by Dyan Chick
Feeling utterly depressed, I left the pickup and followed Jason inside the casino.
Flashing lights greeted me as we walked through rows of slot machines that assaulted the senses. It was color overload and I couldn't imagine how much more intense it was when they had customers pushing the buttons and making the machines compete in a cacophony of sound.
Behind the slot machines were a few craps tables and some tables for black jack. To my right, a roped off area held six poker tables. This part of the casino was calm and quiet. The smooth green felt-lined tables seemed to hum with expectation as they waited for players.
A bar and a stage completed the space, making it a rather small but well-appointed casino. They had a little bit of everything.
Jason paused in front of a door and swiped a keycard against a gray square mounted on the wall and after a clicking sound, he opened the door.
I walked in, while he held the door for me, and immediately felt like we'd entered a sensory deprivation chamber. Compared to the colors and lights of the casino floor, the white walls and white tile floor of the back hallway was like going under water and cutting off your senses from the outside world. I took a deep breath just to calm myself.
We turned down another hall and I relaxed a bit when I caught sight of Cody, Gage, and Miles sitting in what looked like a break room.
A pair of white folding tables filled the middle of the room surrounded by padded folding chairs. A counter with a sink, a coffee pot, and a basket of snacks ran the length of one side of the room. Vending machines and a refrigerator that was making far too loud of a buzzing noise were on the opposite wall. A few scattered magazines and notepads were in the middle of the table.
"Did you two arrive here together?" Cody asked, drawing out his vowels in a sing-song way.
"Yes," I said. "But not in the way you are insinuating," I said.
"We stopped to visit the vampires on our way here," Jason said.
"I knew you'd already made a decision about this," Gage said.
"If you have a reasonable objection, I'll hear it," Jason said.
"But you did already decide, right?" Cody asked.
"Yes," Jason said, taking the seat at the head of the table.
I left a chair between us and took a seat. Cody grabbed the chair to my right and Gage settled in on my left, between Jason and me. Miles remained standing, leaning up against the counter top.
"What's the job?" Cody asked.
"No job," Jason said. "Not like that, anyway."
"So it's legit?" Gage asked, sounding surprised.
"Not exactly," Jason said.
Gage laughed. "I knew you couldn't stay on the straight and narrow for long."
I frowned and something clawed at my insides. I wanted to smack Gage for the way he was talking to Jason. I wanted to defend him. But I ignored it. This wasn't my place and Jason wasn't mine, even if I wanted him to be. I knew they'd done things that weren't legal. Most supernaturals I knew were like that. It was too easy to play dirty when you were worried about hiding from humans your whole life.
"They want to host a vampire poker tournament here. All under the table. We get a fifteen percent cut," he tossed the envelope on the table, "plus bonuses."
Gage grabbed the envelope and opened it, revealing the bills stuffed inside. He raised his brow. "Nice bonus. Gotta be at least ten grand in here."
"Fifteen," Jason said.
"And what are we talking for buying in to this thing?" Cody asked.
"All heavy hitters," Jason said. "Minimum buy ins are being set by the vamps, but it'll make our current big fish look like tadpoles."
"I don't see a problem with it," Gage said.
"Other than the fact that the point of this business was to go legit," Miles said.
I smiled at him. He was still the voice of reason in the pack.
"Jason," Gage said, setting down the envelope. "You gotta tell them."
"Tell us what?" Cody asked.
Jason looked down at his hands. His tell before dropping bad news. It was clear he didn't want to say what he had to tell them.
I fidgeted in my chair, as if I was feeling the discomfort of his internal battle. I was surprised they didn't know the extent of the threat on the business, but I supposed I shouldn't be. That was so Jason. Hiding things to keep his friends from having to deal with the stress. If only he knew just how similar we were in that regard. It was the exact same reason why I'd left. To spare him the pain. Or was it to spare myself?
Either way, I could help him here. I stood, my hands pressed on the table for support. "The bank is going to take the casino if we don't get the payments caught up. We're behind on the mortgage and this is the only solution. I don't like it either, but I can help keep the game out of the public eye."
"So you're officially back, are you?" Cody asked, ignoring the information.
"That's what you got out of that?" I asked.
He shrugged. "It's the part that matters. I mean, if you say we're in trouble and we can fix it this way, Jason, we're with you, aren't we?"
The others nodded.
"Especially if it means we get to keep Angie around, right?" Cody said.
"Get vamps to pay off our mortgage and we get our siren returned to us?" Gage said. "How the hell did we get so lucky?"
"You're not all pissed at me?" I asked.
"Angie is in charge of all this. You all need to get to work." Jason stood and walked out of the room.
"Jason!" I called after him.
Gage grabbed my hand. "Let him go. He'll get over it soon enough."
"But I—" I tugged my hand away, then shook my head. "He's impossible."
"Yeah, we know," Gage said.
I sat back down, feeling defeated. "None of you are mad at me for taking off? Did he explain the note I left?"
"Not really," Gage said. "But you're family. We let you in and we always forgive family. Even Jason'll come around eventually, you'll see."
