Haven City Series Books 7-9: Alpha's Gamble (Haven City Series #7), Alpha Enchanted (Haven City Series #8), Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9)

by Zoe Perdita

  “I wasn’t paying attention. When did you get back in town?”

  “Last night. I didn’t have your new number. Ken told me I’d find you here. How’re you doing?” Davis asked.

  What else could he say? Sorry I abandoned you and mom. Oh, and about that funeral, I couldn’t attend without getting us all killed. He’d already told Tyler what he could.

  Tyler’s shoulders tensed and he rubbed his hands over his jeans. They were snug, like the black T-shirt he wore, even if the studio was barely warmer than outside. “I’m clean, like I told Ken last night. Did you need something because I’ve got a lot of work to do?”

  Right. Davis didn’t expect a warm welcome, but he thought it’d be warmer than this. “Can I get your number and address? Come on, kid. I always told you where I was and what I was doing. You know that.”

  “Yeah. I know. And after Mao died you knew it was safe to get your ass back here and you still waited months. How about that?” Tyler said, his hands balled into fists.

  The truth sat on the tip of Davis’s tongue, but he didn’t mention his distinct lack of funds. Or the stop over in Atlantic City that was only supposed to last a weekend and turned into weeks. Then a month. Oh, and there was that whole problem with the New Jersey mob, but he thought it best not to talk about it.

  “I needed the cash to get back here. Moving around is more expensive than you’d think,” Davis said and smiled. He hoped it didn’t look as forced as it felt. Like it might crack his face into pieces.

  Tyler snorted. “Yeah, and you don’t think Ken would’ve loaned you the money. Or me. I could’ve paid for a bus ticket to get you back here, but you were in no fucking hurry to come back and you know it. Why’d you even bother?”

  Being an alpha means you provide for your pack, not the other way around. That’s what their father taught them. Not that it did any good when their dad went and got himself killed. A freak accident at work left their little pack leaderless, and Davis with a huge responsibility hanging over his head. A bit much for a kid who just got out of high school.

  “If Ken loaned me money I’d never hear the end of it,” Davis said, which was true enough. Never mind that asking to borrow money from Ken would be like yanking out his own fangs – unpleasantly painful.

  Tyler shook his head and stood up. He was nearly as tall as Davis’s six-foot build. “No. That’s not it. You pretend you left because of that shit with Mao, but it was really because you didn’t want to be alpha so you bailed. You bailed, and Ken picked up the pieces you didn’t want to handle.”

  Davis had been punched in the gut more times than he liked to admit, but this was by far the worst. And it wasn’t even with a fist. Ouch. He clenched his jaw and let out a slow breath.

  “I fucked up. Hate me, if you want, but I did come back. I’m trying to make shit right. Are you gonna blame me for that too?” Davis growled. “You could’ve stepped up and been an alpha after mom died, and you didn’t. No. You jumped into the deep end and needed an omega to drag you out. Don’t lecture me on how much of a fuckup I am because we’re both in good company!”

  Footsteps padded up the stairs behind him, and the door creaked open.

  Davis didn’t turn to see who it was.

  Tyler stared at him, eyes burning, and shook his head. A mirthless smile broke over his lips. “Get the fuck out. I have a customer, asshole.”

  Davis nodded and stomped out of the room. The walls tempted him to punch a hole in them, but he held that urge at bay too.

  Shit!

  This hadn’t been part of his return to Haven City plan. Then again, nothing about his plan went well so far. Ken wasn’t happy to see him. Ty kicked him out. If Davis were predisposed to depression and drinking, he might hit the bar. But he had a better plan.

  A plan that would make him some extra cash and was so much easier than a normal job.

  His palms itched as he hopped on the bus to Chinatown. It was a lot seedier fifteen years ago. The streets were no longer lined with vagrants and prostitutes hustling in front of the cheap souvenir shops. Instead, there were normal businesses, clothing stores, bakeries and several tempting restaurants.

