The Hex Files Box Set

by Gina LaManna

  I leaned closer and studied his watch. “It’s only ten to eight. I thought the game didn’t start until eight.”

  “The timing is very regimented. Doors lock at quarter to eight,” Grey said stiffly. “Dealer arrives, and we take our seats at ten to eight. First card is flipped at—”

  “—eight on the dot,” I said. “I get it.”

  I let my gaze sweep the room and, sure enough, mumblings seemed to have swept across the crowd like a tidal wave. Little things, tiny tics—a glimpse at a watch, the shifting of weight, a dark glance at the door. Something about this evening was most definitely not right.

  At that very moment, a side door to the room opened and a tall, lean elf stepped through. He had hair as white as Grey’s fur coat and ears as pointed as I’d ever seen. My mind immediately thought Gilded Row, and Grey nodded, as if to confirm my unspoken theories.

  “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,” the elf said. “We will begin the games ten minutes late tonight due to unforeseen safety circumstances. Apologies.”

  The murmurings notched into a higher gear. “Safety circumstances?” I whispered to Grey. “You don’t think they realized I’m—”

  Grey squeezed my arm so hard I flinched.

  “No,” he said carefully, watching the rest of the crowd. “I don’t know what’s going on, but something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.”

  Chapter 14

  “Gentlemen, it’s time.” A young, gorgeous woman of dubious species spoke smoothly as she entered through a side door of the room. “Places, please.”

  I glanced at Grey curiously, but his eyes were fixed on the woman. I couldn’t blame him. She was stunning. Dressed in a white gown encrusted with gorgeous sparkles, she wore a silver bangle on her wrist that glinted underneath the torchlight. Her eyelashes were long, so long they brushed mid-cheek when she blinked, and were decorated with thick silver mascara. Her hair, waist length and black as ink, swished across her curvy figure.

  “Good thing we’re not on a date,” I growled quietly, “or I’d be offended at your ogling.”

  Grey gave a quick shake of his head. “No, it’s not that—she’s new.”

  “New dealer. So what?”

  “The old dealer has been here for two decades.” Grey gave a mystified blink, then turned his attention to me. “I’ve never seen her before.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe they needed more staff. It happens.”

  “The timing is coincidental, if that’s the case,” Grey said. “Something happened to the last dealer. Her name was—”

  “Are you in, Mr. Grey?” The new dealer focused her gaze on Grey. She was unapologetic and spoke commandingly. “The game is beginning.”

  A hush fell over the room. Grey reached into his pocket, a crooked smile on his lips. He withdrew a sack of something I assumed was gold coins until he tossed it on the table and perfectly shaped, absolutely clear diamonds spilled onto the green felt.

  The rest of the eyes in the room briefly flicked toward the jewels before turning back to the dealer. The dealer surveyed the gems, then gave a satisfied nod.

  “Very well,” she said. “Seats, all.”

  I watched with interest as the men quietly filtered toward their places around the table. If I was correct in my assumption, there was some sort of tiered play structure—only six men sat at the table first. The rest—another ten—stood respectfully back and watched. The women all appeared to be here on dates as none of them were seated at the table. It was obviously a gentlemen’s club of sorts.

  I had to admit, however, that I was intrigued. The stakes were high. The room was mysterious. Dark, expensive magic burned in the Residuals of some of these men. The women—exquisite, peculiar—had me wondering what they knew. The opulent setting, the commanding dealer, the bodyguards all suggested that age old secrets had been passed through this room. If only these walls could talk...

  The game launched suddenly, a quiet, sophisticated thing unlike any I’d ever seen before. I didn’t make a point of attempting to understand the rules as dice rolled, cards flipped, and diamonds were shuffled between hands. Gold coins joined the mix, colorful sapphires, rubies, and pearls. Everyone had something to trade, though Grey seemed to be the wealthiest of all.

  Women inhaled sharply and exhaled smiles almost on command, though I couldn’t decipher who was winning and who was losing. Then suddenly, the end came. It was abrupt and startling. All at once, five men simply stood up and backed away from the table. Everyone except for Grey. Their dates clung to them like a fine silk, as the players took turns shaking Grey’s hand one after another.

