Devil's Tango (Running with the Devil Book 1)

by Claire J Monroe

  “My mate is aware of all my omissions and still trusts me, but you apparently don’t because you won’t even tell me why you needed to slap a bounty on my head to make Van come home.”

  “I told you. Because.”

  “Because won’t cut it this time, Sinjun. I want an answer and I want it now.” She’d seen the look on his face a million times from the men in her family. Right before they attempted to shut her down. “Don’t even,” she said before he could get a word out. “Friends don’t bullshit friends. Give me the truth or get out.”

  “I’m not getting out.”

  “Then give me the truth. Those are your only two options.”

  Sinjun glared at her.

  It was a challenge of the wills. First one to break eye contact would win. Maddie had no intention of losing. She could play this game all day long.

  “Dude,” Kenny said from behind her with a full mouth. “Give it up. She can outstare anyone. Including Tango.”

  Sinjun snorted in disbelief, but capitulated. “Because it was time.”

  “For what?”

  “For your mate to come home and, before you ask me why, it was for you. He never should have left you.”

  “I agree,” she said. “But he did and I finally understand why he did it. Don’t like it, but I get it.”

  “Glad someone does.”

  “He did it to protect me.”

  “By not being there” Sinjun mocked.

  “Yes, by not being there to shine a flashing neon spotlight on me that screams ‘Here, direct all your bad guys here to hurt the team!’”

  Sinjun rolled his eyes. “You weren’t in danger when he left.”

  “According to him I was.”

  Sinjun shook his head and slouched back in the chair. “No, you weren’t and I’ve said enough. Don’t you have some work to do?”

  “This is my work, Sinjun. Figuring out messes that you men make. Why wasn’t I in danger when Van left?”

  Sinjun cocked his head at her. “His name is Gabriel. Doesn’t it piss you off that he lied to you about his name?”

  She titled her head and volleyed back at his weak attempt to derail her interrogation. “Are you his friend or enemy?”

  He smirked. “Neither, we’re family.”

  She snapped to attention and dropped her hands to her sides. “Then freaking act like it and stop trying to avoid the question by making me get mad over trivial stuff.”

  Her outburst didn’t faze him one bit. “If you mate bonded with him, then you know exactly why I did what I did.”

  “I did mate bond with him and I know what you told Van you did, but I don’t know exactly what you did and until you start talking I will continue to pester and annoy you.”

  “Pester away. Your man won’t be back for hours and this as good a way as any to kill the time.”

  Whiskey eased the truck past the Oak Haven gates, then slowed and waited for the gates to close behind them. “That went better than it should have.”

  He and Dell had left Fox behind to patrol the grounds on a promise to Bravo that they’d track down the unauthorized men seen strolling through the community in a predatory manner. The whole transaction had taken less than five minutes and put him and Dell ahead of schedule to meet up with Ben and his vamps at the diner down the road.

  “That happens when dragons find a new treasure to hoard.” Dell waved at a passing mother pushing a stroller along the sidewalk back into the compound. “Twenty bucks says Daisy gets knocked up before the end of the month.”

  “More like end of the day.” Whiskey shook his head on a sigh. “What the hell is going on, Dell?”

  “With…?”

  “Everything.” Whiskey eased off the brakes and headed down the drive to the main road. “Tango lies to the team. Knocks Maddie up on the first try. With not one, but two. Bravo ditches his man whore routine like a bad habit and shacks up with Trace’s niece. All within the same week? Next you’ll be telling me that you’ve got a girl holed up in your cave and Fox has proposed to a fire hydrant.”

  “Eros has that kind of effect on things.”

  Whiskey glanced at him. “Yeah, well it needs to stop messing with this team.”

  “What are you bitching about? You’ve got Kristina.”

  “Had,” Whiskey spat out with more a shitload of bitterness. “She ended it.”

  “That sucks.”

  Whiskey grunted his agreeance. “So what didn’t you tell me that I need to know about Tango and this army of his?”

  “That when the time comes, you need to let me go.”