"I hope so." The words surprised me and I bit down on my lip to keep from saying anything else. I hadn't come here to get him back, but being around him was making it so difficult to resist. I had to get him to listen to the truth.
"Well, now that that's settled," Cody said. "We better get to work. Angie, what's your spin on all this?"
Sixteen
Angie
A shiver ran down my spine as I pressed the doorbell. I couldn't believe I was meeting a vampire, alone, at his nest. If Jason had even spoken one word to me all day, I might have skipped the date. Instead, I worked with Cody, Gage, and Miles on ordering supplies, renting furniture and converting the basement storage area into a suitable poker room.
Draven answered the door. He was dressed in dark jeans and a nicely fitting tee-shirt that showed off the curve of the muscles in his chest and accentuated his biceps. Whatever he'd done in his human life, it had left him ripped for the afterlife. Lucky bastard. Some of the vampires I'd met hadn't been as fortunate.
He smiled, lips together to prevent his fangs from showing. It was generally seen as a polite gesture to avoid showing fangs until you knew how your guest felt about them. The effort, despite the fact that he'd shown me his fangs in our meeting, made me feel more comfortable.
"Welcome, Angie." He inclined his head in a tiny bow, then swept his arm to the side, inviting me in. "The others are away for the evening so it's just the two of us."
"I hope I'm not causing an inconvenience to your family," I said as I crossed the threshold.
"I haven't had female company in twenty-two years. They were rather eager to leave," he said.
"Oh." I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Was he taking this date more seriously than I imagined? He seemed smart enough to know it was accepted out of my frustration toward Jason. I honestly thought that was part of the appeal for him too.
He took a few steps into the house. "Would you like to join me for a drink? I've set out some food in the kitchen, too. Star picked it out. I hope it's adequate
. I haven't eaten human food in a few centuries."
"And I talk too much when I'm nervous," he said with a laugh.
I smiled, feeling more at ease than I expected. "I'd love some food and a drink."
He guided me to a large kitchen with a granite island lined with the plushest barstools I'd ever seen. They were padded with half-backs on them. And they were all white. Bold choice for a house full of creatures that drank blood for survival.
On the island were several trays of snacks, including a fruit tray, a glass plate full of Oreo cookies, and several kinds of fancy cheese on a cheese board surrounded by crackers. Star had good taste. "The cookies are a nice touch."
"She says they're the most popular human cookie," he said as he poured dark red wine into two glasses.
"Might be," I said. "I've never looked into the statistics regarding cookies."
He handed me a glass of wine and I took a large gulp, trying to cover the awkwardness I was feeling. Who the fuck makes conversations around cookies?
"You can relax," Draven said. "I know you're here to prove a point to that stupid werewolf."
I nearly spit out my wine.
"Please, darling, you're not my type, but it seems like you need a fried who's not a member of the pack." He took a sip of his wine. "To be honest, between you and Jason, he's much more what I'm looking for in a partner."
"Because he's a shifter or because he's a he?" I asked.
He raised his glass in salute. "I love this century. You didn't even bat an eye when you asked that. He's not exactly my type, either, but I do prefer men. I've had my share of ladies, but after being around for as long as I have, I no longer go after things I don't really, really want."
"That makes sense," I said. "You should be a motivational speaker."
"People don't listen until they are ready to hear it," he said. "Most of us know exactly what we need to do but we won't take advice unless it's the answer we wanted to hear."
I sipped my wine again, realizing I was going to need a lot more to get through this night. "So this is an intervention, isn't it?"
"Something like that. Now, dear," he set down his glass, "tell me everything."
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"Clearly not to Jason," he said, brow furrowing. He almost looked human in that moment. The sympathy in his expression was so relatable.
I took a deep breath. "You really want to hear all of this?"
He nodded.
I hadn't told anyone about this and it was kind of a relief to get it out there. Even if it was to a vampire I'd just met. "Alright, here goes. I think I'm cursed or something. Every man I've slept with has ended up dead. That's why I'm here. I caved and hooked up with a guy a few days ago and when I woke up, he was in my bed, dead."
"That is a problem," he said.
"Tell me about it," I said. "I tried not to. But it had been three years and I just went for it. I mean, usually the guys die within a few weeks so I never knew for sure that it was connected. It could have just been incredibly bad luck."
"So that's why you can't be with Jason?" he asked. "Someone told me you two were close once."
"We share a mating bond," I said, then took another gulp of my wine.
Draven's eyes widened. "That does complicate things."
"I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb around him. Whenever we're together, I want to rip his clothes off." I grimaced. "Sorry, TMI?"
"Never," he said. "You'd be amazed what I've heard over the years."
"Yeah, I can see that. And now I want to hear some of your stories," I said.
"You first," he said. "A mating bond isn't something you should run away from. Ever. If I ever felt that bond, I know I'd do whatever it took to be with that person."
I looked down at the liquid in my glass as tangled emotions fought to surface. I had given up. I was the one who walked away. But I also didn't want anything bad to happen to Jason.
"Wait," Draven said. "Does he know? Does he feel the bond, too?"
