Hex Appeal

by Linda Wisdom

  “My, aren’t we chipper today? Honestly, D, would it hurt you to greet someone in a pleasant manner or is that beyond you?” She dutifully waited for his usual tirade to wind down. “I saw Mindy. Her father even sat in on the meeting.”

  “And?”

  “And it’s just as I expected. They’re going to continue doing business as usual. My advice to you is to do what you do best. Beat them at their own game.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?” he screamed in her ear.

  She winced and held the phone as far from her ear as possible. “It means part with some of that money you have stashed away, upgrade some of your vehicles, and offer some incentives to the clients you have left. Don’t water down the alcohol. In fact, buy some of the pricy booze. Offer perks to your clients if they refer someone. Come on, Dweezil. You’re good at putting someone out of business. You’ve done it in the past. You can do it again. If you want Mindy gone, work at it. But if I were you, I’d suggest a compromise. She can handle the business in the San Diego area and you keep to L.A.”

  “Why should I do that?”

  “Because it can work for both of you if you do it right. Plus her father has a message for you. Next time do your own dirty work. And you know what? I may totally hate that sanctimonious elf, but I agree with him. I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you.” She disconnected during Dweezil’s rant.

  “Shopping. Time for lots of shopping.” She set off for her car and Horton Plaza with the words charge it! running through her mind.

  Chapter 5

  “Why did I promise to go?” Jazz studied the contents of her closet. Incomprehensible chatter sounded at her feet. She looked down. “No way you’re leaving that cage to go with me.” She continued to shake her head as Fluff and Puff babbled away. “Why? Maybe it has something to do with you two accused of eating a carnie and then there’s the time you destroyed Thea’s favorite Hermes bag. If she’d had her way, you two would have been turned into a couple of powder puffs.”

  She finally settled on a pair of dark bronze pants and matching jacket paired with a lacy tank top in a paler shade. She took her hair out of its tight braid and finger combed the spiral curls. Her moonstone pendant shone with a milky blue light against her breasts as she fastened the chain around her neck. The ring on her finger echoed the soft glow. Fluff and Puff hissed displeasure from their cage as she brought Croc and Delilah out of the closet and slipped them on her feet. The grayish shoes immediately darkened to a rich caramel shade to coordinate with her pants. Delilah winked at Jazz and blew her a kiss.

  As she started down the stairs the doorbell rang and a moment later she heard Krebs greeting Nick.

  “You’ve got a great collection here,” she heard Nick say.

  “I’m just glad that more of my favorites are finally showing up on DVD,” Krebs said.

  “Attack of the Puppet People was fantastic.” Nick slid the DVD case back into its slot.

  “Oh no, don’t tell me.” Jazz walked into the large family room that housed every electronic toy a grown man would love. “You love all those old sci-fi movies too?”

  “And horror films.” Krebs grinned, turning to Nick. “Jazz groans anytime it’s my turn to choose a movie for our movie night.”

  “The last time was a double-feature. The Monolith Monsters and The Mole People. But that’s okay. Next time it’s my turn and he’s going to have an evening of soppy chick flicks.” She laughingly bared her teeth at Krebs.

  “I thought that after the game Nick might want to watch my latest find.” Krebs sorted through his DVDs and pulled out a slim case. “We’re talking a real classic here.” His eyes danced with laughter.

  Jazz gasped in horror when she saw the title. “Give that to me!” She snapped her fingers. Except her command fizzled the moment her power hit the case that refused to move from Krebs’s hands. She muttered a second more powerful command, but it also failed.

  “Her Past Indiscretions starring Jasmine Taylor.” Nick grinned, reading the case. “A young factory girl is seduced by the owner’s son and becomes the talk of the town because she has his baby. 1929. Oh yes, I remember this one.”

  “Did you honestly think after I spent cold hard cash to get this baby that I wouldn’t find a way to protect it?” Krebs smirked at Jazz. “Blair set up an awesome protection spell for the DVD and the case. She said there’s nothing you can do to this gem.”

  Jazz glared at Nick who was collapsed on the brick red sectional laughing so hard he sounded as if he was wheezing, except she knew there was no way he could wheeze.

