Ante Up: A Sin City Collectors Novella

by Amanda Carlson

  “Diesel, are you all right?” Sofia called from behind, her voice full of concern.

  He realized he’d braced his fists against the bar to keep himself steady as adrenaline shot through his bloodstream at warp speed. Damn, this was an early reaction to the upcoming full moon fucking with his wrath.

  He forced himself to calm down.

  Turning, he brought his hands off the bar and faced the beautiful witch. “I’m fine. Just thinking about some stuff.”

  She didn’t appear to believe him, but she didn’t question it, either.

  Diesel busied himself with bar duties, trying not to make any more eye contact with Sofia. He had a sneaking suspicion the witch might be trying to mesmerize him somehow. It was the only thing that made any sense. He was attracted to her to an unusual degree—in fact, he couldn’t keep his mind off of her. He didn’t detect a spell, but it was better to be wary.

  Jake seemed to trust her, but Neve couldn’t stand her.

  Witches were tricky supes in general, but this one also happened to be so beautiful he couldn’t think straight when she was around. Her smooth, bronze skin, lush mouth, and hazel eyes specked with gold, the corners slanting upward when she smiled, completely disarmed him in a way no other girl had before. It was possible he was under a spell. Why else would he be so drawn to her? But Sofia had always been nice to him, and it wasn’t in his nature to accuse anyone of a crime until it was a proven fact.

  Except when it came to sex demons.

  His hatred of them was woven into the very fiber of his being, and he knew they were all wired the same. All they wanted to do was suck the life out of you. He hoped to hell his brother remained in the dark about their errand when he asked him tonight to accompany him. If his little brother found out who and what Diesel was after, he’d try to talk him out of doing it. Nothing was worth tangling with sex demons to the Jones boys—except possibly working for the Sin City Collectors.

  Diesel had to admit that landing a job as a Collector trumped kidnapping an incubus. He just had to keep that in the forefront of his mind. Joining the SCC had been a dream of his for too many years to count. If he became a full-time Collector, he was going to have all kinds of assignments. He had to find a way to put his sex-demon issues aside.

  “Yo, bro, how’s it going?” Luke walked into the bar, his broad smile mirroring Diesel’s own. They looked so similar, they could’ve been twins. Luke was only two years behind him in age, but his face appeared much younger. The youthfulness Diesel lacked was due to dealing with his moon issues for so many years. That shit would age anyone. Luke stood an inch or two shorter, and instead of huge muscle mass, he had the firm body of an athlete—defined, not bulky. His dimples could’ve also been to blame for making him look so much younger. He was the charmer in the family. Diesel was the brawn.

  Diesel was always happy to see his kid brother. He leaned over the bar and grasped his brother’s hand in greeting. “Hey, Luke,” Diesel said. “What are you doing here so early? Don’t you have a date or something?”

  “Nope.” Luke pulled out a stool. Diesel watched with interest as Luke spotted Sofia across the bar as he sat down. He saw the moment his brother’s interest piqued, and he tried not to growl as his kid brother openly assessed the beautiful witch. “No plans tonight so I thought I’d drop by.”

  “You mean you came to check up on me, because the full moon is near?” Diesel’s voice held playful sarcasm. His brother usually showed up at the bar around full-moon time—just to make sure everything was kosher—and Diesel appreciated his concern.

  “That, too. Just a little brotherly love, you know? Plus, Mom sort of pushed me out the door with this.” Luke tugged a plastic bag full of herbs from his pocket and tossed it onto the bar. “She says put that in hot water and steep it like tea. It’s supposed to, you know, help…” Luke couldn’t mask the amusement in his voice.

  Diesel grunted. “Yeah, just like the last thousand tries. I’m sure it’ll work like a charm.” Both brothers laughed as Diesel tossed the herbs under the counter to join a growing stack of others his mother had given him.

  After trying the first few, Diesel had skipped the rest.

  Herbs were not going to cure his affliction.

  Finding out why this had happened to him in the first place was where he needed to start. But, unfortunately, after years of digging, they’d found no other shifter who suffered with these same issues. It appeared he was one of a kind.