  Davis ignored all of them and headed toward the high rise on the corner. The one with the golden statues of Chinese dragons. His heart thumped faster as he neared it. He swiped his sweaty palms on his pants and mentally counted how much money he had in his wallet.

  A few hundred, at least. He left the rest in his duffel bag, because if he carried it all with him it’d be too big of a temptation. And resisting temptation was not something Davis excelled at.

  A few shifters stood in the lobby and watched as he entered. One dragon and one monkey. Tigers were around too – he smelled them. Davis hoped none of them recognized him. Doubtful since he’d been gone so long, but it was still in the realm of possibility.

  He almost smiled as he remembered that day. How the hell had he, a young unproven alpha, gotten a seat at the biggest poker game in town? And when he won – shit! It felt like more than a hundred thousand dollars. It was freedom. It was like spreading his wings and soaring through the sky.

  That money meant his mom didn’t have to slave at her job while she tried to support Tyler. It meant their dad’s measly pension stretched further each month. It meant Davis was being a real alpha and providing like he should.

  Only thing was he didn’t really win the game.

  He’d cheated.

  Technicality and all that.

  It wasn’t until later, when he fled the city and shacked up in a shitty motel far enough outside of Haven that no one came looking for him, that he realized why he did it.

  Not why he joined the game in the first place – that was easy enough to figure out – for the thrill. But why he cheated when he could’ve won fair and square. Why he decided to fuckup instead of do the responsible things his mom wanted him to do. College. A job that tied him to a desk and a pack he was supposed to lead due to birthright, rank and other meaningless bullshit.

  Oh, he did it to get the fuck out, just like Tyler said.

  Because freedom wasn’t Haven City. Freedom was out there somewhere.

  And Ken, his mom and Tyler all believed he was more than he was and that nearly drowned him.

  So he had to prove to them what he really was.

  It worked, maybe too well.

  Repairing what he broke was going to take a lot longer. And he’d start on it tomorrow.

  Davis grinned at the dragon shifter and nodded at the elevator. If there was some fancy password to get him inside, he didn’t know it. He went for the straightforward approach. “Casino?”

  That did the trick. The monkey pressed ‘down’ and stepped inside. “This way.”

  Davis climbed in, and the elevator moved down three levels.

  His nerves sang as the doors slid open. Slot machine dings and the click of chips rang throughout the air. The lights burned in a low glow, just the right strength for creating atmosphere.

  So many games.

  So many possibilities.

  Cameras were tucked everywhere. Hidden behind mirrors and discreetly scanning the room from every angle. Almost as thorough as Vegas, but Davis spotted a few holes. Good. Those were what he needed.

  Still, Mao was dead, so who the fuck would be looking for Davis now?

  He stepped up to the cage and exchanged two hundred bucks for a healthy pile of chips. His hands trembled as he took them, like a kid going to the toy store for the first time to spend his own money without parental supervision.

  How long had it been? More than a month since he last set foot in one. He hadn’t stopped in Vegas for a variety of reasons—number one being he wasn’t allowed back. After what happened the last time he was there, he didn’t blame them.

  Nor did he really want to go back.

  Too many memories.

  Too much hurt.

  Damn. No wonder Ken was pissed at him.

  Well, he’d make it up to the omega somehow. A
nd to Tyler as well.

  Responsibility and all that shit started now.

  Sort of.

  As he wandered the floor, his eyes flitted over the tables and the various games he could join. Blackjack. Poker. Baccarat. Mahjong.

  Davis stopped and watched a game at hand. The tiles were easier to fit into a sleeve than a card. A little sleight of hand and voila! A winning placement.

  But – no!

  He’d play straight.

  No cheating.

  He’d win or lose by luck’s plan, and luck had to be on his side now. She let him return to Haven. She wanted him to be here. She wanted him to win.

  This time, unlike all the times before, was different.

  Davis felt that in his gut – his bones.

  He smiled and sat at the table. “Ni hao. Can I join you gentlemen for a friendly game?”

  3

  Ken wandered up to his condo alone. Sam wasn’t on his arm. Hell, he hadn’t even seen Sam that day. Not that Ken had been paying attention enough to notice Sam in the first place. His mind was firmly on Davis and the potentially broken washing machine he’d have to deal with when he got home. Or some other disaster.