  “You need to look for another silent classic titled The Gilded Cage,” Nick suggested. “Jazz played a kind-hearted prostitute in a New Orleans bordello who falls in love with a wealthy playboy client who kills her because he doesn’t want his socialite fiancée to find out about her. She wore a lot of black lace in that movie.”

  Jazz opened her mouth but all that came out was a squeak. “I would have starred against Valentino if he hadn’t died,” she finally managed to say.

  “Wow, Rudolph Valentino? So tell me, Jazz, just how old does that make you?” Krebs asked.

  “Do not tell him!” she ordered Nick, horror coloring her voice. “I swear, Nick, if you say one word you will literally end sunny-side up.”

  “Let’s just say she looks incredible for her age,” Nick replied.

  Jazz shot one last glare at the DVD before checking the contents of her purse. “Do not think this is over. I’ll find a way to get that DVD. I’ve got to get to Thea’s book signing. She’ll be impossible to deal with if I’m late. Enjoy your football game, boys.”

  “Hey! No way they can be down here!” Krebs yelled. “I thought you said they were locked up.”

  Jazz followed his gaze to the coffee table where a bowl of chili cheese dip resided with taco chips and a couple of beer bottles along with hungry looking Fluff and Puff poised over the bowl.

  “Bad bunnies,” she scolded, rounding on them. “How did you get out of the cage?” She pointed at them. “Bunnies been bad. Bunnies are sad. Do what I say without fail and return to your jail. Because I say so, damn it!” A tiny squeak erupted from one slipper’s mouth before they disappeared in a puff of smoke. “That cage was reinforced by a powerful wizard. They shouldn’t have been able to get out of it,” she groaned.

  “But if they got out of there once, they can again,” Krebs said. “And they love chili cheese dip.”

  “If they happen to get out, and you allow them to eat that dip, their cage is going in your room tonight,” she said, pausing long enough to drop a kiss on Krebs’s cheek.

  “Who allows?”

  “Enjoy doing the guy thing,” she whispered in Nick’s ear after kissing him with a great deal more warmth than the kiss she’d given Krebs. The stilettos sighed loudly and flashed Nick their sexiest smiles. “Down girls,” she commanded, but the shoes ignored her.

  “Enjoy listening to Thea go on and on about her glamorous life.”

  She wrinkled her nose at his teasing. “I’ll drink lots of wine at dinner.” She waggled her fingers at the men as she left the house.

  Krebs picked up his beer. “Uh, Nick, I wasn’t sure if you could drink beer and I wasn’t sure where to buy the other that you…”

  “Other liquids are no problem for me.”

  “It’s nice you could come over. I guess you didn’t want to go with Jazz.”

  “Getting hit with one of Jazz’s fireballs would be preferable to spending a few hours with Thea.” Nick accepted the bottle of beer Krebs held out and watched the man drop into an easy chair.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “I can take only so much of Thea. Preferably at a great distance.” Nick sipped the yeasty brew.

  “I met her once and I admit that was enough for me.” Krebs winced.

  “She’s been known to eat unsuspecting men for breakfast.” Nick leaned back into the couch, resting his ankle on the opposite knee. “And I don’t mean that in a good wa
y either.”

  “Literally, I’m sure. I’ve also met Stasi and Blair and they’re nothing like Thea.”

  “Or Jazz,” Nick pointed out.

  “You must have met some of the others. What are they like?”

  “I haven’t met them all but the ones I have are all unique,” Nick said. “Each has her own special talent.”

  “The ones I’ve met sure aren’t what I pictured witches to look like. Of course, neither is Jazz.”

  Nick grinned. “You were thinking black dresses and pointed hats, warts on the chin and nose? Maybe a hint of green skin?”

  “Not that far. The witches on Charmed are sexy looking too, but Jazz is still in a…”

  “Cauldron all her own?”

  Krebs almost snorted his beer. “Yeah, that works. Just like you.” He eyed Nick’s black boots, well-worn jeans, and gray T-shirt announcing that he was a night person.