  “She means well.” Luke shrugged. “And we both know that woman isn’t going to rest until you’ve conquered what she calls your ‘lunar lusts,’ and you know it.”

  Diesel shook his head, smiling. “Don’t I know it.”

  “Has the gossip on the street hit the bar yet? They took Cristos down,” Luke said. “Rumor has it the sorcerer was behind an entire black-magic operation that included stealing jewels straight from the SCC. They’re going to lock him away for a long time for that, if not worse.”

  “I heard some rumblings about it,” Diesel said, grabbing some glasses. “But no hard facts. Some are saying he framed a gargoyle by stealing his keystone. Man, if that’s true, that sorcerer deserves hard time. Stealing a gargoyle’s keystone is like cutting off his manhood.”

  “True that. And, by the way, who’s the beautiful woman sitting at the end of the bar?” Luke asked. “I haven’t seen her in here before.”

  “She’s none of your concern,” Diesel answered, more gruffly than he’d intended.

  Luke grinned as he rose. “Oh, yeah? We’ll see about that.”

  Sofia watched the two brothers interact, a small smile playing on her lips. She’d never seen Luke before today, but it was clear he and Diesel were brothers, even if she hadn’t just overheard them discussing their mother. They’d been discussing herbs, but she hadn’t been able to catch the full meaning.

  Luke nodded to his brother playfully, plucked up the beer Diesel had just set in front of him and began to walk toward her. Sofia sat up straighter on her stool. She noted he was a bit shorter than Diesel, but not by much. He had the same sandy-blond hair, but appeared to be about ten years younger. His face held a certain innocence that Diesel’s lacked. As he approached, he smiled at her, and she spotted the dimples. He was a charmer, all right. Before he slid onto the stool next to her, she glanced at Diesel and saw a confused expression flitter across his face. Just as quickly, it was gone.

  “Hi, I’m Luke.” He held out his hand to her. “Diesel’s kid brother.”

  Sofia took the proffered hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sofia Cabrera. You boys look a lot alike.” She glanced between them. “I bet you get that a lot.”

  “We do, but I’m not worried.” He chuckled. “I’ve got the looks department shored up in the Jones family. Diesel looks like an old man. It kind of takes the fun out of the entire competition.”

  Sofia smiled politely and refrained from informing the young shifter that she much preferred a man to a boy.

  “You can let go of her now,” Diesel growled, directing his comment to his brother with a rough nod of his head.

  Sofia glanced down and realized that Luke still hadn’t let go of her hand, and to add to her bewilderment, she wasn’t quite sure how Diesel had gotten across the bar that fast.

  Luke’s smile widened as he arched an eyebrow at his brother in much the same manner Diesel used his on a daily basis. Now Sofia just had to wait for the signature wink. She stifled a giggle. It appeared the brothers enjoyed a healthy dose of competition.

  “And why would I ever let go of such a beauty willingly?” Luke joked.

  Diesel’s expression hardened as he flexed his muscular arms against the side of the bar. He cleared his voice and stated, “Because I said so.”

  Luke dropped Sofia’s hand at his brother’s command then playfully held his own up in a surrender pose. “No problem. No harm, no foul. I’m just having a little fun.” He turned to address Sofia, dismissing his brother. “So where are you from? Chances are,
it’s not from around here, since I haven’t seen you before.”

  Sofia assessed the charmer and decided to play along. “I was born in Italy,” she answered, “but have lived all over the world. Most recently, I’m from San Francisco. I just moved to Vegas. So this is my new home for the time being.”

  “What brought you to Vegas?”

  Luke’s smile seemed genuine, but Sofia didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Her gaze slid to Diesel, who had gone back to making drinks for the customers in the bar. But she knew he was still listening to every word. “The Sin City Collectors, actually. It’s rumored to be one of the best Collection agencies in the world. I’ve been selling my spells for long enough. It’s more than time to settle down with a real job, so I picked here.” It wasn’t a total lie. The SCC was rumored to be one of the best. But Sofia left out what really brought her to Vegas in the first place: She’d been offered a small fortune to work for a certain Regent vampire. One who—at the time—had been up for a Collection himself. Not that she had known that.

