Wild Cards (Charmed in Vegas Book 5)

by Katalina Leon

  “Look at us!” He lifted the pass that was hung around his neck. “We’re both VIPs. Cool.”

  A silent observer by nature, she had no easy response beyond a nod.

  He shifted his stance. “When I saw you in line, I promised myself I was going to talk to you. There’s something different about you. I can’t put my finger on exactly what that might be, but my guess is you’re something special. I’ve got a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Nothing gets past me. Please tell me you’re ready to ditch Mr. GQ and have some real fun?”

  Where do these guys come from? Do women ever respond favorably to this sort of crap? Adara held up the ring. “Me and GQ are an item.”

  “A man’s gotta right to ask.” A sheepish grin crossed his face. “So, when do you think this event will really kick off?”

  She waved a hand through the air. “Hasn’t it already started? It looks like everyone is inside. I heard the buffet is good.”

  His gray eyes narrowed to slits. “If I were you, I wouldn’t touch the buffet.” He pointed at her glass. “Or the drinks.”

  A hint of alarm entered her voice. “Why is that?”

  “Have you ever been to one of these gatherings?”

  His overt interest in her left her on high alert. “This is my first.”

  Offering his hand, he loomed closer. “My name’s Marvin Appledore. I’m a White Star, dark order of the unholy Morg, master of molecular chemistry. What’s your specialty?”

  “Intel,” she blurted.

  “How do you gather it? Chemically coerced, or otherwise physically forced confession? Dark enchantments?”

  What a disgusting accusation. She shook her head. “Etheric. Noninvasive.”

  Leaning in to her face, he gently touched the tip of his finger to the crystal heart dangling below the hollow of her throat. “I figured something like that. You don’t look like a mean witch.”

  She was tempted to swat his wandering hand away from her precious necklace, but managed to restrain herself. “I’m not mean or a witch.”

  He looked intrigued. “What are you, sweetheart?”

  Adara hoped she sounded flirty and not nervous as shit. “It’s a secret.”

  “You can tell me anything.” With a wink and a smirk, he took the drink from her hand and placed it on a near table. His gaze lingered on her VIP pass and breasts. “It’s nice to meet you, Susan. Whatever you are. You look like a nice girl, so I’m going to do you a favor and clue you in. This is definitely a BYOB type of event.”

  Wishing Kai were at her side to hear what this guy had to say in person, she scanned the buffet line but didn’t see him. “Why is that?”

  “Seriously?” He laughed, exposing white horse-like teeth. “Think about it. Look at the herd milling around the buffet. Hexing the food would be the easiest way to get most of the competition to turn around and stampede back to their hotel rooms clutching their bellies. That is, if they make it. Most won’t. When the tummies start rumbling, it’s time to duck and cover, drop and roll. Housekeeping will have a bitch of a time steam-cleaning this much carpeting.” He looked amused. “All I’m sayin’ is, craps ain’t just a table game. Vegas humor. Get it?”

  Alarm made her voice crack. “Why would someone poison their fellow conventioneers?”

  “Not poison.” With a hand-spinning gesture, he attempted to clear her comment from the air. “Hex. I use my molecular mastery skills mostly in food industry applications, but I’m looking to upsell my marketability. Ever eaten a Rancheeto potato chip, the kind with extra ranch dressing and nacho cheese flavor? Of course you have. They’re fucking delicious. Let me ask you this—have ever ripped open a fresh bag, eaten the recommended ten potato chip serving, and stopped there? Of course not. No one does. I did that.” He tapped his chest. “You’re looking at the man who made Rancheetos irresistible. After the third chip, everyone turns into a ravaging bottomless pit. My spell was genius, but the idiot CEO of Rancheetos didn’t see it that way and fired me for breach of public safety. I kissed that unappreciative bullshit good-bye. Now, I’m looking for the sort of employer who can see my true worth. I say think big or go home.”

  Where the hell was Kai? “Isn’t that a dangerous admission to make? What if I decide to report you?”

  “Admission? This is my calling card! I want everyone here to know I did it. Baby doll, this event is my entry to the big time. Once the higher-ups see what I can do, I’ll be writing my own ticket. To celebrate, I rented the grand suite. That’s where you come into my plan. I always need good intel. We could help each other. Maybe we should talk later. You know, in my suite?”

