Savvy Negotiator (Untraceable Succubus Book 2)

by Erin R Flynn

  Several people snorted, and Elijah leaned in to say that was enough.

  “You are out,” that other guy who had to be someone big confirmed. “It may have started with the demons who organized so well right under your nose, but they have the German chancellor backing them and several councils, and most of the UN is dying for a reason to kick ISLE out and abuse supes, and we won’t let that happen.”

  “I don’t understand why he’s looking for these specific types of supes?” someone asked, glancing over papers. “I agree he’s corrupt and out, but I’m missing pieces here.”

  Aidan took that one. “He was looking for the right powerful supes with gifts he believed they have to change the rule of directors being elected and having terms. He wanted it to be until a director dies and basically turn ISLE into his own dictatorship with more resources and money at his back than some countries.”

  Dylan looked horrified at the idea and coughed to cover a groan.

  “Now is the time to speak up, Agent Hammond,” someone drawled. “If you know something we should, please don’t hold back.”

  “Many of us older agents have been counting down the days until a new director could be elected in,” he admitted. “We’ve not been happy with the corruption and politics that have been leaking into ISLE since the director took over. We’ve been pooling names and checking who is in with the director so we can recommend and push for anyone not aligned with him to the councils in five years.”

  “Yes, you’re so on the ball of things,” Aidan drawled, most of us noting the director’s shocked look. “I believe our business here is done. I do suggest that Agent Hammond reside with me at an undisclosed location for a few days at least so he doesn’t have a sudden ‘accident,’ as he’s our witness to this whole debacle. His record is stellar and would prove a valuable advisor as we quietly clean up the corruption ISLE should never have.”

  “Agreed,” several replied, including Elijah.

  The meeting broke up, and most of us headed for the door so we could use the portals, but a few stayed and seemed to be taking charge of getting the director out or handling that mess. Personally I wanted to get out of ISLE headquarters and never return.

  While others were using the portal to take people home, I held Elijah back. “Thank you for coming and handling this so fast, but I need to ask a favor.”

  “Demanding as always,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, dear, what else can I do for you today?”

  I nodded to the twins who still seemed to be in shock. “I need protection for them.” I held up my hand when it looked like he might protest. “They are worth protecting, Elijah, and they came twice for me, not knowing how bad this was and thinking I didn’t have anyone at my back. Those are people we want on our side.”

  “Agreed,” he said after a moment, pulling something out of his pocket and handing a business card to Owen. “Contact me next week when my desk has cleared from this mess, and I’ll get you both set up with emergency papers and packets to protect you in Germany should you ever need it. She can set you up with a bug out portal.”

  “Thank you,” I sang, standing on my toes and kissing his cheek. “You’re so my favorite.”

  He snorted, shaking his head as he cut his finger and activated the portal.

  I did the same, giving Kyle a look that he was to bring Aidan and Dylan with us. The twins were still in shock, standing there and blinking at me. I sighed and shoved Owen through the portal and pulled Evan in with me. I went right for the bar when we reached home base and brought several glasses back to the living room and a bottle of good whiskey. I set it down as the others came through the portal.

  “I need a few minutes to clean up and straighten out my head,” I admitted when I glanced from Aidan to Dylan. “Kyle, have everyone sign the NDAs, and I want food. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and this distracted us.” I looked at the others. “And none of you need to be filling in each other on what you know. It doesn’t help my mood.”

  “Any preference?” Kyle asked quietly.

  I opened my mouth to answer but then just shook my head. I had no idea of anything right then. Activating the portal, I went to my current apartment and took a hot shower to clear my head of the fluff. I threw on some bed shorts and a comfy sweater that hung off my shoulders along with grabbing a new box of cigars and bottle of sake I’d wanted to try before heading back through the portal to home base.

  Only to find all the angels there.

  I gave Kyle a look that I was going to pound him. He just shrugged. “They know something is up, and they’re going to start more trouble trying to figure it out just like Nathanial did because I promise a few are already digging into what you told them not to.”