  My eyes lingered on the pile of gems, rubies, and crystals before Grey. My mouth went dry—he could buy all of Wicked with what sat before him. Who is he? I wondered, not for the first time. And how had he amassed such wealth? It could hardly have all come from legal ventures. In fact, I wasn’t sure whether The Cavern itself was even legal—I’d never heard of it, and I doubted Chief Newton was on the invite list.

  I tightened my lips, realizing I now had a secret I’d have to keep from my boss. It wasn’t as if I could expose The Cavern in our morning meetings—there’d be questions. Questions to which I didn’t have answers.

  “Anything?” Grey murmured during the shifting players at the table.

  I gave the slightest shake of my head, but the truth was I’d been too distracted to notice more than the basics. As a second group of five players took seats at the table, I made a point of focusing, scanning the room around me, studying every inch of magical residue in the air.

  “Did you just win?” I asked, leaning close and brushing my lips against Grey’s ear. To anyone else, it appeared seductive. “That is a crapload of diamonds you have, and this girl’s wondering where you found them.”

  “Here and there,” Grey said, his fingers playing nonchalantly with a hefty ruby. “Impressed?”

  “Not even a little.”

  “At least you’re dating a winner,” Grey said with a playful wink.

  “Yeah, yeah, bite me.”

  He laughed softly which earned him a ferocious stare from the dealer. Before I could come up with a more eloquent response, the long-lashed woman had launched into another round of dealing, rolling, flipping, and scattering of royalties. Another round went straight to Grey.

  His pile grew, the players stood, shook hands with him, and then scattered, making way for another combination of five men to slink into the seats at the table. But this time, instead of sitting down, the men merely deposited their coins on the table and remained standing.

  “You’re unstoppable,” I murmured. “Are you sure you’re not the problem? You could run this casino dry.”

  Grey flipped a sapphire over to the dealer as a tip. She deftly caught and pocketed it with such speed I wondered if it was legal, or if it was an underhanded sort of exchange because nobody else seemed to acknowledge it.

  “Break for dinner,” Grey murmured, and on cue, a line of sharply dressed goblins strode in from the side door of the room carrying additional trays of small plates. I had to wonder if these were the same untouched foods as before, but judging by the amount of money in this room, these people didn’t do leftovers.

  I pointed past trays of sparkling drinks toward the food. “Where’s the steak?”

  Grey’s eyebrow inched to new heights. “I’m not sure you have room for steak in that dress.”

  I scowled at him, then reached for a plate and gestured one of the servers over. I unloaded most of his tray, and with a huff, turned back to the table and ignored Grey’s quiet laugh.

  “You promised me dinner,” I said. “So, I came hungry. This is your fault.”

  Grey leaned nearer to me, his voice a caress in the soft, dim room. “The third round.”

  I rolled my eyes and washed down a mouthful with champagne. “What are you talking about?” Grey reached for a small piece of toast laden with something resembling caviar, selected it carefully, and extended his arm as if sed
uctively trying to feed me.

  My eyes crossed as he held the crostini in front of me. “What the hell are you doing, Grey?”

  “The third round,” he said in a hushed voice. “It’s when things go sour.”

  I understood, giving him a nod. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Try,” he urged, offering the delicacy to me.

  I was tempted to refuse, but it appeared all eyes were on us now, and we had to keep up appearances. I was supposedly infatuated with Grey, or at least not repulsed by him, so I parted my lips and let him slide the finger food onto my tongue.

  I snapped my mouth down hard enough that my teeth clashed together, and Grey’s eyes warmed with amusement as he playfully shook his finger. “Almost took it right off.”

  “Yeah, well, watch it,” I grumbled. “You know how I feel about dating.”

  The dealer began quietly setting up for the next round as five other players took seats around Grey. I wondered if Grey had purposely been given the seat in the middle—he looked like the king of his castle, or maybe a dragon hoarding his treasure. The pile of rare gemstones before him seemed to breed and multiply before my eyes.

