Holly smiled. She and Dagon locked eyes immediately, and even though an unusual amount of chair shuffling started up in the room, his gaze never left hers, and his face lit up with pleasure.
She had to force herself to look away and check out his companions. The guy by his side was another tall, hunky blond, but this one—instead of braids—had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and looked around with a vivid azure gaze. Mr. Piercing Blue Eyes, Dagon’s cousin, stood wrapped protectively all over a petite, well-stacked, platinum-blonde lady—Dagon had said his relative had a serious love interest—working the most vicious pair of pink heels Holly had ever seen. How did she walk in those things?
The woman looked comfortable being checked out, and if Holly judged, she wasn’t the only one giving the lady the once-over. A good number of the men in the room had their eyes on her too, and looked…intimidated?
The arm candy gave Holly an outrageous wink. Holly felt herself color, and she quickly turned away to move the boxes off the end of the bar where she’d been saving three spots for Dagon and company if they showed up. Something told her Dagon’s cousin needn’t worry about taking care of his girlfriend with all the big dudes here tonight. That woman seemed perfectly capable of dealing with shit all by herself.
She cleared the cozy spot for Dagon’s party and tried not to be nervous about meeting his companions. But man, how could plain, little Holly measure up to all that glam?
Dagon reached his stool first, and before sitting down, he leaned across the bar and kissed Holly full on the mouth. His actions shocked her in the nicest of ways. Dagon let his overprotective, alpha vibe loose, and Holly thrilled to it. If there remained any doubt―by anyone in the room―they knew for certain now. Dagon had come for her. Holly let all of her trepidation go, and basked in the heat from Dagon’s eyes for a moment. But before she got too scorched to do her job properly, she forced herself to turn away.
Looking about, she saw yet another tall, well-built blond—the third one tonight—come partially to his feet before sinking back into his chair. What was that about? Three hunky, cute blond guys amongst her regulars? Except this one’s eyes sat too close together to call him 100 percent handsome. She checked him out again. He looked daggers at Dagon, but her honey-wannabe didn’t even acknowledged the man.
Holly tried to get her act back together so as not to appear shaky when she got introduced to Dagon’s people. Dagon certainly acted nervous enough for both of them during the niceties.
“Holly, this is my cousin, Anshar, and his Ch…ma…uh, wife, Lenore.” Huh. Smooth. What had Dagon been about to say? Why did it seem like he had made a conscious decision to hide something?
The girl named Lenore took over. “We’re so pleased to meet you. Dagon usually doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but girl, he’s head over heels for you.”
Holly blushed at the compliment, but damn, it made her feel special. “The feeling is mutual. I’ve never fallen so hard, so fast.” There. That wasn’t so hard to admit. Holly checked Dagon out from under her lashes, and to her relief, he looked pleased with her answer.
“Well, these guys are hot, so it’s hard to resist them,” Lenore agreed. Holly figured that the woman meant the two cousins and nodded in agreement. It truly did take all she had to draw her eyes away from the pair.
Anshar’s gaze nearly devoured his wife where she stood, and Dagon’s could only be considered lethal. Holly’s insides smoldered, remembering the actions that had accompanied that stare before.
“Now, however,” Lenore broke the spell and Holly popped out of her reverie as the petite spitfire poked her big man in the chest, “we have more important things to talk about.”
“Right, right,” Anshar quickly agreed. “We’re going to need some of your time, Holly. Can you pull up a seat?” He canted his head toward the stool on the other side of the bar where she stood.
“Anshar, can you give me and Holly a minute?” Dagon focused on her and her alone, and then leaned in to whisper, “Is there a private place we can go so I can give you a proper hello?”
The pulse at Holly’s neck started beating faster. “The back storeroom.” She breathed in his crisp, juniper scent. And damn, her eyes would roll back in her head if she inhaled him in any deeper.
“Take me there,” he ordered.
The bar hopped, but Max—her boss—looked like he had it under control for the moment, and had clearly seen Dagon’s intent.
