“Oh, these guys have egos, brother.” Viktor laughed, taking a drink of beer. “They’re just better at controlling it, and I have to say, Sloan Murphy has everything to do with that. Are you ready to bow down to a leader? Have to answer for everything you do?”
“Yeah, that’s the rub,” Bishop growled, tapping a pen on the counter. “But it sure would be nice to settle down. I mean, the places we stay in are nice, but fuck, dude, I’ve never owned a house. And as much as I love your sorry ass, living alone has a nice ring to it.”
Viktor silently agreed, but he seriously didn’t think he had it in him to settle down in one place. He was used to being on the move. “Buy a damn house then.” Viktor finished off his beer. “With everything going on, I seriously doubt we’d be pulling out of here anytime soon anyway.”
“The problem is I don’t think Sloan wants free agents on his payroll,” Bishop replied, then stood up. “But I guess it won’t hurt to ask.”
“He wants to put us on rounds, and I sure as hell wouldn’t mind that.” Viktor tossed his beer bottle in the trash, and grabbed another one. “Boring as fuck sitting here waiting for something to happen. I’m ready to make something happen.”
“You and me both, bro.” Bishop groaned with a frown. “This sitting-around shit is not cool.”
Viktor agreed, glancing at his phone. “You know, with all this witch activity, demons are going to be a possible problem.”
“There’s no doubt about that.” Bishop nodded. “From what I understand, there’s already a demon who may be helping Orjyll.”
“Since when have you known a demon to help anyone.” Viktor cocked his eyebrow. Demons were a paranormal entity of their own. They were selfish and always self-serving. “Maybe we need to talk to Bonnie.”
“Shit, I’ll talk to Satan himself to get the fuck out of here.” Bishop growled passing Viktor who was grabbing his coat. “The last I heard she was at the compound. We’ll start there.”
Viktor nodded, ready to do anything to take his mind off Lacey Cruz. If he looked at his phone one more time to see if he’d missed a call, he was going to toss the damn thing. He just gave her his number not even an hour ago, so why in the fuck did he expect her to call him now? Jesus, he was being a fucking pussy about this shit. As he put his jacket on, he felt the weight of not his weapons, but Emilia’s diary. Without a second thought, he turned around and headed up the stairs to his room. Removing the diary, he glanced at it for a second, then opened a drawer putting it safely inside.
Turning, he walked out of the room with a nagging feeling dragging him down. He knew he would have to read it, but not tonight. He wasn’t ready. He may never be ready, but one thing was for sure, it wouldn’t be tonight.
Heading outside, he went straight to his motorcycle. Bishop was already pulling out of the driveway and down the road. He got on, started it up and then looked at his fucking phone again. “Fuck!” Viktor cursed, then rammed it back in his pocket.
Riding always cleared his head, but not tonight. Nope, tonight his mind kept going back to sexy red lips and kind green eyes. Thoughts of Lacey giving her meal to the old man made him smile. She was a good girl who he needed to stay the fuck away from. Maybe it was a mistake giving her his phone number. He snorted as they pulled into the compound. Fuck maybe. He knew for a fact it wasn’t a good idea, but he’d done it anyway. It had been a long time since he had the company of a female he wanted to talk to, just talk. Not that he wouldn’t lift that skimpy black dress off her and make her scream in pleasure, but after they talked. It had taken everything he had not to let his eyes keep moving down to the cleavage of her dress. She definitely had a body he’d love to....” He almost rammed his bike into Bishop who stopped in front of him to park.
“What the fuck, man!” Bishop was quick enough to move himself and his bike out of the way.
“Shit!” Viktor turned his bike off and rolled it back. “My bad.”
“Your bad?” Bishop snorted, looking closely at Viktor. Too closely. “What the fuck happened tonight? You’ve been acting really strange.”
Viktor parked and got off, passing his brother. “Fuck you.”