I looked up at Draven. "Yes."
"We're fixing this now." Draven pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.
"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice high pitched.
"I'm sorry, Angie. But the two of you have to fix this." He tapped on the screen, texting someone.
"Draven..."
His phone dinged and he read the message than looked back up at me. "You might want to finish that. Jason's on his way over."
"Fuck, Draven, why did you do that?" I asked.
"Because the two of you are acting like children. And despite Jason's prejudices toward vampires, we're not all bad. Some of us are hopeless romantics who happen to be very, very bored."
I clenched my teeth, furious with him. "You shouldn't have done that."
He poured more wine into my glass. "But I did. Get over it."
Draven was kind of an asshole. And I kind of liked that about him. He wasn't making excuses for the way he was, he just was. It was refreshing, actually. Especially after spending most of my life around humans who were constantly wearing different faces in different situations. I had a feeling Draven never held back. Maybe we could be friends.
I lifted my glass to drink more and noticed that Draven had his glass up in salute. I clinked my glass against his. "To tough love."
"To tough love," he said.
We both took a drink and I caught the hint of a smile. I definitely think we can be friends.
Seventeen
Jason
My cell phone chimed and I jumped, both hoping and not hoping it was Angie. I knew I should have said something to her today, but I couldn't do it. I wanted her with me and if she was going to keep me at arm's length it was too painful to be around her. It was easier to avoid her.
I turned my phone over and my brow furrowed at the message. It was from Draven. What the fuck did he want? I bared my teeth at the screen as I opened the message as if he would be able to sense my anger through the rectangular device. If he was texting me to brag about fucking my ex, I really was going to kill him.
Come over. Angie needs you.
That wasn't what I was expecting. For a split second, I considered ignoring the message. What if it was a trick? What if Angie was hurt? What if Draven bit her? I wanted to believe that it would serve her right for meeting up with a vampire but the thought that Angie was in trouble made my adrenaline spike and I was on my feet, tugging on a shirt before I could finish thinking about my actions.
Quickly, I texted back, On my way.
Once I was in my truck, my pulse evened out and I was able to think a bit more clearly. I was still going to Draven's. I would help Angie if she needed help, but this had to stop. She was either going to have to work things out with me or she had to leave. I couldn't go back and forth like this forever. It was painful and made me feel weak. I didn't like that. And I didn't like that I'd responded to a vampire so quickly, potentially falling into whatever trap he'd set for me. I shook my head. That made no sense. If he wanted to see me, he didn't need to involve Angie. He was already paying me. I frowned. There was nothing good about this. I didn't want to be indebted to Draven and I didn't want Angie around him.
By the time I arrived at Draven's, I had settled on storming in, temper raging, tossing around as many threats as I could. But Angie was waiting for me at the door and everything felt like it was crashing down around me like a wave, throwing me under.
I paused, blinking at her in the dark like a lunatic.
She was illuminated by soft flickering candlelight. Her long brown hair moved slightly in the breeze, framing her face. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at me, her lower lip pulled in on one side as she bit down on it. She was just as beautiful as I remembered. Just as beautiful as I wouldn't let myself forget. How had I managed to stay mad at her for so long?
Clearing my throat, I broke the trance and tried to remember why I was here. I knew I needed Angie. There wasn't anything I could do to change that. What I didn't know was why I wa
s getting text messages from an ancient vampire while she was supposed to be on a date with him.
"Hi," Angie said.
I walked closer to her and I noticed that her cheeks were flushed. Instantly, I went into defense mode. "Are you alright? Where is he? I'll kill him if he hurt you."
She giggled.
Angie wasn't the kind of girl who giggled. It was unnerving. "What's going on, Ange?"
"I told him not to send you a message, but he's trixy," she said.
"Trixy?" I asked. "Are you drunk?"
She held up her finger and thumb, making a little gap in between them. "A little bit."
I shook my head. Leave it to Angie to get herself in a position like this. At least Draven had the good sense to call me instead of taking advantage of her. I walked into the house and Angie followed me.
"Draven, where are you?" We needed to have some words. I might not be able to control Angie, nobody could, but how the hell had he gotten her drunk in such a short time? It was barely nine. She'd been here an hour if she was on time.
I heard the door slam behind me and turned with a start.
Angie was leaning against it, a mischievous smile on her lips. "He's gone. He said we had to talk. I tried to tell him no, no, no, but he wouldn't let me."
"Fuck, Angie, you're wasted." I'd never seen her like this before. I knew she was a lightweight, and we'd had drinks lots of times together, but she was smart. She stopped herself before it got too far.
"Did he put something in your drink?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I know I had too much, but I was nervous about seeing you."
My chest tightened. I'd been a real dick to her since she arrived in town. How many times was I going to make her tell me she was sorry when we both knew we didn't stand a chance of avoiding each other? Especially if she was staying here. I knew I should send her away, it was the only way I could keep her out of my life, but the mating bond was making my head fuzzy just by being in the same room as her. Especially since I knew we were alone. "Why would Draven set this up?"