“Abe,” he barked over the noise. “Go grab some more cases from the storeroom and take some muscle with you.” Max’s face twisted as he tried to hide his grin.
“Alley door,” Holly quickly told Dagon. “I’ll let you in.”
Dagon scraped back his stool and Holly danced toward the storeroom. As she went, she swore both Anshar and Lenore gave a big thumbs up to Dagon.
By the time she reached the door, her heart thumped and her hands shook as she turned the big, ancient lock. The neighborhood wasn’t the safest, and Max had gone all out with the giant piece of hardware. But by the look on Dagon’s face, she’d swear that he would have busted it in if she hadn’t opened it fast enough.
“Hi,” she said shyly. She got back a growl and two words.
“Storage room?”
Holly turned and pointed, then eeped as she was scooped up and carried…but damn if she wasn’t going to take advantage of it. She buried her face in his neck and took a small nip at a prominent tendon.
Dagon growled again. “Keep that up and I won’t hold this to the sweet kiss I had in mind.”
“Screw the sweet kiss.” Holly figured they had five minutes tops, and she wanted to feel some of his hard, smooth skin before she went back to work.
“No screwing.” Dagon groaned, pushed open the storeroom door, and then spun to kick it closed before he let Holly’s feet drop. He pushed her up against the closed portal and leaned his entire big body into hers.
“Who says?” she rasped then reached up to twine her hands around the back of his neck, threading her fingers into his thick, black hair.
“Holly,” he grated.
His lips met hers, and every cell in her body went haywire. Holly thrilled. She wanted to sink into him, make contact with every last piece of his body. Thank God. It hadn’t been her imagination. Her connection with Dagon went beyond comprehension. She needed him. Badly.
Her hands dropped, her fingers worked the button of his jeans, and just like before, he wrenched away. “What—” Holly didn’t want to speak through her swollen lips; she wanted his tongue back, to soothe the heat.
“We can’t do this.” Dagon looked down at her, a mix of lust and sadness on his face.
“Yes, we can,” Holly told him, determination overcoming any rational thoughts she had about time and privacy. “Max won’t bother us, I promise.”
“It’s not that.” Now Dagon’s face had hardened. “There are things you need to hear about me first,” he warned.
Holly’s gut clenched at the seriousness he imparted. “No. No.” She shook her head. “Nothing will change the way I feel.”
Were those tears standing unshed in Dagon’s eyes? Shit. He wasn’t fooling around. “Let’s go back,” he said, taking her by the wrist and gently easing her away from the door.
“Okay.” Holly wasn’t through with this, and she wanted him to know it. “But later on, after the bar closes, we’re continuing this…conversation.” She looked pointedly at his crotch where an enormous bulge rose behind his zipper. Yup. His mouth might say no, but his cock most definitely screamed yes.
Holly let Dagon out the back door with a sassy pat on his ass that won her a very hot, panty-melting stare, and took off for the front again. The extra cases for Max would have to wait.
When she emerged at the bar, she looked around at the packed room, and her face fell. It had gotten too busy to abandon Max any longer. She headed for Dagon’s cousin and girlfriend, where Dagon joined them.
“Sorry, guys. My boss can’t take care of a
ll this by himself. I don’t have time to sit down and chat, but I’ll take a rain check.” She hoped her disappointment was evident. Holly sighed. She really wanted to know more about Dagon, and had been certain Lenore would happily fill her in.
“Don’t worry, Holly. I’m going to have a chat with Max,” Dagon told her, cryptically. “You stay put for a minute.”
Holly looked skeptical. She didn’t think Dagon could say anything that would sway her boss in this situation. She crossed her arms over her chest, stood back, and waited.
****
Enlil, Dagon called out in his head. Do you know anything about mixing drinks?
Not a thing, Enlil answered. But if they have a book, I can memorize it in seconds. Dagon nodded and approached Holly’s boss.
“Good evening, Max.” Dagon waited for the older bartender to finish with a patron and then looked deep into Max’s eyes. “I need to borrow Holly for a while. My friend here will stand in and help you with business. Do you have a mixology book?”