“Okay, that’s more like you, but still.” Bishop eyed him as they headed toward the front door. They had to be let in since they still didn’t have a code to get inside the compound. Seemed Sloan didn’t trust them enough, or they had to be part of the team to get the code. They had the code for the gate, but that was it. “Something happened tonight, and I’m going to find out what it is.”
They both looked up at the camera waiting for the door to click. “Leave it alone.”
“So something did happen.” Bishop grinned, then wiggled his eyebrows. “And I bet it had a nice ass and set of tits on her.”
Something in Viktor snapped. He didn’t know what, but it snapped. He grabbed Bishop around the throat and slammed him up against the door. “I said. Leave. It. Alone.”
Bishop was no joke. He didn’t frighten easily, and he was one hell of a fighter. Before Viktor could react, there was a knife poking him in his junk. “Let go of my fucking throat and I won’t take your dick off.”
Viktor grinned as he slowly let go, but he made sure to bounce his brother’s head off the door before he did. “Keep your nosey ass out of my business, Bishop,” he warned as he stepped back, and his brother put his knife away. “That’s the only warning you’re going to get.”
“Okay, no problem, man. Just chill the hell out,” Bishop sneered, reaching behind him to open the door that had clicked a few seconds ago. “But seriously, what’s her name?”
Viktor punched out, but Bishop was already too far away for any contact and hurrying toward Sloan’s office. “Yeah, you best run, bitch.”
Bishop’s only reply was to flip him off as he disappeared into Sloan’s office. Viktor followed.
“Do either of you fuckers know how to answer a phone?” Sloan growled from behind his desk.
“I do, but Viktor’s a little slow,” Bishop replied, sitting in one of the chairs in front of Sloan’s desk. “It’s almost midnight. Do you ever leave this office?”
“No,” Sloan replied bluntly.
Viktor took the other seat, deciding not to comment on his brother’s “slow” remark. He’d pay him back later. “So how against free agents are you, Sloan?”
“I don’t have free agents on my team,” he replied without blinking. “You swear your loyalty to my men and me.”
“So I guess that means you don’t need our help,” Viktor replied, not wanting to push Sloan too far, but he was good at pushing. Actually, he got off on pushing people and was damn good at it.
Sloan’s eyes slammed into his. Leaning back in his chair, Sloan crossed his arms and glared. “I know all about you guys. Don’t forget who I am,” Sloan warned, his eyes narrowing. “I’m man enough to appreciate what you’ve done for us thus far, but I’m also man enough to send your ass packing.”
“You know demons may be involved in all of this,” Bishop added, doing his own push.
“Actually, we know demons have a hand in this,” Sloan shot back. “And unfortunately, because you are not part of our unit, that is all the information I can give you.”
“Then you’re going to need us either way,” Bishop argued, but Viktor had a good idea what Sloan’s next words were going to be.
“Actually, we have Bonnie.” Sloan threw it out there. “As well as Kira and Mira, but Bonnie knows more about that side of things.”
“They aren’t dark witches,” Viktor warned, but Sloan didn’t look concerned about that. “Only dark witches converse with demons.”
“Bonnie is different,” Sloan replied, then sat up. “And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
“And you’re fine with putting her life in danger.” Bishop sneered, his voice low with aggression. An aggression Viktor knew all too well.
“Bishop.” Viktor tried to calm his brother.
“No, fuck this,” Bishop growl
ed. “You’re trying to blackmail us into your unit by using Bonnie.”
Sloan stood and leaned toward Bishop. “No, asshole. I’m trying to recruit two VC Warriors that I desperately need and I have respect for. This is a fight I’m not looking forward to. None of us are because we know what the outcome can be, and it doesn’t look good for any of us at the moment.”
“Give me the fucking paper.” Bishop sneered, his eyes narrowed in on Sloan. “I will not let you put her in danger.”
Viktor watched, surprised at his brother’s reaction. Bishop never did anything without serious thought, but when Sloan mentioned Bonnie, all that changed and honestly, Viktor didn’t know how to feel about that. Bonnie was Emilia’s daughter. That fucked with him, and not in a good way.