  “Fine,” I sighed, setting down what I had in my hands. “So you’re going to tell them?”

  He snorted, shaking his head. “Oh no, we’re getting out of range.”

  “Chicken shit,” I growled, heading over to the large map of Denver and the surrounding area. “Fine, before you flee, I want you to find someone to get in with the high end clubs and spas. Not as me. There are too many eyes on this cover now. Two weren’t hookers, so let’s go with yoga instructor.”

  “ID came back on the latest victim,” he told me, nodding to the sixth picture.

  “Good, I’ll dig into that. I want your guys going to all the clients of the two not hookers and getting as much as you can on who they were. Also, I want to you to talk to the dancers at Pamela’s club now that the owner is taken out of play. I want a picture of her, and make damn sure we get whatever videos he was referring to. You got the drive?”

  “Yes, we’ve got all of it,” he confirmed. “We’ll jump on that from corporate. Your food should be coming any moment.”

  I nodded as they gathered what they needed and headed for the portal. “Oh, Kyle?” I glanced at him over my shoulder and gave him my best evil grin. “Let Kiera know that you’ll be in the next lust feeding scene however she needs you.” I eyed him over and licked my lips. “And you’ll be glamoured as me. I believe the rainbow hair would be a crowd pleaser.”

  “I saw that one coming,” one of the guys ribbed him.

  “And you’ll be helping,” I purred. “I have lots of covers for all you chicken shits to glamour and get your spankings from Kiera.”

  They all nodded and headed out, still looking glad to be out of the oncoming mess.

  I decided not to avoid it and headed over to David. “You are all so much trouble.”

  “Yes, but we were worried about you,” he muttered, moving his arm around me and giving me a gentle kiss. “Are you okay? Nathanial said they were trying to force you to sell drugs and more.”

  I chuckled darkly. “Oh, that was a few days ago. Today it was a different owner trying to make me dance for him and be his personal whore he didn’t even pay along with a rape sex tape. Oh, and a few small issues with ISLE.”

  He cupped my cheek and kissed me again. “You’re tired and have been tossed all around. Feed.”

  I nodded and kissed him, moaning as I drank him down as his hand moved over my ass. “Thanks.”

  “Always my pleasure.”

  “Wait, you can repeat feed with them?” Dylan asked, looking lost, confused, and seriously upset. “How is that possible? Did you figure out a way?”

  “We don’t drain the way you do,” Nathanial answered as he pulled me away from David. “Am I forgiven? I had no idea—I still don’t know what was going on. I’m so sorry. I thought talking business was a safe topic to distract him, and I walked right into shit.”

  “I just always get to be in charge from now on,” I told him firmly, waiting until he nodded. I took some from him too as he kissed me, his hands teasing my shorts. “Behave.”

  “You like when we misbehave with you,” he muttered, smiling when I did. “There’s that smile. Your mood worries us more than hearing ISLE is a problem.”

  “She’s not covered much, Nathanial,” one of them warned, and in
stantly the angel moved his lower body away from me.

  “Oh, you’re shitting me,” Aidan whispered, probably guessing what was going on.

  I nodded as I turned to him, several of the angels touching me possessively or in a showing of solidarity. I wasn’t sure there was much difference in the moment. “They’re angels. They aren’t affected when I feed, but they feel more around demons. It’s a bit circular logic, but we’re working on figuring it out.”

  “I’m so fucking lost,” Owen whispered, shaking his head as he sank onto the couch. “Who are you, seriously?”

  I sighed and went over to where I’d put down the sake and cigars, pouring two drinks, grabbing cigars, and moving over to him. “Let’s get some air. I can’t tell you everything, but I’ll answer what I can.”

  “I’m sorry I lied about being an owner and messing up whatever is going on.”

