by Jenn Stark
“How long ago?” Hostages, then. Distractions. The Fuerza Negra were making a stand, even after the Syx had been called. They had to know the reputation of Warrick’s team—all demons did. And still they stood fast. Challenging Warrick. Disrespecting him.
Warrick felt the familiar fury lick through him. He had old habits, too. And he wasn’t about to let them die.
“Like Finn said, a half-hour. No more.” Stefan turned toward the music, frowning. “Something’s not right, though. The research we’ve done—the Fuerza Negra cartel does its work and leaves, going to ground before the guns stop smoking. That’s not what happened here.”
Finn snorted. “If we’d been tapped earlier, it wouldn’t have happened at all. Everyone waits until the last second, and by then it’s too late. Stupid.”
The demon’s phone was back in his hand. Since the Syx had been unexpectedly pulled free of their prison beyond the veil most recently, the youngest of their number had immersed himself in the technology of the current time. Before, they’d never been on this plane long enough to explore the technology of the era. Now Finn couldn’t let go of the small device.
But phones had nothing to do with the summoning of the Syx. That was a call in the blood, their bodies wrenched out of wherever they were holed up, their spirits bound to answer, however many the job required. For this task, on this beach, only four of them had been considered necessary, four of them dropped into the heart of this godforsaken—
“Welcome to be-a-utiful Acapulco!” Finn’s phone chimed again.
Warrick hummed another warning, but his focus was on Stefan. “What is it?”
“They’re still in there. The women. They—” He scowled, glancing back to Warrick. “They’re being held. Drugged, now. Put on display.”
“Maybe they think we won’t strike with so many people around,” Finn put in. “Social media puts this party as a gig of Manuel Duarte’s. According to what I’m reading, you get invited by Manuel, you’d best plan on coming to the party. You don’t show up, it’s a slam that he and his boys don’t overlook. This time, though, I’m thinking Manuel should’ve double-checked the guest list.”
“They invited the Fuerza Negra.” Warrick was facing the hotel now too, its doors flung wide, bright light spilling out into half-moons on the sand.
“Yup,” Finn said. “Someone apparently got cocky. Then someone got dead.”
“Finn.” Raum’s voice was soft. “Respect for God’s most beloved.”
“I know what they are,” Finn shot back, his words now clipped, though his easy smile never slipped. “I was one of those too, once. We all were.”
“Where are the women?” Warrick asked Stefan.
“Where you’d expect bait to be,” Stefan said grimly, pointing to the bright lights of the hotel. “In cages above the dance floor, each with a claw around their throat. We go in, they die. We stay here, they die. It’s all the same to the Fuerza Negra.”
“Three hundred people are packed onto that dance floor, my brother,” Finn said, scrolling through his phone. “Dancing like there’s no tomorrow.” He cocked a glance up to Warrick. “We go?”
“We go,” Warrick said, the usual heat spreading through him, hard and fast. “And not alone. Summon Hugh and Gregori…right into two of those cages, I’m thinking.”
Finn grinned. “It’ll be a tight fit.”
“They won’t be there that long.”
The youngest of Demon Enforcers snickered, and a second later his phone’s tinny speaker flared again to life. “Welcome to be-a-utiful—”
Warrick reached out so quickly Finn barely had time to blink; his phone wrenched away and crushed into sparkling shards, dropped to the ground like so much sand.
Then, silently, they all started running toward the bright lights and music.
***
Want to learn more about Demon Unbound and the rest of the Demon Enforcers? Visit my website at www.jennstark.com/demon-unbound/ !
A Note From Jenn
Sara pulled so many cards in the opening chapters of Wilde Fire, I decided to feature ones we haven’t covered before, though they were merely part of the greater reading. Those cards’ general interpretations are below, and the Emperor will be pleased he finally gets his due!
The Emperor
Power, authority, money: The Emperor has it all, and he wants you to have it, too. This is the card of being able to manifest that which you most desire by the sheer force of your will. It can also represent an external authority that will swoop in to help you achieve your goals, though sometimes with terms that might restrict your freedom. While the Emperor can sometimes seem like he rules with a heavy hand, if managed appropriately, that hand can bring you great abundance or control. Drawing the Emperor means you’ve got friends in high places, or that information and influence is about to come from established, respected channels. It also puts you on notice that money is about to come into your life, especially if the Emperor is surrounded by other Pentacle cards. Go big or go home, the Emperor says. Your time to shine is now!
The Five of Swords
All right, take a deep breath. The Five of Swords is one of the more challenging cards in the Minor Arcana to interpret, because so much of its meaning depends on the situation it describes. On the surface, this is a card of empty victory: a young man stands in the foreground, holding two swords, with a third sword pointed toward the ground. Two additional swords lay on the field of battle at his feet and, in the distance, his adversaries walk off, shoulders slumped, heads bowed. Our young man won, clearly…but at what cost? When you draw the Five of Swords, consider your question—is this a situation in which you might win, but at a greater cost than you’re willing to pay? Is the win truly worth it to you? Or, alternatively, are you afraid of victory, afraid that owning your power will upset others? These are hard questions, and the Five of Swords urges you to consider them carefully.
The Ace of Pentacles
Aces are the quintessential “yes” card, signifying all systems go, and the start of something new: a new opportunity, new path to follow, new challenge. When the Ace of Pentacles shows up in a reading, that new beginning also brings with it a windfall of money. Sometimes it’s not a huge payout, but even in those cases, it’s the start of something that could lead to bigger, bolder income down the road. If you are wondering whether a new business venture will pay off, a new creative project will bear fruit, or whether you should take that job…the Ace of Pentacles responds with a resounding “Yes!” Alternatively, if you have been under the weather or nursing shattered illusions, the Ace of Pents assures you that you are on the path to recovery. I wish you many Aces of Pentacles in your future!
Acknowledgments
Ten Books! The end of the war, the end of the Immortal Vegas series, and the close of the first cycle of Sara Wilde books. I could not have done it without you, my readers. When I first started writing the Immortal Vegas books, I had no idea where they would take me, and I remain forever blessed for having had the opportunity to share Sara’s adventures with readers around the world. As always, my thanks to Elizabeth Bemis for her beautiful work on my books and my site—including my gorgeous new site design. Gene Mollica ended the series in style with another fantastic cover, yet again outdoing himself. For this book more than most, since I was learning how to use dictation, my editorial team of Linda Ingmanson and Toni Lee were complete rock stars…as always, any mistakes in the manuscript are most definitely my own. My thanks to Edeena Cross for her brilliant beta read, and to Kristine Krantz, who has been with me every step of the way, and who’s taken me from “nope” to hope. I would also like to express my appreciation for Sabra Harp, who has the unenviable task of trying to keep me sane. And, of course, sincere thanks go to Geoffrey—for now and forever. It’s been a Wilde ride.
About Jenn Stark
Jenn Stark is an award-winning author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She lives and writes in Ohio. . . and she definitely loves to write. In add
ition to her "Immortal Vegas" urban fantasy series, she is also author Jennifer McGowan, whose Maids of Honor series of Young Adult Elizabethan spy romances are published by Simon & Schuster, and author Jennifer Chance, whose Rule Breakers series of New Adult contemporary romances are published by Random House/LoveSwept and whose modern royals series, Gowns & Crowns, is now available.
You can find her online at http://www.jennstark.com, follow her on Twitter @jennstark, and visit her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorjennstark.