  The game launched without warning, and the room was sucked back into the enticing swish and swirl of the dealer’s long, silvery nails. She’d never given a name, nor did anyone use one in reference to her, and I wondered where she’d come from. How she’d found The Cavern. What it meant to her.

  I watched as her hands flew across the table. I broke my eye contact only to look at the other players—all of whom were watching the table and the results. Suddenly, a collective gasp went up around the room, and I turned to the table to see Grey push a semi large pile of gems toward the dealer. The silver-lashed girl gave a thin smile and collected the gems in a little golden bowl glimmering with protective Residuals.

  Grey’s eyes flicked up, met mine, and I was drawn back to attention. I watched the woman’s hands as she quickly continued dealing as if nothing had happened. But something had happened. Grey had lost—big time. And it was clearly an upset, judging by the astounded faces around the room.

  Even more peculiar were the glowing hands of the dealer. Nobody else seemed to notice a thing, but it was stunning to me, so clearly obvious that something magical had transpired before our eyes. Her bangle reflected light so brightly I winced as I stared at it. If these were Residuals, they were unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

  Usually, Residuals were nothing more than a kaleidoscope of dust-sized flecks of light flickering in the absence of a spell. This was a full-on beam of light, yellow and bright, radiating from the dealer’s hands.

  I cleared my throat.

  “Are you alright, sweetheart?” Grey asked, shifting backward to loop his arm casually around my waist. He drew me to his side. “The loss was nothing. We’ll get it right back. Look—the advantage is ours this round.”

  I shook my head ever so slightly. “Don’t do it.”

  “Don’t do what?” Grey leaned toward me, ever so slightly. His eyes contained meaning.

  “Whatever you’re doing,” I said in a low hiss. “Don’t bet—or something. It’s not a good round for you.”

  “Silence at the table.” The dealer spoke in a manicured tone, but her meaning was clear. It was a threat. “There are rules in The Cavern.”

  I nodded and took a step back. “Sorry, I’m just superstitious.”

  The dealer’s hands glowed again. “Please refrain from offering advice when you’re standing at the table.”

  “I’ll humor the lady,” Grey said, turning back to the dealer. “We’ll withdraw our bet this round.”

  The game continued with an audible groan as cards flipped over and dice were rolled. Eventually, the dealer stopped and gave Grey a demure smile. “Shame you withdrew, isn’t it?”

  Grey’s lips went into a thin line. “Shame.”

  “Would’ve won big,” a man guffawed and elbowed Grey. “Shouldn’t’ve listened to the ol’ ball and chain, eh?”

  I put my hand on Grey’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s quite alright,” Grey murmured back. “We’ve plenty more where that came from.”

  Grey pushed a few more jewels across the table, and I felt a wash of guilt hit me hard. My miscalculation had cost Grey serious cash.

  The game continued for another few minutes and Grey seemed to hit his stride again. “Final round,” Grey said, smiling. “I’m going to hold here.”

  I waited, watching as Grey pulled in his pile of coins. Suddenly, the woman’s hands glowed with Residuals all over again—the bright light signaling serious magic was at work. The dealer hesitated, closed her eyes.

  “Very well,” she said in a clipped tone. “Anyone else?”

  “Grey—no,” I said. “Put it all in.”

  “But—”

  “Do it,” I hissed. “Please.”

  “All in,” Grey said, pushing his pile of gemstones toward the center of the table just before the dealer released the dice onto the table.

  The dealer’s eyes flashed black for a second in pure anger and frustration.

  I held my breath as the dice spun and came to a stop, knowing that if I’d blown this—if my instincts were wrong—I’d cost Grey more money than I could ever repay in ten lifetimes.

  The room froze as everyone stared at the table before us. Then a resounding cheer erupted from the rear. One man in particular led the charge. His face was red, as if he’d had too much champagne, and his name was Philip if memory served correctly.