  I smiled at him. “You didn’t. I just don’t bring sex into work. I’ve never slept with bosses or owners. It blurs the lines when we come in and take over.”

  He took my hand and the drinks from me, kissing my neck as I stopped to open the door. “I knew you were special, but you are amazing, love.”

  I thanked him and then David when he handed me a clipper for the cigars, several others helping themselves. I ended up sitting on a deck pillow I put up on the terrace wall, not having the energy to stand after such a crazy day. I started with the angels since the others had bits and pieces.

  “I’m here investigating the murder of the six women who were strippers, hookers, or thought to be either. I’m also a corporate spy. I go in as a dancer at the shittiest club in an area with the worst owner and get everything we need to have them arrested. I’m the acquisition coordinator for Heavenly Entertainment. I get everything they need on who to keep, who to fire, and the whole scene of the area.

  “They then buy out whatever club or clubs. Normally they tear them down after the new one is built, but we fix the balance. We make a safe place for dancers and entertainers—human or not—and hire the best, train them to be better. We also give a cover to demons, normally the manager is a lust demon, a wrath demon in security—that sort of setup. And once the murder is solved and the takeover done, I move on.”

  “So you’ll help those dancers and people at your club?” Nathanial asked hesitantly. “Because I’m not sure they deserve it.”

  “They don’t,” I agreed. “The bartenders do. The rest are bullies, thieves, druggies who don’t want help, or just horrible people. The last place I went in, most were worth helping. We cleared out the shit security, helped the dancers who needed it, got the crooks arrested, and fired the servers who were stealing. A new manager of ours comes in and takes over, sets it all up.”

  “What is this of ISLE?” Sebastian asked. I gave the quick version of how I’d met Dylan and what the director had been up to. How I’d fried some minds and the director thought it was a witch with some sort of spell.

  “And here? What will you do in Denver?” Evan asked after we were on the fourth round of drinks and most of the cigars half finished.

  I sighed, shaking my head. “There is a huge fucking mess here. The owner is a piece of shit who makes the dancers blow him or his buddies for the off stage fee. At least four of the clubs let people just do whatever. The guy we busted today was forcing the dancers to do sex tapes with the security as leverage to make them hook for him or whatever he wanted.” I realized I had to back up some. “I went to work a corner and immediately bumped into vice.

  “So I was on their radar, and there was a bunch of shit there with them wanting to use me to do their job, and we had to out the lead on the murder case as being a fucking asshole. The new one is good, but there’s still a lot I’m doing with vice to bust pimps and Johns to try and narrow our search for the murderer. He’s killed six in under a month and a half and is escalating.”

  “So you’re not buying out our club?” Owen checked, sighing when I shook my head. “Then we’re not competition, love. We’ll help however we can. You’re not opening a dance club, and that’s what we are.”

  I smiled at him. “There’s still some overlap on both being nightlife options, and I don’t ever get involved with the owners because it leads to finger pointing later as to what else I was spying on that I shouldn’t have been.”

  “You showed us yours, so we’ll show you whatever you want,” Evan purred.

  I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing, glad when I saw Kiera in the living room with boxes of food. She looked so relieved when she laid eyes on me. I hopped off the wall and was about to land funny when strong hands caught me.

  “I’m fine, thanks,” I muttered, looking away from Dylan’s intense gaze.

  “Can you ever forgive me?” he whispered, sounding choked up.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, pulling away. I put out my cigar and realized I was cold as I went inside and the heat hit me. “Why are you delivering?”

  “Are you kidding me?” she sighed as she set the boxes down. “ISLE shows up to drag you off after someone threatened to make you his sex slave, and oh, the two stalkers are involved, and now Kyle and his guys are telling me they’re glamouring as women to be in the next lust buffet scene, so they really pissed you off, and I barely waited for the food I had to know how you are.”

  “I’m fine,” I lied, hugging her tightly. “The stalkers helped with the other thing and were just saying they were leaving and moving on.”

