Murder Kicks the Bucket

by Diane Darcy

William wasn’t sure if she was making up the rumor, or if she’d truly heard such a thing. It was entirely possible the players themselves started such a tale as they’d waited for the games to resume. If there was a bigger group of gamblers or gossips than immortals, he’d never run across them.

  He smirked at the mob in front of them. Let them think what they liked, and spend accordingly. He was more interested in Heath and Dimitri and what they would do and, speak of the two devils, the men, after a heated discussion, crossed the distance to talk to him.

  Dmitri started in with, “You can’t do this. That’s Emilio’s car. He won it fair and square before he died.”

  William looked down at the shorter man. “So he did.”

  “Are you going to honor his win, or not?” Heath demanded, his chin jutting forward.

  “I’ve plenty of time tae honor yer friend’s last win. But I see no reason it must be this particular car that goes tae his heir. Why go tae all the trouble of getting a new one up for play, when his queen might wish a cash equivalent? Even if she wants a car, another can be purchased for less effort at a dealership near its final destination.”

  Heath looked murderous. “This is the one that Emilio won. That means a lot to us.”

  “You mean that means a lot tae Dorinda, as she is likely his heir.”

  Both men glared. Heath finally said, “It’s likely she’ll give it to us, anyway.”

  William could smell the lie and, from the way Heath’s chin lifted in challenge, he knew it, but wasn’t backing down.

  Dimitri shot a worried look at the players sitting at the slot machines.

  William shook his head. “Why dinnae we just see if Dorinda wants the car itself, or cash? Either way, we’ll make sure she’s happy.”

  The noise Heath made was almost a growl, and would have done a werewolf proud. “Why bring Dorinda into this at all? Legally, can you even do that before a claim is made?”

  William shrugged, nonchalantly. “I’m no’ sure.”

  “Well, then, don’t!” Heath’s nails lengthened. “We were with Emilio. We are his friends. It has extreme sentimental value to us! Just let us have it! We’ll buy it off you!”

  “Give ye the car and then get sued by Emilio’s heir? Nae, thank ye.”

  Heath’s brows drew tight. “You said yourself you’d have no problem replacing it!”

  “I’ll need tae think it through. Check with legal. It might need tae be this particular car. Who knows?”

  Heath looked ready to explode. “Fine,” he said through clenched, slightly elongated teeth. “But will you at least let us drive it in honor of our friend? We’ll return it undamaged.”

  William’s voice rose, so everyone could hear. “Or, I can just let someone else win it. Buy a new one, if and when I have tae, and go have dinner with my mate.”

  Heath slowly turned his head to look at Lena for a long moment, his angelic face perfectly blank.

  It was William’s turn to be riled, his muscles bulging as the pulse point in his neck started beating hard. He stepped in front of Lena, glowering in challenge at the shorter man.

  Heath’s gaze quickly shot to William, he gave a short nod and, with a hand on his friend’s back, the two made their way toward the casino exit, heads together, whispering.

  William watched them go, still ruffled by the way Heath had transferred his gaze to Lena. He held her behind him, one hand wrapped around her wrist, the feel of her heartbeat against his palm soothing.

  Whatever Heath was planning, he wouldn’t get away with it.

  And if it had anything to do with Lena? The man might not live through it.

  “What now?” Lena asked as, looking around William, she watched Heath and Dimitri walk away.

  William’s possessiveness was sort of sweet, sort of ridiculous, and kind of made her heart melt. But, seriously, what did he think they were going to do? Harm her? Steal her?

  Well, all right, she had been kidnapped recently, so maybe he really did think that.

  He gestured Berkeley over. “Dinnae let them out of yer sight.” He nodded toward the retreating vampires. “I want tae know what they’re up tae. Ye know what tae do.”

  Berkeley took off and William turned to look her up and down as if searching for bodily harm.

  Lena smiled. “What’s up, big guy?”

  He took her hand and led her away. “What do ye want tae do tonight?”

  She considered her options. He seemed to be dragging her in the general direction of his office, no doubt wanting to keep her safe, but she didn’t want to be cooped up.

  They could always go up to his place on the top floor. He probably had a great view of the city and she had to admit she was curious. But it felt too soon in their relationship, and they were too attracted to each other to be alone like that. So, for now, “How about a walk?”

  That stopped him in his tracks. “Outside?” He said the word neutrally enough, but she had the impression he was resistant to the idea.

  “Yes, outside. Let’s go look at the gardens. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen them, but if I remember correctly, they’re beautiful.”

  William took a breath as if to say something, and then seemed to change his mind, and his direction. Still holding hands, they made a slow sweep of the casino floor, staying near the edges and turning around to go out the back way.

  Soon they joined the crowds exiting the castle into the gardens. It was already dark, but the trees were lit, as was the building, and there were lanterns on the poles along the paths. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold for the end of April.

  “Tomorrow will be my first day working at Natural Magic.”

  William nodded as they walked past a selection of drought-tolerant cacti and succulents. “Are ye excited?”

  They slowly followed the cobblestone path past a giant saguaro lit with lights, and his hand clenched on hers. Nerves? Her shyness around him still came and went too. “I suppose I am.”