  “I’m not holding you here. If you need to help Tango, then get your ass moving and out there.”

  “When the time is right, I’ll go to him. But you need to know, I won’t be coming back.”

  “Wouldn’t blame you,” Whiskey said. “Once this shit is wrapped up, I’m considering calling it quits myself.”

  “The team or the life?”

  “Both. I’ve heard enough about Michael Sinclair and his organization that it’s not worth it.” Whiskey turned down the road that lead to the diner. “Fox won’t handle you leaving well.”

  “He’ll manage. What do you know about the two vamps with Ben?”

  “Nothing.” Whiskey turned into the parking lot and pulled into a spot. “You picking up anything?”

  Dell closed his eyes and did his thing. “Handful of humans. Three others. One wolf… hybrid? Two vamps, definitely. No souls, but… mate marked.”

  “That’s something,” Whiskey mumbled under his breath. He cut the engine and opened his door. “See what you can get off the wolf. Make sure he’s not council. I know Tango said we can trust him, but I’m not feeling it for our fearless leader at the moment.”

  Dell snorted a laugh.

  “Which means it’s up to you and me to make sure Fox not being handed over to the shifter council is somewhere on our never ending and constantly shifting priority list.”

  “Agreed.”

  They left the truck and entered the diner. Two steps in, Whiskey spotted the trio at a table in the back, then headed their way. Halfway there, one of the vamps lifted his head and made eye contact.

  Whiskey stopped in his tracks.

  Maddie should have seen it before. Sinjun was an insufferable arrogant ass. Just like Van. Trying to get a straight answer out either one of them was an exercise in frustration, patience, and stamina. But she would prevail. She would. So help her God. Maddie drew in a deep breath and tried again, “Why, Sinjun? Van’s family. I’m family. Your brother is my best friend. I knew your mother. She made the best cookies and—”

  “Don’t talk to me of his mother,” Sinjun snapped.

  Bingo. She’d finally ripped back enough onion layers and found the source of Sinjun’s angst. Now to figure out how to use that nugget of potentially useful information to get him to confess what was going on with his mate and son. “Why can’t I mention Andrei’s mother, Sinjun? Are you mad that Andrei had one and you didn’t? It happens. It’s happened. My father isn’t really my father and—”

  “Drop it, Maddie.”

  “I can’t, Sinjun. Not when I don’t know who to trust.”

  “You can trust me.”

  “Can I?”

  “Yes, dammit, you can.”

  “Then tell me the real reason why you needed to put a wanted alive bounty on my head that would force Van to come home.”

  “I told you,” Sinjun said.

  “The real reason.” Maddie paused, then added a pitiful, “Unless it’s you who doesn’t trust me.”

  Sinjun sighed. “Again. Trust isn’t the issue.”

  “Then what is it, Sinjun? Family? Is it because I’m not married to Van anymore?”

  He broke eye contact and brushed a spec of invisible lint off his black jeans. “No.”

  “Better not be, because even your brother trusts me with his secrets.”

  Sinjun slowly shook his head, but kept his head bowed. “I know and
you’ve done a good job of keeping Meredith safe.”

  Aha! She had him. “Not just Meredith, but that’s not something I’d share with Andrei’s brother who doesn’t trust me.”

  Sinjun’s attention snapped to her. “What do you mean ‘not just Meredith’?”

  Maddie shook her head. “My lips are sealed until you explain the threat out there to your mate and son.”

  Whiskey stared at the face form his past and couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “Rand?”

  The other two at the table looked at the vamp in question. “You two know each other?”

  Rand gave some semblance of a smile. “In a manner of speaking.” He pushed back from the table and stood.

  “Friend or foe,” Dell asked.

  “Friend.” Whiskey started forward and again and shook Rand’s extended hand. “When did you get back?”

  “Few years ago,” Rand answered.

  “You find her?”

  Rand nodded once then motioned to the men with him. “Alpha Commander Ben MacGregor and Charlemagne Delacourt, this is Carter Williams.”