  Several people snorted at the lie, including Aidan and Dylan.

  “We closed down for food already, but Kyle found another club that had a Greek buffet tonight and wrangled a bunch for you as his apology.”

  “He’s still not forgiven, but I won’t fuck with his electronics,” I muttered, happy when I smelled the yumminess. “Do you have to get back?”

  “No,” she lied.

  “It’s fine,” I promised. “Really, it’s fine. Just a lot to settle with.” I sighed when she gave me a doubting glance. “Aidan, Dylan, will you promise Kiera that you won’t let me go out on my own or do anything with the police tonight until I’ve rested?”

  “Yes,” they said together.

  “See? I’m fine. I might get drunk after dealing with fourteen confused men.”

  “Maybe only after the angels leave,” she muttered, knowing how lust demons tended to turn to sex to blow off steam before anything else.

  “Sage advice,” I agreed. “The twins can make sure I get home safe.” I sighed when she raised an eyebrow at that. “They live in the same building as my cover. I promise I’ll be good, Mom.”

  “Fine, but I’m sending someone with dessert and to check on you.”

  “Sure, make me compliant with sweets, I see how it is,” I grumbled, biting back a smile. It got her to finally relax and head out at least. I built myself a massive plate of real gyros with fries on them and lots of sauce before swinging by the fridge for a drink, happy when my favorite iced tea was there, and then heading to the living room to get comfy.

  I realized I was the only one who’d moved for food and that they were all waiting for the invite. I told them to help themselves, and they did while Dylan skipped food just for the chance to sit next to me on the sofa.

  He didn’t push me, simply sitting there as if trying to… I wasn’t sure. He treated me like a skittish cat sometimes, and that was fairly unflattering but not inaccurate. I did tend to lash out and/or run.

  Everyone settled in, some taking other sofas or the twins plopped on the floor by the fireplace while some of the angels brought in chairs from the dining room.

  I wasn’t surprised when Kiera came right back with more food and made herself a plate. Not a big one so she couldn’t stay, but she was trying to show support. It was why I loved her so much.

  “May I ask a question?” Aidan asked quietly when I was chomping on my second gyro.

  “Yes, but depending on what it is I might not answer,” I muttered, opening the floor but wanting it clear t
hat I wasn’t just going to be an open book now.

  He bobbed his head. “I mean this with absolutely no disrespect or judgement, and I realize I don’t understand how you get overwhelmed, but I worry that you do and you’re keeping certain company that can instantly get you pregnant.”

  Kiera shot him a nasty look. “That’s a discussion for private.”

  I blew out a harsh breath. “It’s fine. They all know I’m not a regular lust demon.” I shrugged when she gave me a surprised look. “I’m the worst spy ever. They all figured it out.”

  She snorted. “I doubt that. You’re like a vault when it comes to anything personal.” She pointed at Aidan. “He has a bigger mouth than you, and he just knows somehow. No way you weren’t careful.”

  I bobbed my head. “Yeah, Dylan knew because he was with a lust demon for years. The twins can see into my dreams it seems, and the angels…” I shrugged. “They’re angels.”

  “None of that’s on you. It took me years to figure out, and I was around you all the time.” She stood and kissed my hair. “I am going to leave you to private talk time.” She glanced at the others slowly, dangerously. “You bully her, and I will fuck you up. There will be a line wanting to fuck you up. She’s beloved and has saved many of us, and we would do anything for her.”

  “You just want another vacation with me,” I teased her, smiling when she groaned. “Yeah, I could use one too. After your new trainee?”

  “Yes, fuck, yes, I’ll find where the party is and we’ll go have fun. Fuck, I need fun.”

  “Hey, I brought you in for fun on Friday.”

  “You did.” She gave a wave and headed towards the portal as everyone called their goodbyes to her.

  I finished my last gyro and set my plate on the table. “I don’t get anything off the angels. They’re blank to me, which was sort of what clued me in.”