  Only, when he stepped inside, it was dark. The washing machine sat safe in its alcove, and Davis wasn’t there.

  Ken’s heart lodged in his throat, and he pinched his eyes closed. Took a deep breath.

  Fuck. The room still smelled like that selfish asshole.

  The duffel bag sat next to the couch, an eyesore that Ken wanted to shove away, but at least it meant Davis hadn’t left.

  Maybe he went to dinner with Tyler. Yeah, that was possible. Davis was good at convincing people to do things. It might even work on his younger brother.

  Ken sighed and stepped back out. If Davis wasn’t there, Ken might as well do some grocery shopping before he got back. The moon only knew how much Davis could eat.

  When Ken returned from that errand, his hands weighed down with reusable bags (and a few more bottles of wine), the condo was still dark.

  Still empty.

  Ken scowled as he flipped on a light and put everything away. Looks like Davis would miss out on the salmon Ken bought for dinner. Fine. He could go get a burger if he was hungry because Ken wasn’t going to cook two servings just to have one go to waste.

  And Ken certainly wasn’t going to call Davis to make sure he was okay. The alpha was a grown man who could take care of himself. Davis made really stupid decisions, but no way in hell he’d get into trouble on his first day back in Haven, right?

  That thought knotted in Ken’s stomach, but he shoved it aside. Gulped it down with a glass of Riesling and cooked his meal. He ate both salmon steaks and all the steamed asparagus (with a hint of lemon) and drank one more glass of wine.

  Hell, he even waited until nine o’clock to take a shower. Still no Davis. Not even a measly phone call.

  Ken told his gut to shut up, but it twisted into different shapes regardless of his internal protests. Fine! He’d call someone.

  With a shaking hand, he dialed Davis’s number.

  It went straight to voicemail.

  Not good. That meant his phone was turned off. Either Davis didn’t want to be interrupted or he was in trouble.

  Of course!

  Ken tried Tyler next.

  Tyler answered after three rings. “Yeah?” he shouted.

  Music roared in the background. He was probably at some club or working late. Ken didn’t ask.

  He chewed the inside of his lip. “Is Davis with you?”

  Tyler was quiet for a moment. “No. He came by earlier today. Then I kicked him out. Why? He skip town again?”

  Ken looked at the duffel bag. It was nearly empty, because Davis had done his laundry. The clothes were still in the dryer, probably a wrinkled mess by now.

  It wasn’t really snooping if Davis was in trouble, so Ken picked through the few things that remained in the bag. A notebook with frayed edges, a half-eaten pack of beef jerky, and a manila envelope full of cash. No way Davis left town without his money.

  “No. His stuff is still here. Look, did he say where he was going? I know it’s stupid, but I’m worried he got in over his head and—”

  “And he can deal with the consequences,” Tyler growled. “You don’t have to pick up after him like some battered housewife. If Davis got himself into some shit, he can get himself out of it.”

  Only it wasn’t really that easy, and they both knew it. Ken pinched the bridge of his nose. Dealing with the Harrison brothers gave him a headache. “Did I give up on you?”

  Tyler took a sharp breath. “No, but maybe you should have. You don’t need us dragging you down anymore. You’d be better off without us, especially him.”

  Ken snorted, because maybe Tyler was right. But Davis – shit! Davis cooked him breakfast and swiped that stupid piece of egg off his lip (then ate it like it was nothing!), and it was the most erotic thing that had happened to Ken in months. Okay, realistically, maybe years.

  “Fine, but I’m not going to do that. Any idea where he’d go?”

  “Where do you think?” Tyler said.

  “I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking you,” Ken hissed.

  Tyler took a breath and let it out. It sounded like he was smoking, and Ken bit back what he wanted to say. Tyler didn’t need another lecture on his health at the moment. “Chinatown has a few casinos. They’re underground, but he’d know where to find them. Look for the dragons.”

