by CK Dawn
“Still as arrogant as ever, I see.” Rafe jumped over the front of the desk in one easy motion. Soundlessly, he landed and leaned back. The mod chandelier spotlighted him. A white collar peeked from under a black designer vest. The middle button of a sleek coat hinted at a tight chest and trim waist. Long tailored slacks marked him as a half-foot above the average height. He’d star in many a woman’s fantasy, and proudly made such fantasies reality. “If you’ve come to see me, you want something, bad.” He grinned. “How much do you want it, Gabe? What’s it worth to you?”
Gabe continued to peer at Rafe without as much as a blink.
“You know, I think you should beg for it.” Rafe motioned to the floor. “That would really get my blood going. You, down on your knees, begging. Perfect.”
“You haven’t changed.” Gabe took a step forward, his face riddled with disdain. “All this time here and you’re the same, if not worse. A perverse mess.”
“Perverse? Interesting choice of words. As I remember, Ariel called it passionate.” Rafe’s deliberate pause left the room silent before he continued, “This was, of course, when she, how do you put it...mounted...yes that’s it, when she mounted my defense to the council.”
Gabe remained motionless.
“So, Ariel means nothing now, huh? It’s only when I push your pride I get a rise out of you. You haven’t changed either.” Rafe sneered. “All right, then, tell me what was Ariel’s defense for your infinite arrogance?”
Pushing the jibe aside, Gabe said without feeling, “No defense. She’s part of the council now.”
A roar of laughter echoed in the sparse office. “Conniving...ha...brilliant. Then, she was responsible for your fall. Oh, this just gets better and better.”
“I didn’t come here to play games or reminisce!” Gabe’s anger had reached its threshold and spilled forth unchecked. He took another step forward.
“Ah see, it wasn’t so hard. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” Rafe beamed revealing a layer of perfect white teeth. “Face it, Gabe. You’re here to stay whether you realize it yet or not.”
Furious with himself for giving into Rafe’s taunts so quick, Gabe took a firm step back and said nothing.
Rafe waved a dismissive hand. “No matter. On to business. So, you came here about the Key.”
“How do you...” Gabe couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Ha,” Rafe interrupted. “Every fallen and demon in Vegas knows the Sacred Key has been born.” In an almost empathetic tone he continued, “Trusting Albert was a misstep. He’s a born gossip, and drama ignites his fire.”
The memory of Maribel’s mutilated body flashed through Gabe’s mind. Albert’s big mouth may have gotten his maid killed. The blood began to pound in his ears. And now Cassie’s life is in danger...and my chance for redemption. His thoughts turned ugly as a lifeless Cassie replaced Maribel’s face. Her eyes wide, her petite frame stiff, her features distorted, all by death. Blinding rage mixed with fear as bile crept up his throat. In a guttural voice he whispered, “Damn him.”
“Yes,” Rafe said nodding. “But then, damn us all.” A wolfish grin rose from one corner. “Come now. Don’t be sullen. I haven’t seen you in so long my old...well not quite a friend are you?”
“You know why I’m here, so cut the shit!” Gabe teetered close to the edge of losing all control. “She needs more protection. Are you going to help or not?”
“She?” Intrigue and desire lit Rafe’s face like a forest fire. “Albert failed to mention the Key was a female.”
“Not simply ‘a female.’ Cassie’s beyond your comprehension.” Gabe’s mind wandered to the previous night they’d shared in the canyons; a night he hadn’t let himself think about until now. Softly he said, “Dark hair, smooth skin, penetrating eyes, and a fiery spirit. A perfect combination.” The words spilled forth of their own accord. “And oh yeah...” A ferocious possessiveness clutched him. “She’s mine.”
Perhaps it was his anger at being here, or his worry over what was to come, or the sheer stress of the past few weeks, regardless he’d declared to his rival what he’d never said to Cassie, and he’d meant every word.