“Do what you want,” Bishop growled as he walked past Viktor and slammed out of Sloan’s office.
Sloan held the pen out to Viktor, but Viktor only stared at it, shook his head, and followed his brother out. He wasn’t quite ready to seal his fate.
Chapter 4
Lacey rushed around trying to finish her night so she could go out for a few hours. It had been a busy night, her pocket of tips a testament to that. The Gypsy Tavern was her dad’s bar. She’d worked there on and off since she was old enough to do it legally. The only thing she hated was the gypsy outfit she had to wear. Even being the daughter of the owner she didn’t get favoritism. Nope. She had to wear the thing. It was pretty, but the flowing scarf head wrap got in the way of serving, and she always felt like her boobs were going to pop out of the top.
“What can I help you with so we can get out of here?” Hannah followed her.
“I’m good. Just need to change and let my dad know I’m out.” Lacey headed around the back side of the bar. “Give me five minutes.”
“Ten minutes your time.” Hannah rolled her eyes then sat down at the bar. “Might as well give me a shot, Clem.”
“Go ahead, Clem,” Lacey called out, seeing his hesitation. “I’m the designated driver tonight.”
“No, you’re not.” Hannah snorted. “We’re doing an Uber.”
Lacey rolled her eyes then headed to the back to change. Once she shed her gypsy outfit, she hurried to her dad’s office. “Hey, Dad.” She peeked her head in the door. He was watching something on his mini black-and-white television. “I’m leaving. I’ll call you tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Where you off to?” He turned to glance at her over his shoulder.
“Just going out for a little while with Hannah.” Lacey hurried in and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. She worried about him since her mom passed away from breast cancer a year ago. The loss seemed to suck the life out of him. He was only in his late fifties but acted and looked much older than that. He had aged a great deal from a year ago. “Please get some rest and make sure you eat. Clem can take care of the place until closing.”
“Stop worrying about me.” He patted her hand. “I’m fine. Now go and have some fun. How’s the book coming along?”
She kissed his cheek, then let him go. “It’s going okay.”
“That’s good, honey,” he replied absently as he went back to watching TV. Lacey was used to the dismissive way her father was. She understood it. He missed her mother, and so did she, but deep inside she wanted his approval for what she was doing. He was her father and she loved him dearly. Her mom just thought her writing was a phase she was going through, and had always patted her hand with a smile.
Lacey walked toward the door, and turned to look at her dad one more time. He seemed so lonely it broke her heart. When her mom had been alive, he’d hardly ever been here. He’d been at home with her enjoying life until her mom’s diagnosis and treatments began. Lacey went through different phases, but always had to be strong with her dad. She knew she hadn’t grieved properly, but then again, was there truly a proper way to grieve?
With a sigh, she walked out, closing the door softly behind her. She stood there for a minute wondering if maybe she should stay, take her dad home and make him dinner. Knowing what she was about to do tonight was needed for her book, though, and she really needed to do this. Getting let go from her job had put a strain on not only her own financial situation, but her father’s as well. She had been helping her father with medical bills. Insurance for the self-employed was pathetic. But only the best medical care was given for her mother, and Lacey had agreed 100 percent.
Since she also knew her father would fight her to the core, demanding she go out and have fun, Lacey made her way back to the bar. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Good.” Hannah hopped off the bar stool. “Dad okay?”
“Seems to be.” Lacey waved to Clem as they walked out of the tavern. “Is Frank meeting us there?”
“Yeah, I just talked to him. He’s already on his way.” Hannah glanced at her phone. “Our driver should be here any minute. I’m kind of excited. I have to say, you writing this book is bringing up some pretty awesome opportunities.”
Lacey’s mind went straight toward the handsome vampire she had met a few nights earlier. If Hannah only knew. She hadn’t told her or anyone about that, wanting to keep it to herself for some reason. She had looked at his phone number and handwriting so many times she couldn’t count. She had also picked up her phone to make a call more than a few times, but every time she chickened out. Why in the world would a man like that want to talk to someone like her, and about a book he didn’t even understand? She’d figured he was probably just being nice.