  Luke glanced over at his brother before he spoke. Sofia caught Diesel’s slight nod before Luke continued. That was interesting. “You are correct. The SCC is definitely one of the top agencies in the country. We have some of the highest rates of supe snatches of any agency, and per capita, Vegas has one of the most concentrated supe populations on Earth, which is strange since we’re right in the middle of a desert. Because of that, the SCC is hard to get into. You have to go a long way to prove yourself.”

  “I don’t think it’s weird that Vegas has a large concentration of supes,” Sofia answered. “There’s definitely something special about this place, like a mirage in the desert that shouldn’t actually exist. The moment I landed, I felt a magical vibe here. There’s a heavy concentration of energy hanging in the air.” At the stunned looks on both men’s faces, she smiled. “I’m a witch, so most of this stuff is on an esoteric level. We tend to get those vibes. But as soon as I set foot on the ground here, I was enchanted. I couldn’t believe I’d never been here before. I actually decided to make it my home in less than a minute flat.”

  Luke’s expression was now one of open wonder. “I’ve never felt any special juju here, but I’m a wolf, so no magical inklings for me. But I believe what you’re saying. This has been my home since birth, and you couldn’t force me to leave it.” Then he gave her a brilliant smile.

  Diesel made a noise that sounded like a grumble, and Sofia turned toward him. His face was a mixture of both irritation and surprise. But before Diesel could comment on any of her mystical feelings, someone slid onto the stool to her right.

  “So I’ve been thinking, witch, maybe Vegas has enough of its own mojo without adding another sneaky spellcrafter into the mix. Wouldn’t you agree, Luke?” Nevada signaled to Diesel to bring her a drink. “It’s only fair we keep things balanced around here. As you know, the mystical universe appreciates harmony and lots and lots of chi.”

  Diesel picked up a glass, filled it, and set a Coke in front of Neve.

  Luke appeared slightly confused by Neve’s tone. Sofia wiggled uncomfortably as Luke seemed to re-examine her with a more critical eye. It was clear by the dhampir’s inflection she didn’t like her, and Sofia saw the look on Luke’s face as he tried to figure out why.

  Sofia had known from the beginning that it was going to be a hard-won fight to fit in around here, and she’d been bantering with the dhampir for the last three weeks on purpose. She’d felt Neve’s resolve weakening at times, so she knew she was making progress in the right direction. But now she was going to have to run some interference if she wanted to keep coming to Hellhounds.

  And she did.

  Without asking, Diesel set another dirty martini in front of her, and she met his gaze for a long minute before she picked up the drink and took a sip. Affecting a cool tone, she turned to Neve and said, “Dhampir, nothing about me has ever been sneaky. I’m up-front in everything I do. All you have to do is open your ears and listen. When I spelled your guy at the casino, I told him exactly what I was going to do before I did it. I had no idea you were Collectors until I got to the hotel room and saw my paycheck out cold on the floor. And, by the way, I did you a favor by throwing a spell your way. If your ring hadn’t taken that vamp out, my spell would’ve been the only thing to give you an edge.” Sofia shrugged. “What I do just happens to be expensive. A witch has to charge the going rate for her magic. It’s in our bylaws, but I did give your man a deal,” she pointed out. “And you should be thanking me instead of nipping me in the ass every five minutes. Witches don’t give out their spells to just anyone. Now that we’re friends, you’re in luck. People would kill to have me as their backup.”

  Neve choked on her Coke when Sofia said the word friends, and Sofia chuckled.

  The dhampir was much younger than she was, but Neve was still incredibly strong and feisty. Nevada Hamilton radiated strength and self-assurance, and she’d be a great ally if she put her guard down for a single moment and realized Sofia was no threat to her or her man.

  “Witch, we don’t discuss Collections ever,” Neve said as she leaned across Sofia to address Luke. “Pretend you didn’t hear that, Luke. This witch doesn’t know our ways.” Neve turned back to her drink and fiddled with the straw.

  “You know”—Sofia shot a wry glance Neve’s way—“you and I should just have it out one of these nights. Maybe we should mud wrestle, and the last woman standing gets to come and go as she pleases with no further harassment. What do you think?”