  This was almost too easy. Marvin was singing like a bird. “Which employer’s attention are you trying to get?”

  “No way.” He glanced away, face flustered. “You’re not going to trick me into saying his name. You’ll have to prove you’re trustworthy first. A beautiful girl like you could waltz right past me and leave me in the dust. If you want the supersized payday and a ride in the private jet, you’ve got to be on my team.”

  “You have a private jet?”

  “Not yet, but I will. Look at the big picture. Remember, others are watching this convention from remote locations.”

  “For real?”

  “Hell yeah. This isn’t just a party to meet peers—it’s an annual showcase event. You do know that, don’t you? If I gain the patronage of a certain eccentric billionaire who will not be named, I’ll win an exclusive contract to commit industrial black sorcery with all the perks thrown in. A huge prize has been offered to the winner or the winning team who demonstrates the most valuable skill set. That’s why I’m in Vegas! I came here to build my ‘A-Team.’ I’m all about winning. We should join forces.”

  She fought the impulse to roll her eyes. “Pity the fool who can’t see you’re a genius.”

  He nodded. “Exactly.”

  A woman at the buffet table threw back her head and released a string of loud chicken clucks. “Pock, pock, pock!” With elbows bent, she wildly flapped her arms and turned in a circle, causing others to scatter. “Pock, pock, pock!”

  “Look!” Marvin tsked with glee. “She ate the Buffalo wings.” He beamed a self-satisfied smile. “And so it begins.”

  “Oh, my God.” Adara reached for her phone, ready to call for help. “Is this your handiwork? What did you do to her?” She rushed forward.

  “You know the saying ‘you are what you eat’?” Marvin seized Adara’s arm and drew her back. “I’d keep a safe distance if I were you.”

  “I’m not going to stand here and do nothing. What if she needs medical assistance?” She broke free of Marvin’s grip and rushed toward the buffet.

  “Wait!” He followed close behind, grabbed her shoulder, and brought her to a halt. “An Alka-Seltzer and an early night and she’ll be fine tomorrow. The woman either has a highly susceptible temperament or else she simply ate a shitload of hot wings.”

  La Araña sauntered past and shot Adara an inscrutable look. She headed to the buffet and dramatically plucked her hands free of the opera-length gloves one finger at a time, then leaned over a heaped platter of steamed crustaceans. After selecting a long, spindly Alaskan king crab leg, she turned to face Adara and made a show of sucking the meat from the hollow tube like she was fellating it. The lewd gesture was topped off with a few sloppy licks. With nonchalance, she discarded the empty shell on the table and sucked her fingers clean.

  The disgusting sight was so distracting it took a moment to realize what she had missed. When she saw it, her blood ran cold. What a versatile actress this woman was—her English was perfect. La Araña had a large tattoo of a black tarantula on her wrist.

  She reached for her phone. Roy needed to know this, now. As she was dialing, a man bumped into her and kept going. He glided by with his lips pursed in a pouty fish face and fanning his hands through the air like fins. His eyes were devoid of thought as he gracefully ‘swam’ around the room pretending to blow bubbles.

&nb
sp; Marvin grinned. “Looks like somebody enjoyed the smoked lox. Let’s watch as he swims upstream to spawn.”

  She broke away from Marvin. “Excuse me. I have to make a call.” The phone rang and went to Roy’s voice mail. Damn. Where was Kai, or any security personnel for that matter?

  La Araña finished ravishing a second king crab leg and tossed it aside. She stilled with face blanched and released a violent hiccup. Her hand went to her belly and, for a moment, she appeared to be on the verge of panic. Inexplicably, she widened her stance as if she had mounted a Clydesdale. With knees bowed, she squatted low and scuttled sideways, back and forth, opening and closing her hands like pincers. Her swift movements were erratic and she smacked into a man holding a plate full of food, sending the startled gentleman and his buffet choices to the floor with a wet plop.

  On tiptoe, La Araña stepped over the fallen man and kept running sideways.

  “Idiot!” The man on the floor glowered with coconut shrimp stuck to his cheek.