“I do,” answered Max, without hesitation. “It’s tucked next to the register.”
“No problem then.” Enlil moved in quietly behind Dagon.
Enlil quickly compelled three patrons to leave their stools then, leaning his hands on the bar, he vaulted over to the other side. Dagon fought back a grin as Holly watched the move.
“Very impressive,” she called loudly over to him. “Is he with you?”
Dagon nodded. This was no time to lie to Holly. They needed to fill her with as much truth as she could take in very little time.
“He’s part of our group,” Anshar answered before Dagon rejoined them.
“Your group…meaning the bunch of guys Dagon used to work for.”
Dagon, with his superior hearing, waited for Anshar to answer.
“You could say that.” Anshar’s mouth twisted into a wry grin, before he shut off his comments. Dagon head-thanked him. He preferred doing the explanations.
Dagon turned back to a still-enthralled Max. “I also want you to know that there’s going to be a turf war here just after closing. Fifteen minutes before you shut the doors, I want you to call the cops and make sure they have a full swat team standing by to discourage any fighting. This is very important for everyone’s survival. Do you understand?”
“Got it.” Max turned away and moved the big baseball bat from its position by the register to under the bar and closer at hand. “Thanks for the tip.”
Satisfied, Dagon headed back to their group. “Max is all set,” he told Holly, “Have a seat.”
She sank slowly to the stool on her side of the bar.
“My cousin is going to explain some things to you,” Anshar told Holly as Dagon also took a seat. “You’ll probably have some trouble assimilating it all, but what he’s going to tell you is very important.” Anshar’s previously amused countenance became serious.
This is all pretty strange. Dagon heard Holly’s thoughts, something he’d found out he could do almost from the moment they met. Are these guys part of a cult or something? Am I being recruited? Attraction be damned. I’m not about to be coerced into something I don’t want to do.
Every one of Holly’s senses fired on alert. Dagon feared her next inclination; Tess had told him that her twin had run before, and if provoked, she might do it again. Dagon needed to calm her down and attempt to bring her focus off the oddity of the situation and back to the normalcy of her job. “Please try to keep an open mind, Holly. I realize you haven’t known me for long. You’re right to feel suspicious.”
“It’s not that,” she said, and damned if he wasn’t insanely proud. She wasn’t about to be misdirected. “That guy,” she pointed to Enlil. “Anshar says he’s part of your group. If that’s the case, I want to know how many others in here are with you.” Holly put her fears right out on the table.
Dagon girded himself. This was not going to be easy. Holly, so astute, made no bones about being on the defensive.
“Nobody inside.” He couldn’t very well point out the invisible Marduk. “But we’ve got nine more in various positions outside,” he answered honestly.
Holly closed her eyes, her thoughts once again transparent. This is so unfair. The first guy in forever I’m attracted to, and he’s some kind of off-the-grid subversive.
Dagon winced.
“So what kind of cult is this?” She opened those mistrustful orbs and leaned both hands on the bar aggressively. “Your names are kind of funky—Dagon, Anshar.” She thrust her chin toward the blond god mixing drinks. “Who’s the hot guy you’ve got serving drinks?”
Dagon growled, not pleased Holly thought him hot. Lenore snickered behind her hand and answered for him. “That’s Enlil.”
Holly shot her a look and rolled her eyes. Great name.
Dagon needed to intervene before things got out of hand. “You’ve got this all wrong.” He’d have to go for the solar plexus, and it pained him. He threw a word punch Holly did not expect. “We know your sister, Tess,” he said.
“And Huxley,” Anshar added quickly.
Holly’s mouth dropped open. “You’re detectives?” Then she obviously had a worse thought. “Bounty hunters?”
Dagon sensed the minute she poised herself to flee. “Stay!” he compelled.
“Not if I don’t want to,” she spat at him. Holly jumped to her feet behind the bar and looked at him. Furious. And hurt.
