Isobel: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Six)
Page 15
*****
Tori Castillo barely suppressed her Valkyrie rage. Not only was her new client a scumbag, but he was talking about a male who had gotten under her skin from the second she’d met him.
“I want Santiago Reyes dead,” Von, aka scumbag, spat. “I don’t care that he’s a Dark Warrior. He’s ruining my business and my boss will not tolerate that. It’s my ass on the line and I’m not dying for that piece of shit. You okay with killing a Dark Warrior?” Tori cocked her head and considered the greasy vampire before her.
His comb-over was laughable, especially given his young appearance. His face reminded her of a rat, narrow with pointed features. And, he was sweating. Why the hell was he sweating so much? He gave new meaning to ring-around-the-collar. Eww, just eww.
“Killing a Dark Warrior isn’t going to be easy,” she replied. Typically, she would get up and walk out of the meeting if she had been asked to kill their society’s valued protectors, but she had to pause with this one. She suspected this particular warrior was responsible for her brother’s death.
She hadn’t received confirmation yet, but every piece of information she had gathered so far pointed to the male that had been haunting her sleep. It pissed her off that she was actually attracted to the guy.
She alternated between wanting to strip him naked and have her way with him to slicing him in half with her stalvajer. His muscled body belonged on a God and it would almost be a shame to mar its perfection. And for some reason, the image of light leaving those exotic brown eyes didn’t sit well with her.
“Name your price. I’ll pay anything. The last attempt failed and I can’t afford for it to happen again.” The desperation coming off the male stung her nostrils, not to mention, it was seeping through the fibers of his shirt. How did he stand his own stench?
Glancing around the room, she noted the nice office. Everything in the place screamed money, from the expensive mahogany desk to the paintings on the wall. The biggest fish tank she’d ever seen took up the length of one wall and it had at least a dozen polka-dot stingrays swimming in it. And, none of the decor matched his cheap-ass suit.
Whoever his boss was had the money. She could ask for the amount needed to finally buy her studio. Then she could do what she loved and leave this sleazy life behind. It was what was expected of her as a Valkyrie, and Priya, her leader, had gotten her started in the business, but she was tired of this life. It didn’t really bring her any true satisfaction.
As Valkyrie went, she was the different one in so many ways. She had been adopted right after her death and rebirth as a Valkyrie. She wasn’t the bloodthirsty female her kind was known for. Her adoptive parents and brother had given her solace when the only memory she had was her violent and brutal death.
Her adoptive parents had been killed in a car accident and now her only remaining family, her brother, had been taken from her. She had lost touch with him over the past decade, but that didn’t erase all the fond memories.
Slime-ball’s voice intruded her walk down not-so-memorable lane. “I was told you were the best. Surely, you can kill one little Dark Warrior. Just name your price,” he coaxed with a smile.
What little ethics she had warred with her desire to pursue her true passion. She wanted to paint and display her pieces in a gallery. Maybe she’d even teach painting classes to striplings. The only time she came alive was when she put brush to canvas. The room where she painted at home was overcrowded and had the worst lighting possible. She really needed that studio and this job could provide it.
It wasn’t as if Santiago didn’t deserve it. She was convinced he’d killed Miguel, and despite what Santiago and his partner had said, Miguel was innocent. But, maybe Von knew something more about her brother. “Before I make my decision, I need to understand what I’m getting myself into. I’ve been told that you are the ringleader for Angel’s Kiss. That your vampire buddies sell the shit to kids.”
His face beaded with more sweat, if that was possible, and his face turned red. “My dealers do not sell to kids. They don’t even sell to humans. They only sell to adults who make the choice to use freely. Who am I to deny people their escape? If I don’t provide it, someone else will. Life isn’t perfect and happy for everyone. Some want an escape from the bullshit. One might say that I’m providing society a valuable service.”
Tori wanted to throat-punch the male. He actually believed the BS he was spouting. Ever since she had fucked up all those years ago, she had sworn never to deal with shady clients. This guy was as far from an upstanding citizen as one could get, but the mark, Santiago, deserved what was coming.
Von fell silent as the office door opened and a small male entered, carrying a bucket. She watched in fascination as the male set the bucket down and then retrieved a stepladder from the hall. He set the ladder next to the fish tank and grabbed the bucket.
Tori nearly jumped from her seat to help the male as he climbed the steps while holding the heavy bucket, swaying on a few rungs. He set the bucket on the top of the tank and slid the flap aside. “I wish A would get rid of those damn things,” Von muttered, shaking his head.
The male looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “A will get rid of you before the stingrays and you’d be smart not to forget that.” With that, the servant turned back and scooped up something from the bucket while placing the other hand in the water.
The stingrays swam to the surface. Laughing, the male brought his other hand into the water and Tori watched as shrimp swam from his palm. Some of the stingrays swam after the food while others fought to take what was still in his hand. He did this several times, paying attention to which ones had already eaten. She was mesmerized as she watched him nudge the greedy ones away to give others a chance. It was one of the coolest sights she ever seen and it made her want to grab her paints and brushes.
“So,” Von said the minute the servant had left the room, “what’s your answer?”
She stood from the leather chair and crossed to the desk. Picking up a pen and grabbing the pad of paper, she scribbled down the highest fee she’d ever asked for and turned it back to him. “That’s my price,” she said, standing straight and crossing her arms over her chest as if it didn’t matter to her one way or another. She held her breath aware the price was astronomical. She would’ve taken the case, regardless, because of what Santiago had done to her brother.
Von looked down, swallowed hard and set his jaw. “Done. Here’s all the information we have on him.” He pushed a manila folder across the desk to her.
She didn’t need it because she already knew everything in it, but that would’ve tipped her hand. She was thorough when she researched someone and had better connections than this slime. “I’ll let you know when the job is done, but I don’t make a move until two-thirds of that is deposited into this account,” she informed, writing down the number to an offshore account.
“You’ll have your money by morning,” he promised and stood, extending his hand.
Ignoring his offer, she turned and left the office, anticipation bubbling beneath her skin. Her dreams were within grasp and she’d have her vengeance for Miguel’s death. Life was good.
Authors’ Note
Thank you for reading ISOBEL! We hope you enjoyed reading about the first-born heir to the Vampire throne. Rogue Warrior will be the seventh book in the Dark Warrior Alliance series where Santiago faces the reality of life without his beloved Dark Warriors and realizes life isn’t so grand when he is forced to face the consequences of his decisions. Look for it Fall/Winter 2016!
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Table of Contents
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EXCERPT FROM ROGUE WARRIOR, DARK WARRIOR ALLIANCE BOOK 7
Authors’ Note
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