Romancing Austin
Page 41
“Can’t you sell it at the concerts?”
He nodded toward the party, but didn’t move forward, content to argue in the hallway for another moment. “Rich people—really rich people looking for a good time—are in there. Look, they’re going to buy it from somebody. Might as well be me. Just keep walking toward the door.” He kissed her forehead with the complicated affection they shared, somewhere between friends, family, and ex-lovers. “I don’t want to lose you. CoVIn moving their HQ here has brought all the weird-asses to Austin. We’ve got voodoo witches crawling the place for Loa-Con. The number of poachers keeps growing as it gets harder and harder to hide our existence. The Liberi are organized now under their new leader. That vampire you were with last night? He’s got CoVIn to watch his six. At least I’m assuming he’s CoVIn if you were seeing him.”
“Of course he is.”
“You need somebody watching your back too. I don’t care if you aren’t proud of who we are or what we do—”
“It’s not like that.”
The frustrated sorrow in his voice stung her heart. “Sure looks like it to me. It doesn’t matter, though, what you want. We’re who you have.”
She’d hurt his feelings and hadn’t meant to. The choices people had to make in this flawed world were too complicated for her to judge anyone. Sometimes, when she thought about it too much, the hopelessness of it all crushed her. “I don’t blame you for what you do.”
His breath huffed out. “Yeah. You’re just too good to do it too.”
“My parents are going to get killed by the trade. I don’t want any part of their deaths.”
He looked at the floor, then back to her. His eyes were harder than she’d ever seen them. “You’re probably right. But that’s not my fault. When we were kids, did you ever hear me say, ‘Hey, I want to be a dealer.’ Never. I wanted to be an astronaut. First jaguar in space. Remember?”
She nodded, a small smile on her face at so many memories of lying beneath the stars with him, pondering what was out there. He had a crazy vast knowledge of the cosmos and could name dozens—maybe hundreds—of stars and knew how long it took the light to reach the Earth from each one.
“But one day you look around, and you see how few options you have. And you do the best you can with what’s in front of you. I’ve tried my damnedest to keep you out as much as I could, but in doing so I sealed myself in. You don’t want to be my girl anymore. Fine. I don’t like it, but I’ll respect it because I don’t have a choice. I rarely ask anything in return for all we’ve done for each other, but I’m asking now. Get me into the party. And then go be whoever you want. Drink yourself silly, flirt with rich guys, go be some douchebag rock star’s pussy for the night, however you want to raise yourself so high above my gangbanger’s ass while I do my job and keep you safe. But you will get me into that party.”
With every word from his mouth, she wanted to sink further into the carpet. He was right. She was at least part of the reason he’d gone into the business in the first place. They were at the condo, and he’d already purchased his supply. Next month, she’d see what she could do differently, but for now… She nodded. “Let’s go.” She strode toward the bouncer. Her ex-boyfriend was carrying half a kilo of cocaine, probably in the deepest pockets a tent-sized pair of pants could have. She gave her name to the bouncer, and he smiled knowingly at them with barely a glance at his list. Yeah, buddy. The Latinos are here bringing the drugs. Racism sucked.
It sucked huge donkey balls when the asshole was right.
Miguel smiled at the happening party all around them. He would enjoy himself tremendously tonight, eat the food, sell a bundle, maybe take a girl home with him—as long as she wasn’t high on his product.
He’d probably take Sofia if she asked him. At least, he would once his quota was met. They’d been good, but after last night, Sofia had a hard time seeing herself with anybody but Alex.
Sex with Alex was sublime. And she was never going to have it again. Sadness for what couldn’t be made the lights seem dim and the music far away.
Miguel broke her reverie with a hand to her cheek. “Thanks, mija. You’re clear for the month. If you need a ride home later, you let me know, okay?” Yup, he’d take her home or take her to bed, whichever she asked.
“Nah. You have fun. Find somebody pretty.”
He studied her for a moment, then nodded, a touch of sadness in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to be so hard on you.”