“Sounds like the ideal little package. I look forward to meeting her.” Rafe crossed his ankles as he continued to lean against the desk and shrugged. The body position spoke of a nonchalant attitude, but Gabe knew better. Rafe continued, “So, what will be the terms of our arrangement then?”
“You, along with anyone under your authority, agree to help me protect Cassie until it’s time for her to make the bond.” Gabe closed the space between him and his rival. Holding his gaze, he added, “But, you do so from a distance. You are not to have any involvement with her.”
Rafe didn’t flinch. “And why would I make such an arrangement? What do I get in return?”
“Besides the ability to be taken back by the Light when Cassie bonds with an angel?”
“Yes, besides that.” Silence filled the room. “As you have no response I take it you thought it’d be enough.” Rafe stood to his full height and looked down at Gabe. “You forget me. The deal is as pathetic as you.”
The last string of Gabe’s nerves snapped. Without hesitation, he grabbed Rafe by his designer suit and hauled him onto the solid ivory floor. A slow cracking noise rippled through the room after the initial crash. The tiles split as Rafe lay motionless. After the shock of the attack wore off, Rafe sprang to his feet dodging under Gabe’s blows. With an animalistic roar, he struck Gabe’s neck and threw him across the office. The pictures shook from their hinges and shattered to the ground as Gabe hit the far wall. An imprint of his body remained in the cement as he tore himself out and stood for a breath, swaying on unsteady feet.
“Enough.” Rafe put up his hands in mock surrender. “We’re even. Now, do you want to unleash this childish anger on me or do you want to get back to business?”
Gabe thought seriously of tearing the bastard’s head off, but pushed the idea aside when he realized he needed this bastard’s help. He walked forward and crossed his arms instead. “Talk. fast. What is it you want?”
“Much better.” Rafe took his former position leaning against the desk as if nothing had transpired. “It’s simple. I’ll get you and the girl out of Vegas first. Then, make sure she lives to see the bonding.” He paused.
“Get on with it,” Gabe barked. “In return for this?”
“You tell the Key all about me and my...charms. Perhaps bonding with an angel or demon isn’t appealing to her. Maybe she wants things to remain as they are.” A wide smile spread across his face. “I can give her this.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
“Not your concern.” He waved a hand to swat away the question. “You simply allow me to meet the Key alone before the bonding. One meeting. No tricks. And I promise I will only talk to the girl. She will be perfectly safe.”
“You just want to meet and talk to her?” he said, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yes. I have an offer for her alone. If you arrange this meeting, I will agree to help protect her.” He brushed his hands together, emphasizing the simplicity. “And you know how much...or more important, how many...resources I have at my disposal.”
Gabe remained silent as he contemplated his next move. And he calls me arrogant, ha. In an atypical move, he allowed reason to dictate his decision instead of pride. “Ten minutes. No longer. I wait in the next room during your meeting. And if I feel anything amiss...”
“You’ll come charging to the rescue,” Rafe interrupted with a laugh. “But, really ten minutes is hardly enough time to establish a...rapport.”
“Take it or leave it.” Gabe growled.
“Agreed.” Rafe extended a hand forward and waited before retracting it. “You’re in the human world Gabe. A handshake is a sign of a deal.”
The two shook hands with a mutual testing of each other’s strength. It lasted a good thirty seconds or so, just a tad longer than the average handshake. A few more seconds
of intense staring followed, before Gabe turned to leave.
“Not so fast,” Rafe said as he pulled two items from his jacket pocket. He held them out for Gabe in an open palm. “Take these.”
Gabe raised a brow at the small red devices. Each was round and no bigger than a dime.
“Consider them panic buttons. One for you. One for the girl. Place it on the roof of your mouth. If you’re in a real bind, just click.” He made an obnoxious clicking sound with his tongue for emphasis. “A micro global positioning system, GPS for short. It’s a common device nowadays. You click, it activates and we know your location.”
“Ok. But, why am I putting this thing in my mouth?”
