by Erin R Flynn
“She is a good big sister,” I replied as I leaned into him. “She never has a chance to let go and have fun. It’s part of life, right?”
“I think so,” he chuckled, staring at my breasts before meeting my eyes. “I was having such a shit day, but you and your sister are making me feel all better.”
“By sitting with you? That is high praise,” I teased him. “Why a shit day? The weather? It is cold here.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “It takes some getting used to. I swear it gets into your bones. No, not the cold. Business. There was some trouble with my business.”
“Oh, I hope you worked it out,” I replied politely, acting like I wasn’t interested which tended to make people who want attention push.
Which he did.
“It should be. Some people were sticking their nose into what doesn’t concern them. Then I find out we bought some goods and they gave out our information. You know how dangerous that can be nowadays.”
“Yes, everyone’s getting hacked it seems,” I said in a noncommittal voice.
“True and it’s very important you make those people pay.”
I took a long drink of my water and gave him my most seductive smile and look. “Yes, bad people should absolutely pay for their misdeeds.” I noted the flash of shock in his eyes before he opened his mouth to reply. “Do you dance? It would be odd for a man who owns a night club to not dance.”
“I do not to this type of music,” he told me, smirking. “I prefer other dances.”
Right, like naked, horizontal ones. God, he’s so cliché it must hurt his tiny brain.
I felt Axel and Eugene approach on cue since I’d given one of the prearranged signals to push Diego and his men like rats through our maze. They were stopped at the rope, waving at us and saying they wanted to dance with us again.
Diego grabbed my arm when I gave them a wave and went to stand. “You should stay here. You don’t want to hang with men like them.”
I gave him a curious look. “Men like them? Are they bad men? They were nice to us and like to dance. They were good at dancing.”
“You are a woman of refined taste,” he said firmly, moving his other hand to my bare shoulder. “You deserve a man who can give you more, and they are nobodies.”
“But we came to dance and you do not. I have my own means. I do not need a man to buy me things.”
“That’s not the only way a man should take care of a woman,” he muttered, leaning in closer. “I did enjoy watching you dance though. My friend is coming soon and he is an excellent dancer. Rest your pretty feet for a bit more until he arrives.”
I shrugged as if it was no big deal. “If he’s good. It’s no fun if I do all the dancing.”
Diego promised me his guy was the best as he gave a nod for his people to get rid of Axel and Eugene. I pretended not to notice as four guys dragged them away, someone else sitting next to me and distracting me.
“We need some more help with these assholes,” someone said in the earpiece of the guy next to me who I’d been leaning into.
“Did you hear something?” I asked him, glancing around. “It was like a buzzing.”
“Must have been a fly,” he answered, his hand instinctively moving to his ear, which was the signal I wanted to give Corbin and them watching to confirm they had radios. “I’ll be right back. Have to handle something.”
I nodded and turned back to Diego. “What other friends do you have?” I gestured to Melicent sitting alone and looking bored. “I cannot have my sister sit alone because a man wants to flirt with me. She deserves better than that.” I draped him with my influence when I saw his guy at the rope distracted. “You should call all of your friends. We’re going to have a huge party, right? Especially after the club closes and you don’t want them to miss that.”
He nodded and got on his phone, only making one call before someone came up to him.
“We got news on that situation. Our ‘good friend’ got us a location of where they’re all staying. What’s the plan?”
“Call everyone in. We’re having one last party with these bitches, and then we’ll handle those assholes. Get the jets on standby. We handle them and leave.”
His guy did a double take. “I didn’t know we were leaving.”
“Of course we’re leaving. You think we can take out these sort of people and not bring heat on us? We get the job done and get out. We’ll be received like heroes once it’s done.”
“Should we just go?” Melicent asked, her tone bored and annoyed. I didn’t think she had to do much acting to pull that one out. “Hestia, let’s go dance with those other guys. I liked them a lot.”
“No, no, we have many friends coming,” Diego assured us. “How about another drink? You were taking shots? What kind?”
“The guide book said not to accept any shots or drinks from strange men,” Melicent argued. “Too many put drugs in them.”
“You don’t play with drugs ever?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at that.
She gave him a bored look. “My body is a work of art and I treat it like a temple. Some may get to see it, but very few deserve to enjoy it fully.”
Diego laughed so hard he grabbed his stomach. “I like it. I like that a lot. Good, a real woman has high standards. Did you teach your little sister this?” He hurried to tell his guy to bring some bottles of something and not to open them yet.
Melicent snorted in response. “From what I hear, my sister is still blossoming when it comes to understanding that.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “My body is strong and I push myself physically all the time. I do treat my body well. Some of us were not born with your confidence or pushed to view ourselves as a goddess.”
“But you are related,” Diego muttered.
“Different mothers,” I answered him. “I am… I think they say ‘black sheep’ here?”
Understanding lit his eyes. “I was born of a mistress to my father as well. I understand how hard that is to live with and the problems it brings between siblings.”
“It is not my siblings,” I corrected quickly, not wanting him to get annoyed with Melicent. “She pushes me to ignore the whispers, not care of the chatters. I think it is the difference between girls and boys. Boys take being top or heir over being good to all family instead of girls that crouch together and attack any outside of them that are threats.”
