Sofia stood without realizing what she was doing.
“Where are you going?” Neve called to her retreating back. “Back to New Orleans, I hope! Or maybe back to Greece? You know, you really should visit your homeland more often.”
“It’s cute you think I’m Greek,” Sofia tossed over her shoulder as she made her way to the bar, “but I’m Italian.”
“Rome awaits!” Neve called. “And good gods above, I know you can afford it with all the money Jake paid you. I hear Venice is really nice this time of year…”
Ignoring Neve’s jabs was becoming her specialty, and she stifled a smile, because she knew the dhampir was warming up to her, despite her prickly demeanor. She slid onto one of the barstools closest to the corner. The bar top was gorgeous, like everything else in here, a deep mahogany with curved trim and a smooth finish. Hellhounds was all dark leather and classy sophistication, which perfectly mirrored its owner, Jake Troubadour.
Without waiting for her to speak, Diesel flashed her a delicious grin and set a dirty martini in front of her. Then he winked. Sofia grabbed on to the stem of the glass and took a long swallow so Diesel couldn’t see the effect he had on her. After a few draws, she managed to get hold of herself. But it was becoming more difficult to hide her growing infatuation.
All she really wanted to do was jump behind the bar and push herself up against him—
“Has your sister arrived yet?”
Sofia tried not to choke on her last sip, clearing the naughty daydream away as quick as she could. “I’m sorry, what did you ask me?” She set the drink down and leaned over, resting her cheek against her palm as she stared at him. She felt like she was thirteen.
Diesel blinked and seemed to shake himself before he answered, “I asked you if your sister was in town yet. Didn’t you tell me last week she was arriving any day now?”
“Yes, I did. She’s not here yet, but she’s on her way.” Sofia stroked the stem of the glass and tried to keep her mind from straying. “But she’s not actually my sister sister. She’s more of a longtime friend. I’ve known her for eons, which makes us close like sisters. She should be here soon.”
“What’s her name again?”
“Ginger.”
“That’s right.” Diesel chuckled. “I knew it was a spice of some kind. So if she’s not your real sister, is she still a witch?”
Sofia didn’t really want to discuss Ginger with Diesel. She hadn’t seen her friend in a very long time, and they had unfinished business between them. Sofia had been very close to Ginger for years, living together and sharing everything, but that had changed twenty years ago. They’d had a falling out, and Sofia hadn’t been in contact with her since. Then, last week, out of the blue, Ginger had reached out to her. She’d called Sofia and said she was in trouble and on her way to Vegas. Sofia had recognized the upset in her friend’s voice—some things never change—and immediately promised to help her any way she could. But before the connection had been cut, Ginger had tried to tell Sofia something important. Sofia had heard only a fragment of what she’d said before the line went dead. It had sounded like “Stamos is coming,” or some such thing.
Sofia didn’t think Ginger was actually dating John Stamos, but the idea wasn’t terribly out of left field. Ginger was drop-dead gorgeous, tall and curvy, with vibrant red hair, smooth, perfect skin, and a body that could stop traffic. She’d dated celebrities before.
Sofia had tried to call her friend back a dozen times since then, but she’d yet to pick up.
Diesel cleared his throat, and Sofia flinched, realizing she’d been lost in her thoughts again. She picked up her drink, only to find it was empty. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
Instead, Diesel leaned his massive body over the mahogany, edging close to Sofia. “Are you okay?” He took her hand in his, and a low, delicious current raced up her arm at his touch. He’d asked it quietly, bending down to look directly into her eyes.
Sofia blushed and glanced away.
“I don’t mean to pry, but you seem a little preoccupied today,” he said. “I was just asking what kind of supe your friend was.” Diesel let go of her and straightened. Her hand cooled immediately without his touch. “No biggie if you don’t want to tell me. Can I get you a glass of water?”
“No, I’m fine,” she croaked. The entire interaction had thrown her. “Really. And it’s okay if you know. She’s a succubus, not a witch.” Sofia pushed her empty glass toward Diesel, but he wasn’t wearing his usual smile. Instead, his expression turned as dark as she’d ever seen it.
“Is that so?” he said as he turned and walked away.
Diesel had to get his anger under control. It wasn’t Sofia’s fault he hated incubi and succubi with a passion, and she had no idea he’d just received his first job from Louie to go after one. When his fur tingled for release under his skin, he opened and closed his fists and took in a few hefty breaths. What those sex demons had done to his family was almost too much to bear, and when he let his mind linger on it, his anger began to rocket into the stratosphere.
“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 a
nd 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.
Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, All in Page 12
