“Not so fast, Mr. Valdez. Not unless you are prepared to share your own history with Glory here.” Davenport’s eyes suddenly gleamed red.
“Harm her and you’ll have to go through me.” Valdez was stiff, his tail straight out and quivering. “I’m not playing.”
“Well, I am. Just having a little fun. Do you remember what that is?” Davenport reached down and tugged on Valdez’s ear so hard V flattened on the floor.
I gasped. “Let him go!” I unwound myself from the stupid leash. “It’s not fun if he gets hurt protecting me.”
Davenport held out his hands. “Relax, Glory. Valdez?”
I waited until I saw V stand up and shake off whatever Davenport had done to him. “What do you want with me?” A demon. I knew enough to be very wary.
“You’ll see. Put a five-dollar bill in this machine and push the button. Hit five in a row and you’ll get a nice surprise.” Davenport’s smile now gave me chills.
“Wait. What do you mean about his history? Valdez?” I looked down at him.
“Just do it. He’s playing. Demons are like that. He can make some money for you. You need it, don’t you?” Valdez sat close to me, apparently ready to watch. “Quit talking to me, people will notice.”
“He’s right about that.” Davenport slid a bill from my hand and stuck it into the machine. “Now press the button, Glory. See what happens.” He grinned in a way that was almost contagious. He had beautiful white teeth that gleamed in the colored lights from the many rows of slot machines.
I closed my eyes, said a little prayer to my gods, whatever they were, then hit the button. I watched as the wheels spun and lights flashed. It lasted only seconds but seemed to take forever. The ding, ding, ding of a payout rang through the air. A tune played and people at nearby machines turned to look. One woman cursed.
“I stood at that machine for over an hour and got next to nothing!” She stomped away. “I’m going home.”
Davenport handed me the slip of paper that the machine coughed out of its belly. “Here you go. You can take this up to the cashier or hold onto it and we can keep playing. But time to move on. This machine won’t pay again for a while.” He looked down at Valdez. “Did you see that? She doesn’t realize her power, but you and I do, don’t we, shifter?”
Valdez just woofed, a low sound that could have been an agreement or not.
“I won! That was amazing. All that on a five-dollar bet?” Power? If only. But I’d just won a thousand dollars. I wanted to dance down the aisle. Instead, I hugged Davenport, his body warm and surprisingly solid under that suit. I stepped back and showed the paper to Valdez. “What’s next?”
“We move on to video poker. I am most anxious to see what you can do with cards.” Davenport’s eyes were twinkling—blue then red, blue then red. I tried not to stare.
I leaned closer. “The Devil sent you?”
“Oh, my dear, no one sends me anywhere. I’m a free spirit, you could say. I’m always on the go. I’ve been watching you for a while. I can’t believe you didn’t notice. Finally, I had to take charge after I saw you enter tonight. You aren’t tapping into your powers. What a waste.”
“You know what I am.” I glanced around. The people close enough to hear were so engrossed in their machines, they had no interest in our conversation. “Wait. What do you mean you’ve been watching me? When? Where?” I thought back over the past few weeks then months. Had I seen a man with silver hair? Flashes out of the corner of my eye. Shopping. Serving drinks. Once at the corner store while picking out food for Valdez. “Gods, you’ve been stalking me!”
“It doesn’t matter. What you are now is nothing, an ordinary,” he touched his lips, “blood sucker. Pah! One on a rampage? That, I might take note of. But you so rarely do anything violent, you normally wouldn’t be interesting to one such as me. No, it’s the untapped power inside you that drew me.” He grinned. “Honey, you have no idea what you’re capable of.” He took my hand. “The fun will be getting you to use it. Over here. We’re going to test it right now.”
“Stop this. Glory doesn’t like to cheat.” Valdez stayed on my heels, his leash dragging.
“He’s right. I don’t.” But I let him lead me to a machine that featured video poker. I’d spent some time at tables playing poker in another casino. I’d used what I remembered from my Gold Rush days where I’d had a boyfriend who’d taught me how to play the game and I’d become pretty good at it. Too bad I’d been so rusty I’d lost more than I’d won. I’d stayed away from these machines.