“You might be right,” Diego agreed after a moment. “Parents tend to push their sons to be best, to be strong and take care of the family. It is good your parents push you to be strong on your own. I know many who only respect women for the men they could marry and push them to wed.”
We both snorted, which seemed to shock all of us, Melicent not meeting our gazes. “I will not marry until many see I do not need a man at my side to accomplish much. I want one. Yes. But if a man does not need a woman, there is no reason a woman needs a man. We all need love and support, but it is not the same for a woman.” She gave me a worried look like she said too much. “But now they are focused on you, little sister.”
“Don’t remind me,” I drawled. “I thought parents were bad to throw their daughters at men, but so many are throwing their sons at me as if I have not a brain to decide for myself. I just want to have fun.” I glanced around. “Wasn’t he coming with drinks? I want to dance, drink, and we can try some of that late night food the cab driver recommended.”
“I want to try that chicken you mentioned,” she replied, understanding the switch and we were stalling.
“We got another eight with them kicking out Axel and Eugene,” Corbin said quietly in my ear. “A bunch more arrived and we grabbed them too. Basically anyone who heads right to the back entrance the council guys are questioning and nabbing. We’re up over twenty.”
“I missed what you said, Leda,” I called over, pointing up as if the music was too loud. Even with wolf hearing it was too hard to focus on the com, the conversation, and block out the music.
&n
bsp; “I said I think I want sweet after a night of dancing.”
I nodded. “I saw that shaved ice place in the guide book.” I leaned into Diego, pressing my lips against his ear. “Doesn’t that sound tasty after sweating and moving?”
He agreed, and we flirted and fucked with him while the others handled catching the cartel guys until Corbin gave the call that we got them all.
I pushed my power on the guy as I stood. “Come show us your fancy car out back and you can take us for a ride.”
“Sounds good,” he agreed, his eyes glazed over as we each took an arm. He brought us to the back door, not even noting that no one was guarding it like they should be.
Once we were outside and away from other eyes, we both let go of him as if touching him any longer was too much of a chore. It was. It really was, and he was disgusting. I disarmed him and tossed it over to where I felt Axel approaching.
I turned to face Diego, walking backwards and smirking at him as our people closed in, pulling off my influence and shutting my power down as Melicent did as well. He looked confused and then annoyed when Brian moved up behind me.
“Did you miss me, lover?” I purred, rubbing my body against him.
“Always.” He kissed my hair. “I do like the red. It might be fun to try red streaks in the fall?”
“Maybe,” I answered with a shrug. I snickered at Diego’s confusion. “You still don’t get it, huh?” I wiped off my lipstick, smirking when he started swearing in Spanish. “Yeah, you’re fucked.”
He looked like he was going to try to bolt, but Eugene just grabbed his arm. “Don’t even think it, stupid.”
“Sorry we didn’t get to finish our dance,” I said to Eugene, taunting Diego. I glanced up at Brian now that I was me, letting him see my eyes even in the dark parking lot. “He wanted to do very dirty things to us before coming and taking care of all of the mean law enforcement.”
“Dirtier than I do to you?” he chuckled, smirking at Diego too. “You only think you know what she looks like under this dress, but I promise, the reality is so, so much better.”
“No, you’re good dirty. He’s just gross,” I corrected. I gave a happy hum when I felt how hard Brian was. “You’ve never seen me dance before, have you?”
“Not at a club like this, just private party undercover. Now I get why the twins always try and get you to dance. You are like sex on a stick with how you move, Sera.”
“Then we should go dancing.” I turned and moved my arms around his neck. “I’ll wear the dress for you.”
He nodded but then frowned. “Why are you extra flirting when it’s work? You’re trying to soften a blow. What happened?”
“We need to put a detail on your family,” I answered gently, my heart hurting when terror filled his eyes. “As a precaution. Let them stay at the building a few days.”
“What did you see?”
“The law firm put hits on several of us, you especially as you’re cleaning up the New York regular office and it would warn other humans to stay out of this. I’m going to order the twins and the boys do the same, okay? They get a small vacation while we clean this up.”
“Sera, we can’t clean up a law firm of that size,” he worried.
Several people snorted, but Axel replied. “She said there was a hit on her too. That’s enough of a reason for us to take them down.”
“Oh, there’s a hit on you too,” I drawled. “I saw a picture of Carter and a few of Apollo and Dubois. They’re trying to figure out what their connection is and if they’re a threat.”
“We are,” Dubois said from off to the side, and I swallowed a groan. “We invited ourselves to your party. You do not disappoint, Seraphine. That was quite a dance you pulled off, and I do not mean to the music. You had everything choreographed perfectly.”
“Thank you, Councilman. I had excellent training and a strong team who were as focused on the goal as I was.” I stifled a wince when I realized why else the councilmen were there. “You want the cartel. They were tied directly with the coven, and you want to limit that exposure.”
“Yes,” he confirmed, not saying anything else.
Well fuck. Fuck, fuck, and fuck a dozen ducks.