  “Ye don’t sound too sure.”

  “I am. It’s just that my sister —”

  “Yer sister?”

  She found herself telling him everything. About the way her sister had reacted to the other witches, about going to Olivia’s house, about how she’d felt when she’d told her sister she’d break up with him if that was what she wanted. “I felt sick about it, to tell you the truth.”

  William stopped so fast she ended up getting dragged backward when she continued on without him.

  She turned to face him.

  His expression was shocked.

  “What?”

  “Lass…” He started to talk, stopped, and then started again. “I dinnae believe ye understand what soulmated means. It either is, or it isnae. Tis somethin’ we wait our whole lives for, and when it happens, we are … shocked, thrilled, filled with joy. What we are no’, is indecisive.”

  She didn’t know what to say and finally gave a simple nod. “All right.”

  “All right?”

  She chuckled. “Yes.” Then turned and started to walk again, and was relieved when he came along with her.

  His declaration left her feeling bashful and thrilled at the same time. He seemed so sure about them. All in, when she was still feeling her way around the relationship.

  “Who runs soulmated, anyway?” she asked. “More witches?”

  He scoffed at that, and then quickly looked down and cleared his throat. “The Oracle and her minions, o’ course.”

  “Of course,” she said faintly. “What do you know about him, her, them?”

  He gave a slight shrug. “She’s as old as time, never been seen, and when she started usin’ new technology such as the internet and datin’ apps, everyone was shocked. I can tell ye, we hadnae seen that coming.”

  “Has she ever been wrong?”

  “Nay, never.”

  “So…better than Tinder?”

  He laughed. “I’ve heard of that, but I dinnae know anyone, personally, tae ever use it.”

&nb
sp; She smiled. “I’ve used it.”

  His expression went from shocked, to murderous in an instant. And she laughed again. “Yes, I dated other men before you.”

  “O’ course ye did,” his tone was gruff, but his expression clearly said he didn’t care to know that information.

  They crossed under a stone archway. His complete and utter belief that they belonged together was bewitching to say the least.

  Her attraction to him was also enticing.

  What if he really was the one for her?

  Magic was becoming her new norm. What if she did believe that them coming together the way they had was its own kind of magic?

  They reached the fountain and stood looking at it for a moment, slightly apart, but with their hands still clasped, hers warm within his larger one. “Would ye like tae go up tae my place? Tis a nice view.”

  Was the man a mind reader? She’d just been thinking about that earlier. “Better not.”

  “I’d feel better if —”

  “Excuse me, have you a dollar for a hungry man?”

  Lena turned to see a short, frail looking man with gray, greasy hair that looked as if it hadn’t been washed in a while. His clothes suffered a similar fate.

  William let go of her hand, fished out his wallet, took out a five-dollar bill and handed it over.

  The guys eyes widened, and he smiled, both disbelieving and exuberant. “Thank you! Thank you so much! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else.” He quickly melted into the crowd, and Lena turned a questioning gaze on William. “He’ll probably spend it on drink.”

  He put his wallet back in his pocket, and gave a slight shrug. “Probably. But mayhap he’ll take it and clean himself up, or get something tae eat. Mayhap the kindness is just the push he needs tae believe in humanity, or himself, and drives him tae remember who he once was.”

  “You’re an optimist.” For some reason that surprised her, though it shouldn’t. He was almost innocent, or naïve in his belief that the two of them belonged together.

  William half-smiled, a lifting of one side of his mouth. “Gambler, remember? And I’ve been around enough that I’ve seen miracles happen afore.”

  She bit back a smile of her own. How was it possible that every time she was with him, she ended up liking him even more?

  They turned and walked around the fountain and she admired the lit mesquite trees, the flowering cactus garden, and the palm trees swaying in the slight breeze. Emotions for him jumbled around in her chest.

  “So…we’re not any closer to finding the murderer?”

  He took a deep breath. “Unfortunately, ye are correct. My instincts say tis probably one of his friends, but, without proof, there’s naught I can do about it.”

  “Do you think they’ll get away with it?”

  “I would be less hopeful about the outcome, except they seem tae be sticking around, do they no’? I’ve a feeling twill work itself out.”

  “Me, too.”

  His sudden gaze was full of warmth and expectation. “Are yer psychic senses telling ye aught?”

  She chuckled at the joke. “No, sorry. All is silent on the psychic plane. What about the sister, Bianca?”

  “She’s around, and the males seem verra protective of her. Something is obviously going on and —”

  The stone wall next to them exploded shards at almost the same time Lena heard a shot ring out. By the time she realized what happened, she’d been pulled into William’s body and lowered to the ground, his body covering hers, his own head up and looking around for a shooter.

  “We’ve been shot at?” Lena was incredulous.

  William glanced at the wall where a chunk of stone was now missing. “Silver,” he said, his expression feral. “I can feel it.” He gave her a slight push. “Stay here until I come back for ye.”

  A large stone ball landed next to her, and she flinched. It unwound itself turning into the small gargoyle, and within seconds it had gobbled up one of her legs.

  She yelped, hit out at the thing, scraping her palms before William grabbed hold of her hands.