  If Ben was surprised he didn’t show it. “And Dell. The nymph who’s keeping his nympho shit magic to himself.”

  “As requested, Commander,” Dell said with an incline of his head to the wolf.

  “Where’s Fox,” Ben asked.

  “Back at the complex. Running with the little devils and playing fetch.”

  “Then it worked,” Ben stated.

  “Too well,” Whiskey replied.

  Ben shrugged and sat back down in his chair. “As long as Bravo cleared out and Tango made it out, then he’s good and should make it to Zed then the auction in time.”

  Charlemagne’s attention snapped to Ben. “Auction? You didn’t mention an auction.”

  “Be grateful he didn’t,” Rand said.

  “But I love auctions.”

  “Making the auction isn’t on Tango’s mission list,” Whiskey said. “Unless he told you, which is entirely possible given that he didn’t tell me shit about what he set up with you.”

  “I assumed it was him going to the auction. We are talking about the same one? With the Nexus Suit up for sale?”

  Whiskey nodded. “Why? What do you know?”

  Rand answered. “Other than Sinclair wants that suit back. Not much.”

  “Wait,” Charlemagne said. “Sinclair has a vested interest in this auction?”

  Rand nodded.

  “And the auction is set for tonight?”

  Another nod from Rand.

  Charlemagne checked his phone and opened an email. “At seven? On an island off of Belize at an all-inclusive resort and spa?”

  “Let me see that.” Ben snatched the phone from Charlemagne and started reading. “You got an invitation to the auction and didn’t tell me?”

  “I asked for time off and you said no.”

  “Because I thought you were going hunting for your soul and we discussed that. At length. Not happening.” Ben looked up at Whiskey and Dell. “Either one of you know Andrei Ivanov?”

  Whiskey frowned. “Yeah, why?”

  “Because it says here,” Ben flipped the phone around so Whiskey could read the screen, “the auction isn’t an auction but an invitation for a hostile takeover of one Andrei Ivanov and all his holdings. Bloodbath at seven with dinner and dancing to follow at eight.”

  Whiskey grabbed the phone and read the email himself. “Shit. It’s a trap.”

  “For a Russian Mafioso who needs to be taken out. Not one of ours.”

  Whiskey tossed the phone back to Ben. “Thanks for your help with Bravo. Can’t stay. Gotta run. Dell, I—where the hell did he go?”

  “How can you not know what the threat is,” Maddie demanded.

  Sinjun was up on his feet and pacing back and forth in front of the chair. “I know enough to take it out, but someone’s been messing with me. Deliberately keeping me tied to the area and I don’t know why.”

  “But how, Sinjun?”

  “With threats, bounties, hit teams. They keep rolling in. I take them out as they happen, but it keeps happening.”

  “To distract you,” Maddie guessed.

  Sinjun nodded and stalked back in the other direction. “Buy why distract me? What the hell could be going on that someone would go to this much trouble to keep me out of the way?”

  “I don’t know, but—” Maddie broke off as the air between her and Sinjun shimmered, then poof! Dell popped into the space and grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “Where’s Archangel?”

  “Behind you,” Sinjun answered. “What happened?”

  Dell released her and spun around. “The auction. It’s a trap.”

  “Shit. Andrei.” Sinjun sprang into action and dug out his phone, then started dialing. “Straight to voicemail. Can you blink to him?”

  Dell shook his head. “Only to people whose energy I’ve tasted. Had K-dog’s earlier.”

  “Hey, Dell,” Kenny said as he entered the room. “Maddie, Whiskey’s on the phone for you.”

  Maddie snatched her phone from Kenny’s hand. “Dell just told us. What do you know?” She flipped the phone onto speaker and held it out.

  “Nexus Suit was a lure to get Ajax’s attention. Bloodbath is set for seven. I tried Tango, but can’t get through. Need you to get in touch with Archangel and—”

  “He’s here.”

  “Good. I’m grabbing Fox and Bravo then heading for the plane. We won’t make it by seven, but if he can hold out as long as I hope he can we’ll be there.”