“I deserved it.”
“No way. You’re too sweet for me to get after. Shame on me.” He winked. “Have fun at the party.” He started to turn away, ready to do his job.
She caught his sleeve. He looked at her, and the touch of hope in his eyes made her feel even shittier. “The host just got through rehab. According to the gossip columns, he’s got to stay sober or lose his contract.”
With a frustrated puff of air, Miguel rolled back on his heels. “I’m not his mama. I won’t push anything on him, but you’re crazy if you think I won’t sell to him. It’s his choice. Not mine.” He jerked his wrist from her hand and disappeared into the crowd.
That had gone well.
She’d been looking forward to Dex Reed’s party for weeks. Now she wanted to find a corner and cry.
—
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Cash stood barefoot on his front stoop with a piece of fudge in one hand and a shiny sword casually dangling from the other. Because of course Cash Geirson answered his door with a sword. He looked Alex over with a frown.
Alex probably deserved the disapproval. Six hours ago, he’d woken, drunk a bottle of blood, and started to decode Sofia’s note from yesterday. When he finally did, he’d panicked and rushed to Cash’s place. “They’re making her sell drugs.”
Cash sucked chocolate casually off his fingers. “I have no idea what you’re talking about or why it applies to me, but by all means, come in.” He waved the sword in welcome and popped the last of the fudge into his mouth.
Alex walked past him and shook his decoded notes. “That’s why she was panicking.”
“Your date yesterday?”
“Yes.” Suddenly it dawned on Alex that he had no reason to be here at Cash’s raving about Sofia’s problems—except he had nowhere else to go. No friends, no family. Nothing. As far as he could tell, Cash was a sort of idiot savant, swinging through life and somehow always landing on top, but anyone who managed to land on top for over a thousand years had to have something going for them. So Alex had come here.
Cash shoved the sword into Alex’s hand. “What do you think of this?”
Alex glanced at the weapon. “It’s nice. I don’t know why I came here.”
“Because Sofia Velasquez, a very sweet woman whom you have a hard-on for, was upset yesterday and wouldn’t tell you why. So you glanced at one of her personal notes, memorized it, and read it in your head. I suppose it said the pack has offered her a job running coke to pay off pack dues, which would only happen if she was having money problems. You want to help her but have no money to pay off Marcos and can’t take on the entire Texas jaguar pack by yourself in a fight.”
Alex swung the sword in anger at the unjustness of her situation. The sword felt good in his hand. “Yes. That’s it.” He paused and thought over their conversation so far. “How did you figure out so much based on what I said?” Maybe Cash wasn’t as much of an idiot as he’d assumed. That still didn’t mean the general of CoVIn’s military had any reason to help him. Alex looked at the sword, screwing his focus to the inlaid hilt to help him find his calm. He had to think. “This is really beautiful work.”
“My housemate’s a blacksmith. Do you know how to use one of those or are you a dueling, poke-poke kind of fighter?” Cash mimicked the fencing style popular in Alex’s own time, mostly thrusts with a thin blade.
“I can fight with either. These are more useful against immortals.” A dime-sized poke to the chest could kill a human. A vampire would laugh. He flipped Cas
h’s Viking-style sword around and offered the hilt. “I’m sorry. I should not be here bothering you. I’m sure you have better things to do on a Friday night than listen to me.”
Cash leaned against the stair rail in his massive entrance and didn’t take the sword. “You’ve been working with my team. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t come to me.”
Hope made Alex stand taller. “So you’ll help?”
Cash frowned. “I can’t stop Sofia from joining the business. That’s her choice. And I doubt she’ll take a handout from either of us.”
That was not helpful. Sofia was unhappy. Alex needed to fix it. To fight her battle or slay her dragons or whatever she needed to smile again. And maybe if he did a really bang-up job, they could repeat the previous night with a new ending. “Why am I here?” He snapped the sword into fighting stance then swung in frustration. It whizzed through empty air.
Then clanged.