  “This isn’t funny.” Where was Burt? Why wasn’t the rest of the security team already on this?

  “Rrrrrw!” The booming roar of a lion brought everyone in the room to a halt.

  The DJ stopped playing music and ducked behind his console.

  Burt leaped onto the buffet table, snarling and shaking his shaggy mullet like a mane. “Rrrrrw!” He tossed platters of hors d’oeuvres aside and slashed at the air.

  People near the buffet dodged the flying plates of food, screaming.

  Burt slunk on all fours along the length of the buffet table, crushing or toppling decorative towers of fresh fruit. With claw-like fingers, he batted at a bubbling fountain of lemonade. He growled then bit into a hunk of prime rib and shook it hard, splattering everything in the vicinity with au jus.

  Chicken lady glanced at Burt with terror in her eyes. Her flapping arms sped as she raced in circles frantically clucking.

  Marvin’s face flushed with pride. “Wow. This is going far better than I dared to hope.”

  Burt tilted his head to watch the chicken woman’s chaotic flight. He coiled and, with a powerful burst of momentum, pounced from the table to the floor and chased the frightened woman. He jumped onto her back and knocked her down. With furtive glances, Burt grabbed hold of the woman’s collar with his teeth and dragged her under the buffet table.

  “This has to stop! People are getting hurt.” Adara shoved Marvin’s chest. “Undo your hex!”

  “Sorry.” He shook his head. “No off switch. Once you eat it, you can’t delete it. They’ll just have to ride it out.”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Kai leap through the air like he was going for an intercept. He landed near the buffet with a somersault and roll. In a single swoosh, he reached under the table, grabbed hold of Burt, and pulled the protesting man away from his prey.

  “Dude.” Kai held Burt firmly by the shoulders. “Pull yourself together. We’re going to get you out of here.”

  Burt’s behavior was feral. He tried to bite Kai.

  The fire department entered the hall, followed by Vegas PD. The exits were sealed and the lights turned up. She saw the true extent of the chaos. Food covered the floors. People hid under tables with their bellies making threatening rumbles.

  The sight of gingery hair on one of the cops caught her attention. “Sam!” she called. “Over here!”

  Sam headed her way.

  Adara grabbed hold of Marvin’s wrists, yanked them behind his back and, with a twist of his thumb, pinned him in an arm lock. She intended to make it as painful as possible and knew she’d succeeded when a high-pitched squeal escaped him. Buckling his knee, she knocked him off balance and sent him to the floor. “Arrest this man!”

  Sam leaped on Marvin and cuffed his hands behind back. “What has he done?”

  “All of this.” Adara pointed at Mr. Salmon and the chicken lady. “He tainted the buffet. These people will require medical supervision until the effects wear off. I recommend all the uneaten food be collected and treated as biohazard.”

  “Oh, God!” The man with coconut shrimp stuck to his face vomited.

  “Jeez. What a sicko.” Sam hauled Marvin to his feet. “Typhoid Mary, I gotta read you your rights.”

  “Too late!” Marvin bellowed. “I’ve already made my case in public with great success. You’ll never be able to prove anything against me. Two hours from now there will no trace of my hex.”

  Blinking, Sam’s mouth gaped. “Did he say hex? What the fuck is he talking about?”

  Marvin scowled at Adara. “You’re a disappointment. No private jet for you.”

  With a shove, Sam propelled Marvin forward.

  “Wait.” She hurried to catch up and slipped La Araña’s card in Sam’s pocket. “The cleaning lady is a fake. I don’t know what she said in her statement this morning, but whatever it was, it’s likely a lie. She’s here dressed in black and scrambling around like a crab.”

  Sam looked confused.

  She wriggled her fingers in a scurrying motion. “La Araña—‘the spider.’ The woman with the tarantula tattoo? Take a second look at her. Odds are good she’s guilty of something. Get homicide on this ASAP.”

  He scanned the room. “Point her out.”

  Adara surveyed the crowd. Medics had arrived and the convention hall was looking like a triage station. “I don’t see her. She’s gone.” A fire exit on the far wall had been left ajar. “Holy crap, she might have escaped. We gotta find her.”