  “That’s gotta be a record win!” Philip waddled forward and clapped Grey on the shoulder. “Typical. Pulling out a win at the last second. You’re going to want to hold onto that one.” Philip winked at me. “I’d call her one heck of a good luck charm.”

  “I’d agree,” Grey said. “But that makes it a night for the two of us. We’ll be headed home to celebrate.”

  “How very fortunate,” the dealer said crisply. “The odds of hitting on that combination were five hundred to one. Interesting choice to go all in.”

  “Well, we like to live dangerously,” I said sweetly. “Time to go, don’t you think?”

  “Righto, mate,” Philip said offering another blustering handshake to Grey. “You’ve got a lot of celebrating to do tonight.”

  Grey’s hand slipped down the side of my dress and rested just above my hip. “Exactly my thoughts, Phil. Have a good one, all.”

  “Actually, I think I’ll use the restroom before we head out,” I said, thinking I wouldn’t mind a little peek into the inner workings of this place. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

  Grey gave me a startled look, but I slipped out from under his grasp before he could politely argue. I disappeared toward the door from where we’d entered, then I turned and took the path in the other direction.

  Something was up in The Cavern. Something magical, something dangerous, something dark. And it wasn’t a simple, illegal black magic purchase from The Void—it was something big and unruly and new. At least, new to me, and I’d been seeing Residuals since before I could remember.

  I’d seen a lot of Residuals at homicide scenes, on Illegals cases, and everything in between, and I’d never seen anything like the beams of light erupting from the dealers’ arms. What sort of magic were they harboring here in The Cavern? And was it only to work in a bigger profit margin, or could it be something worse?

  Greed would be incentive enough, I thought, remembering the stack of Grey’s precious gems. I had the sneaking suspicion that without my nudge in the right direction, he’d have lost everything. It was almost as if the dealer had known the outcome before it happened—but that was impossible. Mind Readers were rare, and their magic carried a specific sort of Residuals. She wasn’t a mind reader, which had me stumped.

  “—don’t know how she knew,” said the dealer. “She’s nothing but some sort of an escort. I don’t even think she understood the rules.”

  I came to a stop outs
ide a small office. I assumed it was just off The Cavern. The dealer was speaking with one of her colleagues.

  “She’s not anything of the sort,” a second voice said. “I checked the logs. I’ve never seen her before, but we’ve got to get a name.”

  “Do you think Grey knows who she is?” the dealer asked. “Or do you think she’s got him fooled?”

  I glanced down as I tripped on the hem of my dress. Yanking impatiently at the fabric, I hiked it up and moved forward to hear better. I was greeted with a cool, metal touch to the base of my neck.

  “Not so fast,” a soft, scratchy voice whispered. “You’re coming with me, doll.”

  I raised my hands slowly, surprised to find the orc guard—the one who’d nearly accosted me outside—giving an ugly smile as he pressed something larger, more powerful, than a Stunner against my skin.

  “I wouldn’t move if I were you,” he said. “My weapon doesn’t have the option to dial down.”

  “I’m just looking for the restroom.”

  “Reina thinks otherwise. Move it.”

  “I don’t know why she’d think that,” I said, struggling to remain haughty, grouchy, and not blow my cover. “I’m here on a stupid date.”

  “Sure you are. Move your pretty little feet.”

  I felt my own Stunner brush between my thighs, comforted by the metal while simultaneously realizing that I couldn’t get to it without alerting the orc to my true identity. Not to mention the fact that my office-issued device would be no match for the blaster the orc had likely purchased through The Void.

  I forced my breathing to steady as I shuffled down the hallway, giving a reluctant flip of my hair and a hearty harrumph to show my disdain. Meanwhile, my heart raced, and I wondered when Grey would discover I was actually missing and not, as he probably suspected, poking around on my own terms.

  While I doubted the orc would kill me, there was still some hesitation on my part. It all hinged on how big of a secret the casino was hiding. If the scandal was big enough, there was a very real chance whoever was in charge wouldn’t mind getting rid of me to bury a potential loose end.