Cash had snatched a sword from the wall to deflect the blow. The man was ridiculously fast and a better fighter than anyone Alex had ever met. Which meant Alex could swing at him with everything he had and there was no danger he’d hurt anyone.
A corner of Cash’s mouth curled up as if he could read Alex’s mind and looked forward to the fight.
Alex jammed the sword forward, sending his frustration through the thrust. “She wants me. She said so.” A swing and a parry jarred him to his shoulder. The pain felt good. “Then she kicked me out.” Feint and thrust. Cash met his every swing, neither advancing nor retreating in the massive foyer of his home. “She is miserable. And I can’t watch her be miserable.”
Cash shrugged. “Plenty of folk are miserable. Why concern yourself with her? You shouldn’t have problems finding another woman.”
Callous bastard. “I don’t want another woman.” He struck overhand.
Cash raised his sword to block, and they shoved against each other, trying to break each other down with brute force. “Why?” he grunted.
Why? Sofia was funny and smart and good with her hands. Making love to her was better than anything else the universe had to offer. He’d suspected so before and confirmed it last night. Then with the full knowledge that he’d found the right woman to pin his forever to, she’d kicked him out.
Cash shoved him backward with brutal force.
Alex stumbled… regained his footing. “I took my soul for her.” He practically shouted it.
Cash’s sword lowered. “Really? She was your motivation?”
Geirson tore through women like he was determined to make it through all 3.5 billion of them. He wouldn’t understand how one could make the rest irrelevant. “She was.”
Sure enough, his brow lifted in amusement. “You saw her for the first time at the fight and decided, ‘That. My soul for that.’”
He bristled at the use of “that” for Sofia, as if she was an object to obtain. Why had he told Cash? Now his awestruck moment would become grist for the rumor mill and fodder for jokes. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
To his surprise, Cash kept any laughter to himself as he rehung his sword on the wall. “She’s at a party with Rhiannon tonight. I can get us in.” He held his hand open for Alex’s sword. Or the sword Alex had been using. It was a good weapon, and he was strangely reluctant to hand it over.
He had to, though, so he did. “You can?”
“Of course. The universe is my oyster, and lesser men weep in envy. What do you think of the sword?”
The change of subject made him frown, but he answered honestly. “It’s exquisite. Light, strong, and perfectly balanced.”
“Vince is forging one for every member of the hirdh.”
Ah, no wonder it was so well made. Cash’s hirdh, his warrior council based on an old Viking format, were CoVIn’s military elite. It was composed entirely of the same risk-taking, charge-first warriors Cash was. Alex didn’t fight as they did. At least, not usually. He scouted his field and studied his opponent until he knew exactly where to strike. In his opinion, Cash could use a man such as him in the hirdh to make them think a little more and barrel through a little less. How amazing would it be to carry a sword crafted so perfectly and have a serious, important place in CoVIn society? It would be a dream come true.
Being Liberi-born, he’d never get the chance.
“You’re not bad with it.”
Alex scowled at what must be sarcasm. Cash had barely tried in their mock battle. “You were right earlier. I am trained in saber. I can wield a double-edged weapon with reasonable acumen, but when fighting someone who knows how to use it, I’m at a disadvantage.”
Cash shrugged. “Some lessons would correct your skill. If I got somebody to work with you, would you do it?”
Again, the military general was taking a personal interest in him. The first time Cash had spoken to him had been to consult about Liberi tactics. That made sense. Alex had been one of them. But it hadn’t been long before Cash had spoken with him regarding something unrelated to Alex’s former life. Then he’d asked him to go on a mission. “Yes, I would.”
“I’ll make the arrangements. My guess is, though, if you were going to take me out, you wouldn’t use a Viking sword. What would you come after me with?”
Another odd question. Alex thought about it for moment. “I wouldn’t go after you. I’d get Rhiannon. And your swordsmith. Weaker targets whom you rely on. If I control them, I control you.”
“Hm.” Cash’s posture stiffened, and he scowled, like the very thought angered him.