  “Did someone say ‘mud wrestle’?” Jake Troubadour strode out of his office from a door connected to the bar, his expression amused. “I’m in.” He came up behind Neve and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. It was a miracle the dhampir allowed such a public display of feeling, but she clearly enjoyed it. The hellhound stood a few inches taller than Diesel, his arms like corded steel.

  Neve twisted on her barstool, threading her hands into his hair, and gave Jake a slow kiss. She broke it with a sigh and turned to Sofia. “If you managed to put one foot in the ring, you’d be down before you knew what happened, witch.” Neve grinned. “I’m that fast.”

  “Is that so?” Sofia answered. “I’d like to think I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well, dhampir. As I recall, I knocked you out in less than a nanosecond last time.” She wiggled her fingers, unable to stifle her smile. “And I think, if pressed, I could manage to do it again.” She rubbed her knuckles against her chest then blew on them as a joke.

  The dhampir’s hackles went up as she frowned. “Spells don’t constitute a fair fight. In the ring, you use your fists. Your witchy ways don’t make you strong, they make you a target. Any supe worth their merit can shake a spell, but recovering from a blow to the cranium with your brain leaking out the sides takes time. One you wake up from, the other you may not.”

  Sofia picked up her drink and swirled it a few times before she took a long swallow. “Dhampir, if I mean it, there is no option of waking up from one of my spells. And as an added bonus, they leave no sticky residue to clean up.”

  Diesel glanced at Jake, and by the expression he saw on Jake’s face, he realized they were both thinking the same thing. If sanity was going to reign in the bar, these girls were going to have to get along, because it was clear Sofia wasn’t going anywhere.

  “There won’t be any mud wrestling, or wrestling of any kind, at Hellhounds,” Diesel announced loudly, before Neve could comment. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for a good, fair fight. But objectifying beautiful women, whether it be in the mud or in Jell-O, isn’t the draw we need around here. Cold beer and a place to kick back and relax in peace, away from humans’ prying eyes, is.” He tossed a towel over his shoulder. “And, honestly, you guys have to knock this shit off. It’s like a supernatural ping-pong match around here, and all our necks are too damn sore. It’s time to kiss and make up.” He grinned and gave them each a wink.

  “Diesel, maybe you and I should wr
estle instead,” Neve chirped. “At least then I’d know it’d be a fair fight.”

  Diesel snorted. “Jake, I think your fiancée needs some counseling. Doesn’t she know there’s a full moon rising?”

  Jake chuckled as he walked around the bar. “No one messes with Diesel when the moon is out. Except for Luke. Isn’t that right?” Jake glanced at Luke, and Luke responded with a nod. “It takes everything I’ve got to keep him contained if he gets violent,” Jake went on. “Neve, I wouldn’t let you within a five-mile radius of Diesel during one of his rages. It’s way too risky.” To pacify her, he added, “Even though I know you could probably take him any day the rest of the month.” He gave his fiancée a knowing look.

  She gave him one right back, but opted to drink her Coke rather than argue, which Diesel thought was a small miracle.

  “Jake’s right,” Luke answered, addressing Sofia, and judging by his brother’s relaxed smile, it seemed he’d decided to rally around Sofia. Diesel was happy about that. “Diesel turns into something straight out of a horror book when the moon is full.”

  Diesel watched Sofia take a long pull on her drink before she answered. He could tell she was trying to make sense of what they were saying about him. His moon issues had never come up in conversation with her before. She finished the martini and set her empty glass down, folding her arms on the bar with a cocky look on her face. He liked the way she felt at ease here, even with the dhampir breathing hard down her beautiful, slender neck.

  “So let me get this straight,” Sofia started. “When the moon is full, you morph into a scary beast?”

  Diesel nodded. “Pretty much. I have trouble controlling my base emotions when the moon is full, but anger is the hardest for me. If I’m mad, I turn into the Hulk. Except I’m not green.” He grabbed the towel from his shoulder and started to mop up the side rail. “Honestly, when the moon is full, I like to think of myself as a little more badass than usual.”