“I’ll ignore the obvious pun. You’re not as good at double entendres as I am.” Rafe slapped a hand to his chest. “To answer your question, even if someone frisks you, takes away your weapons and beats you senseless, chances are they still won’t find this little beauty.”
Glancing down at the device, Gabe had a new appreciation for technology. “Clever. What will this cost me?”
“Consider the devices part of our deal.”
“Fine with me.” Gabe snatched the pair of GPS from Rafe’s hand and turned to leave, again.
As Gabe stepped through the office door to the exterior hallway, Rafe called, “Just don’t forget to tell the sweet little Key where the present came from.”
A scornful laugh echoed in the hall just before the door slammed shut. It took all of Gabe’s willpower not to turn around, pound a hole through the door, and cram the ridiculous red gadgets down Rafe’s throat. He contained himself, barely, and opted for getting the hell out of there instead.
Once outside the light desert wind helped to cool his anger. “You got what you needed. It’s all that matters.” He made his way through the snaking Vegas backstreets and to the motel without incident. As he walked through the decrepit lobby and toward the room he shared with Cassie, he mused over his next problem, getting her to “wear” the GPS device without argument.
“I could tell her it’ll ensure her safety,” he said aloud in the empty hallway. He turned the key in the rusty lock and opened the door. “Probably won’t work. And not entirely truthful anyway.” He scanned the room before entering. Cassie’s clothes had been tossed on the bed. The bathroom light beamed a soft yellow glow. “Cassie?”
The sound of thick tattered curtains blowing in the open window was the lone reply. Gabe tore through the room at blinding speed. “No blood. No body,” he said, reassuring himself. As he was about to crush the GPS devices in his anger, he spotted a small notepad on the broken nightstand with familiar scribbles on it.
* * *
“Dear Gabe,
Went looking for a distraction. Don’t wait up.
Cassie”
Gabe crumpled the note and flung it full force out the window. He then took both GPS devices from his pocket and placed them in his mouth. They sat gnawing behind his front teeth, but it was a necessary discomfort to keep both units safe until he found Cassie. “When I find that woman, I’m going to shove this tracking thing so far up her...”
A piercing ring from his cell phone broke his rant. Gabe flipped the phone open without bothering to look at the number. “Where are you?” he bellowed into the receiver.
An ominous voice from the other side responded, “We have the girl.”
Sixteen
“Now, this is really the city that never sleeps,” Cassie whispered while looking out of the cab window. The Vegas Strip beckoned to her with its multitude of neon lights and party sounds. Something in her had broken free after years of self-inflicted loneliness and reservations. Her life was spiraling out of control. Tonight, her mood mimicked the downward descent. She wanted to be free and crazy, at least for a little while. “And what better place to let loose than right here in Vegas?”
“Where do you want me to drop you off, Miss?” The cabbie’s voice broke through Cassie’s reflection. The driver, a small Asian man with not a hint of an accent, stared at her from the rearview mirror.
“How about the biggest casino on the Strip?”
He glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled. “First time in Vegas?”
Cassie returned the grin. “Yes.”
“Well, let’s think. There’s so much to see here. You should check out some shows. See some old classic casinos. But if you want the hottest spot, then you should go to the Obelisk. It’s the most popular place right now.”
“Why not? Let’s go.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the Vegas hotspot. “Here we are, Miss.”
Cassie stared wide-eyed at the tall building shaped as an obelisk. All the windows shone with glossy black glass, like something out of a sci-fi world. On both sides of the building, thin square fountains shot colorful water streams high up in the air in a joyful celebration of life. People, dressed to let loose, entered and exited the building in a consistent flow.
“Yeah,” Cassie said. “This seems like a good place to start.” She thanked the cabbie, paid him and exited the car, merging with the mob of people.
Cassie stood outside for a few minutes watching the water bubble in the fountains. Being here, among these party people, among all the lights...it was surreal. Looking around, she made a mental approval of her choice of clothes, a black leather mini-skirt, silver silk blouse with an open back and black four-inch pumps. The last, a gift from Zoey last Christmas. She’d fit into the crowd.