“There he is.” Hannah broke into her thoughts.
Following Hannah into the Uber, she chuckled when the Uber driver frowned at them. “You want to go where?”
“The Red Dragon.” Hannah frowned. “It’s on Vine Street in downtown.”
“Oh, I know where it is,” the driver replied with a shake of his head. “I just don’t know why you would want to go there. It’s a pretty rough place.”
“What do you mean, rough?” Lacey questioned, wondering if maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
“It’s a vampire hangout,” he continued, without pulling out of the parking lot. “I know some really nice places if you’d rather go there.”
“Not all vampires are bad, and this is a vampire as well as human club,” Lacey countered with a frown. Some people were still so against the vampire race, but they were here, living—well, she knew what she meant—in society, so people needed to get used to it already. There were good and bad humans also.
“Hey, just trying to help you ladies out,” the driver replied, throwing up his hands. He proceeded to pull out of the parking lot.
“Thanks, but we’re good,” Hannah added as she sat back, grinning at Lacey. She leaned over and whispered, “I swear if I get bit and turned into a vampire, I’m coming after you.”
“Stop it.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “Nothing is going to happen. Do you seriously think they’d have a place like that if people were getting turned into vampires?”
Looking out the window, Lacey hoped she was right. The driver’s warning played in the back of her mind as well as the warning of Viktor Valentino’s deep voice of being careful. Snorting to herself, she sighed. Maybe she just needed to call the man so he would get out of her head.
“What in the hell are we doing here?” Viktor growled, following Bonnie, Sid, and Bishop into the Red Dragon.
“We are going to mingle.” Sid moved aside so Bonnie was between him and Bishop as they walked inside.
“This is a hotbed for every paranormal there is,” Bonnie answered. She stopped and turned to look at Sid and Viktor. “Try to look normal.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sid frowned, looking down at himself, then a guy who passed them with hair spiked so high it almost hit the ceiling. “I think that’s not going to be a problem here.”
“Try not to look like you’re ready to kill someone or something.” Bonnie sighed and shook her head. “I know that’s a stretch for you guys, but it wil
l help your... mingling skills.”
Viktor followed them inside and wished to hell he could walk back out. He hated places like this. And, of course, he usually did want to kill someone because people had a habit of pissing him the fuck off. Magic was thick here. He could feel it. Seeing Bonnie stiffen, he knew she felt it also. He didn’t know magic, but he’d been around so much of it, and for more years than he could remember, that he knew when it was around.
A source had told Bonnie something big was about to go down tonight. She didn’t know what, but Sloan thought it was wise to attend in case it had anything to do with Orjyll. Places like this were dangerous, especially for humans, but there they were, right in the mix of vampires, shifters, and who only knew what else.
“Can you sense demons?” Viktor leaned down to ask Bonnie.
“Sometimes,” Bonnie replied, her eyes roaming the crowd. “It really depends on whether or not they want to be known. They are definitely evil, smart, and very cunning creatures.”
Viktor had a few dealings with them, but that was many years ago. They usually didn’t come around unless they had something to gain from growing chaos. And Orjyll’s interference in the world was causing a lot of mayhem.
Bonnie and Bishop walked further into the club as he and Sid headed toward the bar. Sid ordered them a beer as Viktor watched where Bishop and Bonnie went. His eyes continued to search to see Duncan, Jared, and Jill spread out. They came separately. Damon, as well as Jax and Steve were also somewhere inside the club, but Steve was invisible so he could walk around and listen to conversations.
Viktor frowned as his eyes fell on Jill. “I thought Jill and the women were doing their own thing now.” Even though he nor Bishop were around the compound much, Bishop seemed to have the inside scoop on everything. “What’s that all about?”
“They pulled rank.” Sid chuckled with a shake of his head, but his eyes scanned the area, always on the job. “They are going to be working with Nicole at Children’s Services.”
Viktor Page 3