She believed he’d played her, and that she’d fallen for it. Dagon could do nothing to dissuade her now, and maybe it would be better if she hated him. It would certainly make it easier on Holly later, considering the consequences of what would probably happen to him tonight.
“Holly, I hate to tell you this, but your life is in danger.” Dagon began again, wondering if there was any good way to fill her in.
“No shit, Sherlock! If you guys are any indication of the other nine outside, I’m going to have a lot of busted bones by the time you get through trying to subdue me and haul me away.” She postured offensively, taking a fighting stance with which he was very familiar.
Dagon nearly groaned. Marduk, we’re getting nowhere. Bring Tess in. Even as Dagon sent out the plea, Marduk misted out. Dammit, he abhorred botching this whole thing up when what he really wanted to do was fold Holly into his arms and take her away from everything.
Marduk’s voice intruded into his head. We’ll be there in one minute. You haven’t met Huxley yet…well, you haven’t been properly introduced, but he’s here too. Seems he flew in on the red-eye this morning despite doctor’s orders, so he had to pick up a rental and drive. Tess hitched along with him.
“Reinforcements.” Dagon told Anshar and Lenore. At Holly’s gasp, he reached across the bar and added, “Friendly reinforcements.”
She inched away, working hard against his compulsion. Dagon was astonished and his mouth dropped open.
Anshar must have noticed his puzzlement. “We’ve found that compelling doesn’t work very well with Cho…women we’re dating,” Anshar amended.
“We’re not dating!” Holly spat her rebuttal. “And what the hell is compelling?” She clearly couldn’t get her body to move exactly as she wanted it to, and she looked pissed. “Somebody better start giving me some answers, right now!”
“I can probably help with that,” a soft voice injected itself into the tension. The entire tableau stilled.
“Tess?” Holly’s tremulous query barely escaped through quavering lips. She raked her gaze hungrily over toward her sister and then raised her eyes to the two tall men standing behind her. Marduk clearly didn’t even register.
“Hux?” Tears built up and began to flow as Holly took in her tall, stoic brother. Dagon’s heart clenched. She looked as if she didn’t know what to do. She seemed completely immobilized, groping for answers.
Huxley took the decision out of Holly’s stunned hands. He strode forward, and despite the small sound of warning from Tess, her brother reached across the bar and dragged Holly over it and int
o his arms. Tess joined instantly to wrap herself around Holly from the back, and the three whispered and wept, trying to wipe out years of painful separation.
Holly, sandwiched between her two siblings, called a halt to things first. Scrubbing the wetness from her eyes, she pushed at Huxley’s chest. She must have caught the same wince Dagon did.
“What?” Holly asked. Most likely, shock had rendered her unable to eke out anything but one-syllable words.
“He’s recovering from a gunshot wound,” Tess supplied. “He wasn’t supposed to come.”
“As if you could make me miss this,” came Hux’s emotional retort. He let Holly back away, but kept hold of her hand.
“Gunshot wound?”
Ah. Two syllables. Dagon felt encouraged that Holly was recovering.
“Huxley! Who could possibly want to shoot you?” Holly emoted, flabbergasted.
Hux looked shrewdly around the whole room, and Dagon wanted to dissolve as the guy’s eyes locked on him. “Must be this asshole,” he growled, getting his first glimpse of Dagon. He looked like he wanted to shove the god’s balls down his throat.
What Dagon didn’t expect, and clearly Hux didn’t either, were the heated words that sprang from Holly’s throat. “Watch your mouth, little brother!” She shot sparks at Hux, clearly not selling out Dagon, even for her sibling. “He’s the guy who brought you all here…at least that’s what I’m assuming.” She narrowed her eyes at everyone, and then it looked like her anger at Dagon reignited. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Dagon agonizing at what he would tell Holly while Lenore cleaned out a table of PP by doing a little compelling of her own. She clapped her hands, quite amused at her success before calling over to the bar. “Everyone come take a seat. This isn’t a brief or easy story.” She pondered for another moment. “Tequila might be in order.”
Dagon thought it was a fine suggestion.
Going Deep Page 2