Davenport just grinned and put me in front of a machine with hands of cards. Could I beat a machine? What did he mean I had power? I clutched that slip of paper worth a thousand dollars. It was tempting, so tempting, to bet it all and see what I could do. I looked over my shoulder at the demon. Yes, it was the Devil whispering in my ear and I wasn’t in the mood to resist temptation.
19
“ W e’ll start with one hand. To get bigger payouts, bet more, or you can play five hands at a time.” Davenport was all smiles. “This is another one I’ve been watching. Of course, you need to know what you’re doing. How much are you willing to bet this time?”
“I’ll put in a twenty. But please don’t cheat. Let me try this on my own.” I fished out the bill and stuck it in the machine.
“Not cheat? What fun is that?” Davenport looked down at Valdez. “What say you, Valdez?”
“Leave her alone, demon. She has standards. Let’s watch her play some hands and see how she does.” Valdez nudged me with his nose. “Go ahead, Glory. Ignore him.”
I pressed the button, eager to see how this worked. A hand popped up along with a chart telling me what I could win. I could discard all or some of the cards. I studied the hand and decided to get rid of three cards, keeping two kings.
“All right. So far you seem to have good instincts.” Davenport studied me. “Perchance have you played poker before?” He grinned when I got another pair and the machine paid off with a couple of hundred dollars. “Good for you. Now notice you can keep the money in there to play on or choose to get your slip of paper like we did last time. At the end of the evening, we go to the cashier and get your winnings.”
“I’m willing to try another hand.” I hit the button and this time two hands came up. The choices in one were fairly simple, the other was what would be called a bust and I discarded all five cards. This time I didn’t win a thing. Wait! I lost everything. “No! I even lost what I’d won the first time!” I slammed a fist on the front of the machine and it suddenly lit up, beeping and playing that merry pay-off tune.
I looked at Davenport as a paper flew out of the machine and landed at my feet. “What just happened?
He laughed and picked up the paper. “You just used your power, you naughty girl.” He studied the printout then handed it to me. “Oh, I love it!”
“Glory! You won?” Misty appeared on my other side. “Let me see!” She grabbed the paper. “Holy shit! Ten thousand dollars. You must be lucky or really good at poker.” She hugged me and handed the paper back. “Who’s this?” She smiled at Davenport.
“Davenport. You don’t need to know him.” I stared at the paper. “This isn’t right. I can’t cash this in.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course, you can.” Davenport took it from me. “Hello, Beauty.” He handed it to Misty. “Glory is still in shock. Why don’t you cash it for her?” Before I could stop him, he’d taken her arm and was whispering in her ear as he steered her toward the cashier’s booth.
“Stop!” I started to go after them but my feet were rooted to the floor. I tried, but I couldn’t move an inch.
“Are you going to play that machine or just stand there?” A man stood a few feet away and tapped his foot. “I’ve been waiting for it. Either put some money in or move on.”
I tried to move on but Davenport had done something to me. I looked down at Valdez but he just shook his head. He even tried to help by tugging on his leash. Nothing. So I
stuck a five dollar bill in the machine and played a hand. It was hard to concentrate. Either luck was with me or I’d broken the machine because I got a straight and earned another good payout. When I saw Misty and Davenport coming, I grabbed the paper and was finally able to step away from the machine.
“Here, it’s all yours.” I turned around and looked for the man. He was gone, settled at another machine.
“I got your money for you, Glory.” Misty had a banded pack of bills. “Davenport is acting as my security. Isn’t that sweet?”
“What happened with your own strategy?” I clutched my slips of paper. I had made a little money and I’d keep what I’d made honestly. What had happened with Davenport? I was still confused.
Misty’s eyes filled. “I lost. Nothing worked. It’s as if I’m cursed.”
Davenport sniffed the air then walked around her. “No, I assure you, my dear, you are not cursed. But the house always wins. That’s a lesson you need to take to heart. Now I believe Glory wants to say something about what she won tonight.”