  “What? You thought we all wear capes and tuxedos and spoke with a Hungarian accent? I was born in Old Russia, Krebs. There are still some ancient vampires who believe in always wearing black and displaying a lot of affectations, but most of us prefer to blend in the best we can. Since my work with the Protectorate meant I also had to spend time among mortals, it was best I retain more human-like qualities.”

  “You were with that group for a long time, weren’t you?”

  Nick nodded. “Centuries. We have always believed in policing our own, because we knew the mortals couldn’t do it.”

  Krebs rubbed his chin in thought. “I didn’t really believe in any of this until I met Jazz and learned what she was and what was around me. I knew it was going on. It’s like an unspoken secret, but I guess it’s only when you face it that you realize the truth. And hope you don’t end up as someone’s midnight snack. No offense.”

  “None taken.” Nick cradled his beer bottle between his hands. “You shouldn’t have to worry about that. You are under Jazz’s and my protection. Plus, if anyone did hurt you I’d say that Jazz would happily tear that creature apart. She’s very loyal to her friends,” he murmured.

  He watched Krebs fiddle with the television controls. The feeling that more was going on than appeared grew stronger. “So tell me, Krebs, why exactly did you invite me over? It can’t be just because you want company to watch a football game.”

  “No hidden agenda. I thought since you’re involved with Jazz, we could take some time to know each other better.” Krebs sat back with his legs stretched out in front of him.

  Nick smiled, deliberately displaying his fangs. He was impressed that Krebs didn’t look away or wince.

  “Uh,” Krebs hesitated then forged on. He looked down at the beer bottle in his hand as if it held all the secrets of the world. “You can’t tell Jazz what I’m about to tell you. At least, please don’t say anything to her at this time. Because she’d probably find a way to lock me up in that cage with the slippers, if not worse.”

  “Is this something that involves her?”

  “No.” He took a deep breath. “Well, yeah, sort of. Come to think of it, just maybe.”

  Nick usually felt comfortable around mortals, but the ones he felt most comfortable with were cop mortals. Krebs was proof that everyday mortals were a whole different species.

  “Which is it?” He already feared the worst.

  “All of the above,” he admitted. “I don’t know if Jazz told you I design Web sites for…” he searched for just the right word.

  “Members of the supernatural community,” Nick provided.

  “Yeah.” Krebs picked up his beer and swallowed half the contents. “One of my clients is Leticia who runs a vampire dating service.”

  “I know of her and her service. It’s very popular among our kind.” It didn’t take much for every light to blaze to life inside Nick’s brain. He really didn’t like what he was thinking either. The look on Krebs’ face confirmed his suspicions. “Are you saying you’ve met her outside of e-mail or the telephone?”

  “We’ve met for coffee a couple of times,” Krebs explained, heading into the kitchen and returning with two more beer bottles.

  Nick groaned at the ramifications of such a meeting. “I thought you had promised Jazz you would keep your interactions to e-mail and the phone only when you dealt with vampire clients? In fact, any preternatural client.”

  “E-mails went to IMs and she asked if I was willing to meet her for wine or coffee and we’d talk about a new business she was thinking of starting. All very innocent.”

  “Innocent, yet you never said a word to Jazz.” Nick sensed Krebs was talking about way more than a couple of hours at Starbucks.

  “Hell, no, I didn’t tell Jazz! I like my body parts exactly where they are.” He looked down and grimaced to find Fluff and Puff nibbling in the dip again. He shooed them away and one of them snarled and almost took his fingers off but moved aside. Nick’s snarl was more effective as each snatched a taco chip and instantly disappeared again. Krebs guessed they returned to their cage before Nick followed up on his silent threat. “You know what would happen. I tell her about meeting up with Leticia and I could find my dick in place of my nose and vice versa.”

  Nick winced as the word picture popped into his mind. “She is inventive with her curses and Blair is even more creative. But you must know humans and vampires aren’t exactly friend material.”

  “Why not? I mean, other than pretty much going out only at night and the drinking blood thing, your kind isn’t all that different from us.”