  “Stay down. Tis fine. Dinnae fight him. He willnae hurt ye, and is trying tae protect ye.”

  All the same, William was trying to get the thing to open, wedging his fingers in its mouth, or trying to.

  “Protect me!” She shook her leg trying to get the thing off her, but it didn’t move, its big eyes looking up at her, even as it latched onto her leg more firmly.

  William finally gave up. “He’s got the right instincts, but he’s nae big enough tae swallow ye yet. He doesnae realize he’s trapping ye instead.” He glanced around, “I’ve got tae go, stay down, and I’ll explain later.”

  Lena, overwhelmed with disbelief and panic, watched William take off with such speed that he’d vanished within seconds.

  Realizing he could be shot again, she screamed out, “Wait! Stay here! You could be shot! Come back!”

  She shook her leg again, and this time used both palms to push against the little creature’s face, and finally, her leg popped free.

  She quickly pulled it under her so he couldn’t get at it again, and then took off after William, the thing galloping beside her.

  She ran along the path, past carefully tended grass, bushes, trees, and sparkle lights, and rounded a corner of the castle that led to more garden.

  William was on the ground in front of her, choking, gasping, and struggling to get to his feet. He stumbled down on one knee, and she rushed toward him as the little gargoyle went streaking past.

  “William!” She searched his body, ran her hands up and down his frame looking for blood, but didn’t find any. She glanced frantically around for the shooter. “What’s the matter?”

  He made it to his feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and the two of them stumbled back around the corner. “Wolfsbane.” He said, choking and gasping for air.

  She dragged him farther away as she looked around frantically. She didn’t see anyone suspicious or pointing a gun in their direction, and had to believe whoever had shot at them had run off.

  “This is unbelievable.”

  William sank down on the nearby iron bench. He was rubbing his chest, but breathing easier now. He looked Lena up and down to assure himself that everything was all right, that she was safe.

  Lena, shot at? In danger? His heart was beating hard in his chest. As soon as he got his breath back, he was going to rip someone’s head off.

  She had tears in her eyes. “Why would you do that? Why would you run after him like that? You could’ve been killed.”

  He didn’t know how to answer that. All that really mattered here was that she’d been in danger.

  But her obvious concern, well, it thrilled him. Lightened his heart and made him want to smile in spite of the dire circumstances.

  “Who would do that?”

  He shook his head. “I might have been able tae catch a scent, but with the wolfsbane…” He shook his head feeling as if he’d let her down.

  He stood and crossed to the corner again, to glance around, but she caught his arm and tugged him back.

  The sweetness of the act, her protectiveness, had his heart aching all over again.

  “I don’t smell anything. What is wolfsbane?”

  “A distraction and a repellent tae werewolves.”

  “You want to try and follow the shooter? Go another way?”

  William shook his head. “There’s not much point now.”

  He put a hand to Lena’s lower back, and urged her back toward the entrance.

  He wanted her somewhere safe and protected. He glanced once more toward the wall where the bullet had hit, and his rage rose anew.

  His mate in danger? Bullets shot her direction? He grabbed his phone and called Caleb. “Do ye have eyes on Heath and Dimitri?”

  “I do. They pushed their way through the crowd, and both of them are playing the slot machines at the moment.”

  “Someone shot at Lena.”

/>   Lena lifted a hand in protest. “You don’t know it was me they shot at. It could as easily have been at you.”

  “Where?” Caleb barked out.

  “Outside in the gardens and long gone. Wolfsbane has been spread about the property, and will need tae be cleaned up. And, I will want noses on the ground, though I don’t expect tae find anythin’.”

  “I’ll assign someone to watch Heath and Dimitri.” Caleb’s voice was hard. “I’ll come see to the clean-up personally.”

  “Also, as a controlled substance, we might get a hit on who purchased it.”

  “On it.”

  William hung up the phone, and continued to search the grounds, as he led Lena indoors.

  Whoever had just pointed a gun toward his mate did not have long to live.

  Chapter 10

  They got back inside the hotel, and William was undecided about what to do with Lena.

  Take her home? Make sure she was tucked safely inside with the door locked?

  Selfishly, he didn’t want to do that.

  Take her up to his office? That was definitely a viable solution — get her upstairs and away from everybody but, he didn’t want to do that either.

  What he really wanted to do was take her upstairs to his suite, get her safely ensconced inside, and … spend some alone time with her.

  “What is it?”

  “Just thinking. Would ye mind if —”

  “Somebody is shooting a gun outside!”

  As they stood just outside the casino, William could hear the shout from within.

  “The shooter could be coming this way!”

  Almost as one, people stood, grabbed for money, and started fleeing toward the exits.

  William grabbed Lena up in his arms, and hurried toward the escalator, and then took the stairs two at a time.

  Below, people took to the exits, the stairs, and up the escalator after him.

  He hurried down the hallway, and then off a side hallway, pulled out a master key card, swiped it against the door, and hurried Lena inside.

  “What just happened?”

  “Maybe nothing, maybe something. Word probably spread from the earlier incident. I’ve seen panic in a hotel before, and sometimes people get hurt. That is no’ going tae happen tae ye.”