  “You won’t make it in time,” Dell said. “Tango’s our best hope. He’s in the region.”

  “Where is it set to happen?” Kenny asked.

  “Off Belize. Full throttle we can make it by seven thirty.”

  Maddie looked at her brother. “Full throttle we can make it there by—”

  “Six forty-eight,” Kenny answered.

  Maddie nodded. “Grab your gear and get the elevator.”

  “Command code?”

  “Sugar-honey-ice-tea.”

  “On it.” Kenny sprang into action. He whistled for Lily and she came running with a bone in her mouth. Two seconds later they were out the door.

  “Whiskey, gotta go. Will call you from the plane.” Maddie disconnected and looked at the men gaping at her. She ignored their astonishment and started barking orders. “Dell, grab my bag, then get to Kenny. Sinjun, if the call didn’t go through the first time, it won’t the second.”

  “You don’t know that,” Sinjun fired back.

  “Fine, then keep trying on the plane, but move your butt and get to the elevator. Now!”

  “Dammit, I—”

  “Three blocks over I have a fully fueled jet in an abandoned warehouse. It’s faster than any plane I’ve modified for Andrei or Caliv.” Maddie yanked opened the door and held it open, then waited for Dell to sprint past her. “Now you can either come with me or waste precious time by driving to the airport. Your choice, but make it now. In or out?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Turned out getting into Colby Jack’s fortress from hell wasn’t the problem. But getting Tango, his team, and three of Zed’s team they’d busted out of cells in building number two out of the compound without casualties… that was the challenge.

  At the moment, they were pinned down behind building number three and unless they could do a soldier toss over the compound wall, they were screwed. Because there was no way in hell Tango could protect the dehydrated, beaten to a pulp soldiers they’d picked up, grab Zed, then carve an escape route out… without getting creative.

  Or unleashing his inner god slayer.

  “We can’t do a soldier toss,” Caliv complained from behind him.

  “Why the hell not,” Tango demanded. “Rafe can chuck them over the wall. They run like hell towards the road. Derek picks them up in the jeep. Then I’m clear to distract the fuckers with the guns while you and Rafe grab Zed then steal that truc
k over there and clear a path out.”

  “They can’t leave the compound until I get these bracelets off them.”

  Tango peeked around the corner of the building and yanked his head back just as another burst of machine gun fire peppered the spot where his head had just been. Shit. That was close. Nothing he hated worse than being pinned down, out gunned, and without coms out to call in back up from Trace. “Cut them off.”

  “Tried. They’re warded against that.”

  “I don’t give a fuck, get them off their wrists now and—”

  Rafe cut in. “He can’t. They’re warded to explode if they’re fucked with.”

  “Of course they are,” Tango muttered under his breath. “Because shit can’t be easy.” He huffed out an annoyed breath and motioned for Rafe to switch position with him so he could slide back and check out the wards for himself. He knelt down next to Caliv. “Show me.”

  The soldier propped up against the wall lifted his left arm. “They have witches, sir. Three. Two female and one male.”

  Tango nodded. “Describe them.”

  “Black robes. Tats on their faces.”

  “Did they stink?”

  “Like a match stick.”

  There was only one kind of magic using group I the world that looked like that and stunk like sulfur. “Demon witches,” Tango muttered. “I hate damn demon witches.”

  Caliv pointed to the rune on the bracelet. “I can’t unravel their spells. Not without the right protections and equipment. Even if I could do one, I can’t do three. Not without repercussions.”

  “They’re moving in,” Rafe called.

  “Shit. We don’t have time for this.” Tango drew in a deep breath and cracked the lid on his powers. “Rafe, tell Derek to get in position. When I say go, you get them over that wall.”

  “But it’ll kill them,” Caliv warned.

  “I’d rather die trying to escape than be stuck in this,” the solder said.

  The two wounded soldiers with him grunted their agreeance.

  “No one’s dying on my watch,” Tango muttered as he gripped the soldier’s wrist. “You’re positive Zed’s in this building?”

  “Yes, sir. Saw them carry him in with my own eyes.”