  “We’re very different than you. We’re predators by nature, Krebs,” Nick said softly, realizing that even after all the time Krebs spent with Jazz the mortal was still pretty clueless about supernatural beings. “I’m not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, and I’m aware of Leticia who has always, well, behaved herself. But she is still not someone you could turn your back on. She’s walked this earth a long time, done things you couldn’t even imagine.”

  “Hey, no one’s perfect!” He held up his hands. “Maybe a massive understatement, but we sat there and talked for hours. And not once during that time did I see her as a vampire. I only saw her as an intelligent and beautiful woman.”

  Nick’s mind reeled at what could have happened that night. Along with what would happen when Jazz found out and he knew that she would. He wondered if this wouldn’t be a good time to take a vacation far far away. And Jazz would have every right to throw a fit when she found out.

  “When Jazz finds out, rearranged body parts will be the least of your worries. I’m sure she explained to you why she felt it was best you restrict communication to non-face-to-face.”

  “And that’s why I was hoping you could help me out.” Krebs worked steadily on his second bottle of beer. Nick worried if the mortal continued in this manner he’d be totally wasted by the time the game started. He also worried about the glint in Krebs’ eyes and the way his voice softened when he spoke Leticia’s name. It was apparent that the mortal was well and truly hooked and Nick doubted she had to use one speck of her power to mesmerize him.

  Oh yeah, he could see that Krebs was heading for major trouble. From a vampire he was clearly falling for and from a witch who was going to be furious with him for falling for said vampire. The idea of space travel was looking better all the time.

  He picked up his bottle of beer and tipped his head back to take a hearty swallow. While he couldn’t get a buzz from the alcohol, he could enjoy the taste.

  “We’re talking rock and a hard place for you,” he began.

  “That’s why I thought maybe we could all go out together and Jazz could see Leticia the way I do.”

  Nick ignored the other man’s hopeful expression. “Are you talking about a double date?”

  Krebs nodded. “It wouldn’t have to be dinner since it wouldn’t be easy for you and Leticia. Maybe spend an evening at a club where we could all feel comfortable.”

  Nick closed his eyes. “I’ll think about it.” He held up a hand to stave off K
rebs’ response. “Only think. And let me give you some advice. Don’t tell Jazz about meeting with Leticia until I can figure out how you can tell her and you will tell her.”

  Krebs sighed with relief. “Thanks, man.”

  “Don’t thank me yet.” Nick finished his beer and started on the second bottle.

  “What in the hell?” Krebs stared at the bowl of dip that was now down on the floor and disappearing at a rapid rate.

  “Irma’s damn dog.” Nick growled at the bear-like animal that happily barked at him.

  “Ghosts can eat?” Krebs couldn’t take his eyes off the chips now going the way of the dip even if he couldn’t see what was consuming them.

  “Apparently this one can.” Nick raised his voice. “Irma, come get your dog!”

  “She went with Jazz.” Krebs fought a rapidly losing battle for his beer bottle.

  A moment later, an intense stench filled the air.

  “Augh!” He gave up the bottle and covered his nose with his hands.

  “Outside now!” Nick ordered. While he didn’t have the power Jazz did, he was able to give the dog a mental push toward the kitchen door where the dog flashed through in his escape to the back yard.

  “That is disgusting.” Krebs’s voice sounded nasal as he pinched his nostrils shut.

  “Until now I have never been so glad not to have the ability of breathing,” Nick muttered, fighting to keep from laughing, but he soon gave in.

  Krebs glared at him then ended up following his mirth.

  “You can’t say I don’t provide an interesting time,” Krebs choked, heading for the kitchen and replacement beers.

  Nick grinned. He liked Krebs a lot. And he could see why Jazz was protective of her friend. But he really didn’t want to be around when she learned of their conversation today.

  ***

  “Oh dear.” Jazz stared at the building that resembled a warehouse. She looked around, expecting fireworks exploding overhead and thankful to find none. She was well aware of Thea’s temper when she didn’t feel she was given the adoration she felt she deserved. “This is not good.”

  “Will you have her sign a book for me?” Irma asked, as Jazz climbed out of the car.