“Yes.” I didn’t need a mental message from a demon to know what the right thing to do would be. “You can keep that ten thousand if you promise to pay Lee with it. It should get him off your back for a while. Then go back to the Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Can you do that?”
“Wait. You’re giving me this money?” Misty held the cash to her chest. “Seriously? I know you were saving to open your own business.”
“Yes, I am. You’ve been a good friend and I still feel bad about what happened with Sid. Consider this a way to ease my conscience.” I took her arm. “Thanks, Mr. Davenport. We’re going home now.”
“Without champagne to celebrate?” He held onto Misty’s other arm.
I could see this could end in a tug of war. “Misty has a debt she must pay. She needs to call her loan officer and arrange to give him this money.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough.” Misty smiled into Davenport’s bright blue eyes. “Back off, Glory. I’d love some champagne.”
“You heard her, Glory.” The demon grinned. It seemed the Devil was about to win. He knew I couldn’t drink champagne.
“Misty, would you excuse us for a minute? Davenport and I need to have a little chat. Here, hold Valdez’s leash for me.” I thrust it into her hand and dragged the demon down a row of slot machines before Misty could object. I’d seen a look in her eyes I didn’t like. She’d pegged Davenport as a rich man who’d work just fine as her next boyfriend. The offer to buy her champagne had sealed the deal. If he produced a golden egg, she’d marry him.
“Hey, I was making good progress.” He looked back at Misty. “She’s beautiful. And her soul! What a fine catch to take home with me.”
I saw red, something I’d never done before. I grabbed Davenport by the lapels and slammed him against a slot machine. It flashed, sang and then died in a spray of sparks. People around us screamed and security came running.
Davenport smiled gleefully as he brushed off his suit coat. “My, what a temper.”
“Don’t you dare involve my roommate in your hellish enterprises.” I turned to face security. “Oh, my goodness. He tripped and your machine almost electrocuted him. I hope I don’t have to call my lawyer. Those things are a hazard!” I pointed a shaky finger at the machine and it suddenly spewed sparks again. Where this power had come from, I had no idea but Davenport was laughing so hard, he doubled over, covering his glee with a bout of coughing.
“I can’t imagine what went wrong.” A stern security guard eyed Davenport. “Do we need to call in the paramedics, sir?”
“You might if he doesn’t pull himself together soon. I think he’s having a fit of some kind. Being close to a short circuit like this doesn’t help.” I grabbed Davenport’s arm. “Do you have a room here, sir?”
“A suite, upstairs.” He gasped, his eyes doing that red and blue twinkling thing again. “Wouldn’t you like to come up and see it? Bring Misty. Three isn’t a crowd, it’s a little bit of, hmm, pardon my French, Heaven.”
My grip on his arm tightened, wrinkling his jacket. “No thanks. But maybe security needs to escort you up there so you can lie down and recover from this fit of yours.” I turned to the guard. “Would you mind? He clearly needs to pull himself together. He might have a concussion. He’s delusional.” I saw Misty and Valdez coming. “Quickly now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The guard nodded and two men in dark jackets tried to take Davenport away. They didn’t get far.
“I’m fine. Wonderful.” He threw out his arms and the men fell back, rubbing their eyes. “You are needed outside.” He waved them away. “Hurry.” They took off in a run.
Davenport smiled. “Misty, my beauty. Let me take you for that drink. Glory and Valdez are going home. I’ll give you a ride there later.” He glided over to where Misty stood next to me. “Don’t worry, Glory. I will take good care of your ‘roomie.’”
I realized I’d been beaten for now and took Valdez’s leash then stalked away from them both. Misty was a good person. Could a demon corrupt someone like that? Of course, he could. With temptations. As good as Misty was, she was an addict. All Davenport had to do was help her win at those machines and he’d have her in his pocket. I hated that thought.
I cashed out then got the car. I was finally alone with Valdez. We certainly had plenty to talk about on the way home. My heart still raced at the thought of how I’d made a slot machine explode. Where had that come from? And then there was Valdez…
“What kind of secret do you have that Davenport is holding over your head?” I asked as soon as I drove us away from Caesar’s.