  Near the buffet, a woman screamed the nerve-shredding cry of a harpy. She fell to the floor sobbing at the foot of a massive mound of shaved ice sculpted into the shape of Mount Fuji.

  A crowd gathered to comfort the woman and see what had triggered her anguish.

  One glance and the cause was clear. Beneath colorful pieces of sushi, the ice had shifted to reveal the stiffened body of a man. His face was blue and his pale eyes stared at nothing. An apple had been shoved in his distended mouth.

  Chapter 6

  The police rushed in to secure the ballroom. Armed officers guarded every exit. Yards of yellow tape surrounded the buffet tables, and everyone who could still move under their own power was asked to line up for questioning.

  Adara approached Kai with anxiety brewing. “Please tell me you didn’t eat anything from the buffet.”

  Kai smoothed his wavy hair away from his face. “Thank God I got sidetracked and didn’t. This is madness.”

  “No, this is industrial-strength sorcery.”

  Burt swayed on his heels, singing. “If I were king of the forest…”

  Kai hooked an arm around Burt’s shoulders. “We don’t have time to investigate the sushi man. Forensics can deal with him. Help me take this poor bastard to HQ.”

  She wrapped her arms around Burt to support him. “I’ve pegged a suspect in Charles Coldburn’s death.”

  His brows shot to his hairline. “Who?”

  Disgust at the situation overwhelmed her. “Remember that poor shaken woman from housekeeping?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What a liar. First day on the job, my ass. She’s the same creep who handed us a business card on the way inside.”

  He looked surprised. “Really? The crab woman? La La, something? No shit, you think she’s a heart-taker?”

  “She was the first person at the scene of Charles Coldburn’s murder. In my book, that makes her highly suspect. Not to mention she willfully misrepresented herself to the police.”

  Kai seemed to struggle to maintain a grip on Burt, who refused to cooperate. “Alert homicide. She should be arrested for re-questioning.”

  If Burt kicked her ankles one more time, she was going to scream. “I told Sam but she’d already fled the ballroom.”

  “It should be easy to spot someone with pincer hands running sideways along the Strip. How far can she get? Damn.” Kai winced. “Burt weighs a ton. Come on, dude, try to walk on your own.”

  They staggered forward, holding Burt as he clawed
the air and growled.

  As they approached the exit, a police officer stepped in front of them. “This is an active crime scene. Everyone needs to remain inside the hall until we get statements.”

  “Let us pass,” Kai demanded. “We’re hotel security.”

  The officer crossed his arms. “Show me your ID?”

  She interrupted. “We don’t have it. Call HQ, ask for Roy.”

  Sam walked past. “It’s okay, Rick. Let ’em pass. They’re telling the truth.”

  They hobbled out the door, dragging Burt between them.

  She blew away a strand of hair that clung to her lip gloss. “I’m glad to get out of there. I have a bad feeling it’s only going to get worse. I’m pretty sure mass vomiting is on the schedule.”

  Kai glanced at her with an indefinable glimmer in his eyes. “I didn’t like watching that guy leering at you.”

  Her heels caught on the carpet as they rushed down the crowded corridor. “You were watching?”

  “Yep, from a safe distance. I had Roy run a background search. He remembered his face. Marvin Appledore’s been in Vegas before and gotten into trouble. He’s got a record. A sleazy one. He strikes me as the sort of jerk who’d get over-competitive and start killing people.”

  “I don’t know. I got a different vibe from him.”

  Kai appeared surprised. “Were you able to read him?”

  “No. My soulscanner is still broken. But based on my first impression, I’d say Marvin is driven by ego, not ruthlessness. He seemed more ambitious than violent.”

  As they approached the entrance to the gambling floor, the crowd thickened and they were forced to slow.

  She gasped. “Where did all these people come from? Look at this Friday night mob headed into the pit. How are we going to keep an eye on everyone and hunt for skinwalkers at the same time?”

  “Dary!” A familiar voice rose from the crowd.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw her mother and father. “Oh, shit. Our troubles just got a thousand times worse.”

  Kai looked in the same direction. “Who are those people? Why are they waving at us? Do you know them? Goddamn, the woman is a dead ringer for Rita Hayworth in full-on Gilda mode. Arrhooo!”