“Okay, let’s do it,” she said under her breath. With a surge of confidence, Cassie walked into the Obelisk.
She scanned the throng of partiers noting most were young, an under forty crowd. The place hummed with life. To the right of the entrance, above a sharp arch, the word “Casino” sat in a semi-circle. The slick black lettering glittered in the light of the overhead fixtures. The sign might as well not have been there, the buzzing of the slot machines could not be mistaken, even to a casino virgin.
A scream erupted. Cassie jerked her head around, trying to find the source of the sound. Nobody seemed to be panicking. Her heart fluttered. Then she saw it. A huge tower, almost as tall as the building itself, stood to the far left. Below it an object looked like a wide net and spread across the floor. A young woman bounced up and down in the net, happy squealing having replaced the screams of terror. The red marble letters in front of the tower announced “The Fall”. A sign under it reading, “Experience the gravity defying fall of your life”.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Cassie mumbled.
“You should try it,” a man’s voice sounded in her ear. “It’s quite an experience.”
Cassie spun on her heel, a feat not easily accomplished in her shoes, to find a man smiling at her. A twenty-something kid with a boyish grin, he gave her the once over. Short neat brown hair and mega-watt white teeth gave him the appearance of a prep boy out on vacation with his buddies. Dressed in a navy blue button up shirt and gray slacks, he looked ready for a date.
Cassie found herself smiling back.
“Maybe later,” she said. Still smiling, she turned her back on him and started walking toward the casino doors. The guy rushed to keep up with her, not dissuaded.
“You here by yourself?” he said as they stepped inside the massive room. He had to raise his voice to be heard above the casino’s clamor.
“Not exactly.” She lowered her lids, enjoying the flirting, but not wanting to encourage him.
“Well, my name is Dan. Dan Miles,” he said and extended his hand to her. She eyed it, then shook. “If you need company later, search me out. I’ll be here awhile with my friends.”
Cassie felt a pink flush creep up her cheeks. “Thanks, Dan, I will.”
“Are you going to tell me your name?”
“Maybe later,” she repeated. Dan raised his hands.
“It’s a deal.” He waved at her. “See you later then.”
At least he knows how to take a hint. Cassie sighed in relief and made her way tow
ard the bar. Dan’s attention was flattering, but lack of attention was not the problem. It was just she never put herself out there to get much male notice. “Nah-uh. Not going there. Time to let loose,” she reminded herself. Besides, she wasn’t naive enough to think she wasn’t going to be hit on in a place like this, especially with her outfit. It’s why people come here, to have fun, to let their hair down, to meet people, to flirt. She eyed a woman whose lack of dress pegged her job description as rhyming with snore.
“Probably much more than flirt,” she murmured. But that didn’t concern her. She had her hands full with one man right now, sort of.
The bartender, a slim tall redhead encased in a tight black skirt suit, nodded in Cassie’s direction. “What’s your poison tonight, honey?”
“Let me have a...kamikaze, please.” It took her a second to remember the name of the drink she liked when she ventured out on one of the rare club outings with Zoey. She remembered the smooth sensation it made going down and the relaxed feeling she experienced afterwards. Limey drinks were her choice any day, and she intended to have a few tonight. Maybe even more than a few. She quirked a brow, counting the liquor bottles behind the counter.
The bartender, whose shiny silver on black nametag read “Carla”, nodded and produced the drink within fifteen seconds. “Nice work.” She laid out a couple of bucks on the counter and cupped the drink with both hands. A few long swallows had her turning on the stool to engage in a bit of people watching. The bar sat nearest to the table games, and she became fascinated with the excited atmosphere at one of the tables.
“Craps,” she said, reading the sign above one table. “A game I just don’t understand.” She shrugged and watched the players. The energy within the casino was contagious.
The drink began working within minutes. Cassie started to relax, the muscles in her body becoming nice and loose. She gulped the rest of the drink, anxious to hold onto the feeling.