Alex shrugged. “You asked. I have no plans to do anything of the kind.”
“That’s the best answer I’ve heard. And I’m kinda pissed at you for even thinking it. Let’s go get your woman.”
6
The night air was cool on the rooftop deck, but a fire pit and a hot tub kept the intrepid souls out here warm enough. The Dexter Bryce Reed played his guitar amid adoring fans—mostly women. Sofia and Rhiannon included.
“If seventeen-year-old me knew I’d be here…” Rhiannon’s pink hair whipped about her shoulders as she shook her head in rapt wonder. She raised her shot glass.
“¡Arriba!” they said, clicking shot glasses high. “¡Abajo!” They clicked low. “¡Al centro!” They clicked one last time in the center. “¡Pa’ dentro!” Down the hatch.
Despite Sofia’s sadness, after the vodka burned a hot path along her throat, she giggled. She always had fun with Rhi. The girl was fearless, and she spoke fluent Spanish. For Sofia, the ability to lapse into her mother tongue without stalling the conversation was comforting.
And yet, she hadn’t told her about Miguel.
The thought put a damper on her buzz.
“What’s with you tonight?”
I’m shitty poor. I brought a drug dealer to the party. I think I’m starting a life of crime. “I sent Alex away instead of letting him spend the day.” As she said it, she realized pushing Alex away was the worst of it. It shouldn’t be. The whole crime thing should be the major downer, but she’d been around the cartel her whole life. Involvement wasn’t what she wanted, but she was trying to have hope she’d climb out. Somehow.
Losing Alex was a hole she couldn’t fill.
“Alex? Not Soul Asylum Alex? You got frisky with an ex-Liberi?”
The epithet made her smile sadly. He hated it. “That’s the one. It was pretty epic, too.” He’d murmured in French as she straddled his hips. His touch had been the best kind of naughty, stroking and teasing her into bliss while his eyes had looked on her with reverence, like holding her was a prayer made manifest. When he came yelling her name, the intensity in his voice made her realize she could keep him. This good man with his wicked hands could be hers every night.
For a split second she’d thought about telling him. He’d pay her dues—the money, so hard to come by for her, would mean nothing to him—and it would be easy. But easy didn’t mean right. If they were going to have a relationship, it couldn’t start with him paying her bills.
Sofia refocused on her friend. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s standing in the doorway looking for someone. Possibly a jaguar he made epic love to last night?”
“What?” She turned around to see where Rhiannon was looking.
“And he’s with my vampire.” Rhi rose as Cash and Alex crossed to them. “Why are you here? I’m seducing a teenage crush. It’s weird if you’re here.”
Cash snorted. “Then go forth and knock him out. You appear to be taking shots with Sofia, which is a piss-poor way of seducing a man who’s on the other side of the deck.”
Alex stood to the right of Cash’s elbow, quietly watching her. Sofia looked at the ground. Her body heated with his mere presence. She wanted to reach out and stroke the crisp fabric of his shirt, to feel his strength through the cotton. The emotions of last night, from the ecstasy of his touch to the misery of saying good-bye, struck her all at once, leaving her breathless. She couldn’t decide whether she most wanted to fling herself at him or run out the door. She settled on, “Hi.”
He took a heavy step toward her. The lost, needy look in his eyes burned into her. “Hi.”
Too close. If she wasn’t here with Miguel, she could lean into him, and he would put his arm around her shoulders, blocking the harsh wind.
Maybe she should tell him and insist he couldn’t intervene. Let him decide for himself if he could be with someone dangling a foot in the drug trade. Let him be the one to walk away over it. She eyed the balcony railing, debating whether she should drag him over there and have it out.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked, his accent thick with emotion.
She slid a little closer to him. “No.”
Behind them, Cash and Rhiannon bantered about nothing in particular. Then Cash asked, “Why is your teen fantasy following a man with clown pants?”
A prickle of fear traveled along Sofia’s spine. Sure enough, Dex was following Miguel into the apartment.