16
“I smell a territorial fight about to break out, but we need to keep some people safe first,” Brian muttered, glancing between everyone. “Can you call Dain, Alok, and Tasar to bring in my family?”
“Yes,” I agreed, nodding to Sander to handle it. “Call the twins and have the boys brought in as well. Get word out to everyone we don’t know who’s a target, so if we need to double up at the building until we handle this, let’s be careful. Someone also warn Laila and her security.” After he jumped on that, I focused back on Dubois and Apollo who didn’t look happy.
“With all due respect, Councilman, that wasn’t what was agreed upon,” Axel reminded him.
“I’m aware.”
“You have to give us something more to go with here,” I sighed, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I pulled away from Brian. “We can take them down because they sold rare shifters. The Shifter Council has the facility and agreement with the government. You do not. I would like you to, as it would help us immensely, but right now, you don’t. So are you asking us to break the law and just hand these guys over to you?”
“No, of course not,” Apollo cut in. “It has been decided that it’s in our best interest that we handle the interrogation at the coven as we have been—”
“No.” Several people blinked at me in shock, but I stuck to my guns. “No, that’s not happening.” I met Dubois’s pissed off gaze. “No.”
“You care for these monsters?” he seethed, gesturing to Diego and then the van that had others. “You would protect these men? Why?”
“I cannot answer that without divulging what you asked me to keep secret.”
“Then let us talk privately, little girl,” he snarled, reaching for my arm.
Except several people blocked me from him… Including Apollo. Dubois gave him a warning look, but he shook his head.
“She is under my protection, and you are very insulted she told you no. Yes, let us have a private conversation, but I will not let your anger traumatize her, as she does much for many of us. She plans to do more. This is what I’m trying to show you and the others. Stop assuming you know best because you are oldest or strongest. This new generation of young ones have found some solutions to age old problems. Respect that.”
“Fine,” Dubois grunted, fisting his hands at his side. “Fine. I apologize for my rudeness and trying to lay my hands on you. I am feeling a bit like a ball in a toy machine that gets bounced around and not allowed to do what I should.”
“I feel the same every fucking day,” I drawled. “For now, we can’t stay here. Can we agree that for this moment, let’s take the cartel to my empty building some of us met at earlier? Melicent and her people do not need to be involved in this.”
“Do not protect me when I can protect you from this,” Melicent argued.
“You can’t,” I said, giving her a grateful smile. “This isn’t as Alpha or Dorcus but FBI. Go try that chicken if it’s still open, and thanks for the help today. You were seriously awesome.”
“Fine,” she agreed after a moment, coming over and kissing my cheek. She turned to Dubois and met his gaze without fear. “Treat her as you would another of your council and respect her even if you disagree with her, or even if it’s her job, you will have a problem with my family and Grandmother will come visit you.” She waited until he nodded before speaking in Greek and they headed out.
“Let us meet at your building,” Apollo agreed. “And the three of us will talk privately on the ride over there.”
“Okay,” I agreed, waving off Brian when he looked like he’d object. “Carter can drive us. He wouldn’t let someone hurt me and knows vampy secrets. We’re only going to talk.” I rubbed my arms as another cold breeze hit us. “And I’m freezing my tits off so we might stop f
or something warm on the way. Just load up and everyone meet us there.” I glanced at Brian. “Talk to your family and warn them. I’m fine, I promise.”
“She’s perfectly safe,” Apollo promised him as well. “And yes, Carter can drive. Orson can come with. This is just a talk.” He moved closer and wrapped his arm around me. “And we will get you some cocoa.” He chuckled when my stomach growled. “Or some real food. Do you like Chinese? There is a great late night place, Decoy, that has amazing duck.”
“I love duck and Chinese food. I can’t do spicy.”
We walked a bit further before he opened the door of a limo—because who doesn’t bring a limo to a cartel bust—and let me slide in first. It wasn’t a stretch one, but there were two rows of seats facing each other. I got in, and the moment they were in the back with me, I pushed Apollo to sit and climbed on his lap.
“Sit, it’s fucking cold out,” I bitched, my teeth chattering. “Tiny dress too cold when I was using power.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” he asked, rubbing his warm hands over me, which really said how cold my skin was if a vampire’s hands were warm to me.
I shrugged, nuzzling his neck and snuggling into his jacket as I straddled his lap. “Melicent didn’t even blink. I didn’t want to be the baby who was panting from the quick run. Besides, everyone moved in close together and blocked the wind until there was a problem and people backed away like there was going to be a brawl. Feed me.”
“I want you to feed from me,” he grumbled as his hands rubbed my ass. “Feed so I can call in the order.”
I didn’t need to be told twice, mashing my lips to him and drinking down his power so I warmed up and replaced what I’d used, what was burned through with stress. His hands roamed as I fed and not to warm me up, but I didn’t care, practically purring when he played with my hair.
“I have loaded the menu if you wish to see it to order,” Dubois informed me. I pulled away from Apollo and slid to the floor, moving closer to Dubois to take the tablet. He gave me a heated look. “I very much like you there.”