“Forget about that. What about all that power you displayed in the casino? I saw you blow up slot machines!” Valdez stared at me. “That was intense. You had a faceoff with a major demon and almost won.”
“What do you mean ‘almost’? I think I beat him.” I was suddenly exhausted. Drained. Was it because I’d managed to throw power at a machine like that? Why hadn’t I ever discovered it before? I wanted to think about it but my brain felt as fried as that slot machine.
“Beat him? I don’t think so. He ended up with Misty, didn’t he?” Valdez gazed out the window. “I hate to think what his plans are for her.”
“She wanted a rich boyfriend. He fills the bill.” I pulled into our parking lot. The place was dark. Management didn’t bother to replace broken lights. “Come on, keep your eyes peeled for purse snatchers.”
“It’s a shame you have scruples. You could have won enough to set up your business in one night, you know.” Valdez sniffed the air.
“By cheating? Really? Now you’re sounding like Davenport.” I held his leash in one hand and my purse full of cash in the other. Maybe I was being paranoid, but the air around us seemed to reek of danger.
“Would you hurry? I hear footsteps.” Valdez was leading me now. “And I smell…” He grunted when a large net flew out of the darkness and covered him.
“What the hell!” I wheeled around, dropping my purse so I could use both hands to fight whoever had trapped him. And he was trapped. I could see him flailing around inside the heavy netting but wasn’t having any luck breaking free. Footsteps? Was someone hiding behind a car?
“Come out and face me, you coward.” I recognized the scent now. “Sid? I thought we showed you it wasn’t smart to try to get even. Misty has moved on.”
He stepped from behind a cargo van. “Really? Has she really? I made sure her car got towed. She has no transportation and the mob is calling in its loans. She’s bound to be desperate. Are you going to bail her out, Glory? I don’t see you loaded with money. You live in this dump and you drive an ancient car.”
“You have no idea what I could do for her.” I peered into the darkness. Sid didn’t look good, not that he’d ever looked appealing to me. But since we’d seen him last, he’d grown a beard and let his hair get shaggy. His suit needed pressing and I could see the grime on his shirt collar even in the dark.
�
��Give it up, Sid. Misty isn’t interested in you. I never saw you throwing money at her.” I lifted one end of the net. It was heavy enough to push Valdez flat to the gravel lot. “Get this net off my dog!”
“He’s supposed to be in quarantine! But I saw you take off with him then the three of you go into Caesar’s Palace. He could have attacked people in there. Wait till Animal Control hears about that.” Sid paced around the end of the net.
“He’s not in quarantine anymore. You changed your story, remember?”
“I’ll recant. I’ll tell them how you threatened me. You and that boyfriend of yours.” He moved closer. “Where’s Misty? Last I saw her she was with some guy you introduced her to in Caesar’s. He looked like a high roller. Is she with him now?” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun. “Tell me, Glory. If you’ve messed this up for me, I’ll kill your dog, then you.”
“Sid, you messed this up for yourself.” I took a step forward. A gunshot wouldn’t feel good, but it couldn’t kill me. I didn’t like the idea of Valdez being shot at point blank range. I knew shifters could heal but wasn’t sure if that was from all wounds. “Put the gun down, Sid. Think.”
“I am thinking.” He aimed the gun at Valdez. “Stupid dog. I should have done this a long time ago. No one would have blamed me. I wear the scars from what he did. He’s dangerous.”
I remembered how I had shot electricity out of my fingers in the casino. Could I do that again? I held my breath and aimed at Sid. It took all my concentration as I visualized those sparks coming out of my fingertips. He yelped when electricity hit his hand with a sizzle. He flung away his gun and shook his fingers. I didn’t have time to celebrate.
“What the fuck was that?” He scrambled on the pavement for his gun.
I leaped on him. “Something you’re going to forget. Just like you’re going to forget you ever knew me or my dog.” I grabbed his neck, squeezing until his eyes bulged. He struggled, but I had the advantage, sitting on his chest. I stared into his eyes. “You will do as I say, Sid.”
Real Vampires: Glory Does Vegas Page 21