  Ken’s stomach sank, and he knew Tyler was right.

  Casinos. Yeah. That’s where Davis would be.

  “Thanks,” he said and hung up.

  What was he supposed to do? Storm into a casino and demand Davis come home. Like the alpha ever did anything Ken asked him to do. If that were the case, Davis never would’ve left.

  Ken shoved the little pile of belongings back into the duffel bag and a picture fell out of the notebook. It was taped to a piece of cardboard to keep it from bending. The edges were worn – the colors faded – but the picture was burned into Ken’s memory.

  That stupid prom photo, with Davis’s arm draped over Ken’s shoulders and that careless grin on his handsome face. Ken wasn’t smiling in the picture. His nose was scrunched and he pouted, because inside his mind he was ridiculously giddy, and he didn’t want to admit that about a million butterflies just launched from his stomach. Or that he was in love with his best friend. And gay.

  The gay part came out later. So did the love part. But when the photo was taken Davis was blissfully unaware of all of it.

  All these years and Davis kept this one photo? What the hell did that even mean?

  That you’re important to him. His brain (the traitor) said.

  Ken threw on his coat and swept outside before he even thought about what he was doing.

  Chinatown?

  Casinos?

  What the hell had Davis gotten himself into now?

  Well, he knew one thing for sure – he wasn’t going to leave Davis alone to deal with it.

  Even alphas needed help sometimes.

  Ken didn’t step up to the Dragon casino until after ten. Chinatown came alive at night – all yellow and red lights and fragrant food stalls that normally would’ve tempted him if not for the rock in his gut. Oh, and the two plates he’d eaten for dinner already.

  The river rushed across the street, and even at this time of night, locals and tourists ducked in and out of restaurants and a few bars. Thank the moon it was a Friday. Ken didn’t have work the next day. That gave him one less thing to worry about.

  The Dragon casino stood on the corner. The high rise towered above the other buildings in Chinatown, all glass and lights with several golden dragon statues standing in front of it. He approached slowly.

  Ken smoothed his hands over the front of his suit. What else was someone supposed to wear to an underground casino? Jeans and a T-shirt didn’t seem like a good idea.

  A few fellow shifters stood outside s
moking cigarettes, two monkeys and a tiger.

  Ken nodded at them as he strolled inside, hands in his pockets like he owned the damn place. They probably smelled the sweat dripping down his back and the fear leaking from every pore in his body. How was he supposed to get into the casino?

  The hallway, while high class with its marble floors and columns, didn’t have a sign to point the way.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and followed of group of well-dressed men and women toward the elevators. They were all human, and they’d been drinking from the smell of them. Maybe they were headed to the casino too.

  They all piled into the elevator together, and a dragon shifter stepped inside with them. Of course, the humans didn’t know the woman in the black suit was a dragon, but she caught Ken’s eyes with her dark ones and gave him a hard look.

  He returned it as best he could, and tilted his chin up in a way that made him look haughty. He might be an omega, but he wasn’t going to cower now. If he looked stronger than he felt, it’d go over better. At least he hoped that was the case.

  Finally, the doors opened and the clink of chips and slots filled his ears. Everyone in the elevator spilled out, but the dragon caught Ken’s arm.

  He froze.

  Tensed.

  “Don’t lose too much,” she said and showed the slight glint of her fangs.

  Ken swallowed hard and pulled out of her grip.

  Davis, where the hell are you?

  The room was crowded with humans and shadow folk alike. His nose burned with cigar smoke. The reek of alcohol, sweat and metal also hung on the air, but Ken should’ve been able to pinpoint Davis amidst all of that. It helped that the alpha stuck out, especially with that ugly brown jacket and his wild hair.

  Only, after scanning all the tables and slot machines in the casino twice and a peek in every single men’s room, Ken didn’t find Davis. There was a hint of his scent at the mahjong table, but Davis was no longer there.

  People bustled around Ken. The very real possibility that Davis was back at the condo while Ken was out on some foolish errand trying to help him crossed Ken’s mind more than once.

  This is what he got for following Davis around like a lost puppy.