it. One short show, tonight only, top secret
until she flies in. Still interested?"
"You... uh... You really think it'll be safe?"
"If nobody leaks, yes. That's why we're talking to you, Paul. You can adjust
the schedule without having to put changes through a committee. Nobody has to
know a damned thing until Mandi lands on the stage and you announce her."
Staring at Mandi, Paul bit his lip and said, "Ah... Just a minute. Lemme
think."
Speaking for the first time, Mandi smilingly said, "I'll just get in a
little exercise while you think about it, Paul."
The rich contralto tones of her softly spoken words were still tickling his
brain as Mandi lifted a few feet from the floor. She leaned slightly toward the
forward edge of the stage and then seemingly dove completely across the
auditorium.