Royal Vampire Kingdom - The Complete Collection: Quick & Dirty Paranormal

by Ivy Banks

  Chapter 2

  Lucas Hanover sat in his lavish office and turned on his computer to look at the security cameras of his club. The green-flecks in his hazel eyes were alight as he watched the live security footage with alarm.

  That can’t be what I think it is, he thought, glancing at the other camera screens to see if anyone else had noticed.

  There was no immediate activity and he gritted his teeth together. He reached for the radio and pressed the outcall button.

  “Steve, cams six and eight… Do you see what’s happening inside the champagne lounge?” he asked, his voice a deep monotone that did not reflect the annoyance he was feeling. “Tiffany has gone too far this time. Break it up! Immediately!”

  “Copy that, Mr. Hanover,” came Steve’s lackadaisical response.

  Lucas cringed as he watched Tiffany pull her mouth from the brown haired man as she finished him off with a few strokes of her hand. The second man, a blond guy, pulled out from Tiffany and rubbed his liquid pearls over Tiffany’s back and onto the red velvet couch.

  Just fucking great, thought Lucas. Now I will have to replace that couch. I’m taking it out of her pay.

  Lucas sat back and watched as his guards swarmed the champagne lounge. He smiled in satisfaction, watching them cross their arms sternly as they waited for Tiffany and the two men to put their clothes back on.

  He would not tolerate prostitution in his clubs. He had too many good employees to have one bad one ruin it for everybody. Plus, he had a standing policy that anybody who caused trouble was immediately kicked out, high rollers or not.

  In seconds, the offenders were escorted out of the club through the back exit, a policy put in place so as to not upset the clients or the dancers. The manager would have to give Tiffany her last paycheck, and he shot off a text directing him to do so. As the owner, Lucas was glad he didn’t have to deal with her.

  His eyes switched to the main stage camera where Amberlyn had set up, the boa constrictor writhing sensually over her curvy frame. Lucas had no interest in the show, only in the security of his clubs, but he was glad that the recent expulsion hadn’t caused a stir and upset the live exotic animal dangerously encircling his employee.

  He switched the camera to another stage where Penelope performed. I wish all of my employees could be like her. She’s beautiful, smart, and she follows the rules.

  His eyes lingered on her longer than he intended. Lucas had always had a soft spot for Penelope.

  “Crisis averted, Mr. Hanover,” the head of security announced through the walkie-talkie. Lucas didn’t bother to respond. He wondered what would have happened if he had not mentioned the incident.

  It should have been averted earlier, Lucas thought with annoyance. He had sunk endless amounts of money into training his security staff to be able to detect potential troublemakers—whether that was his dance staff or patrons.

  Lucas reasoned it was his own fault. He allowed the security staff too much leeway over the years. They knew that Lucas spent a great deal of time checking out the cameras, so his head of security apparently didn’t feel the need to watch the cameras as closely. It was not an excuse though. They still had jobs to do and apparently, they were slacking.

  After what happened at The Kingdom last week, we need to be more cautious, Lucas told himself. Something like that happening with a full staff present is unheard of. And Nevada is an open carry state.

  He was still trying to piece together how the hell they got away with it. It was not that there weren’t enough security guards on duty; as he could see it now it was more likely that his men were getting lazy and neglecting their posts.

  I need to call a security meeting and go over all the protocols again.

  “Steve, come in here,” Lucas said into the radio.

  “Copy that, boss.”

  A moment later, Steve appeared outside the office door, rapping gently. Recognizing him on the external camera, Lucas buzzed him inside the metal security portal.

  “Nice catch on the camera. I’m shocked that Tiffany did that. Those guys were smugger than all hell,” the head of security announced, strolling inside. “But thankfully not carrying.”

  “Why wasn’t someone keeping an eye on the champagne lounge?” Lucas asked evenly. “You know how important that is. It’s quite obvious Tiffany was a willing participant, but I never want any of my employees to be put in danger. It’s absolutely unacceptable that any of this happened.”

  Steve grinned cunningly at the club owner. “Oh, come on, Lucas. This is Vegas. It’s all legal, right?”

  Lucas ran a hand through his white-blond hair and stared intently at the overweight bouncer. “No Steve,” Lucas replied sternly. “This is a gentlemen’s club. We don’t allow prostitution—even if it’s legal.”

  Do they believe that I am so money hungry that I would sacrifice employee safety for a few extra bucks? Or the reputation of my clubs? So that’s what my security staff thinks of me...

  He hoped that wasn’t the case because it wasn’t true; he genuinely cared about the welfare of his people, despite the somewhat questionable terms of their job descriptions.

  “Steve, your job is not just to make sure the rules are followed. It’s also about imposing safety standards. I know that you were on vacation when we were robbed at The Kingdom last week, and you didn’t see the full brunt of the destruction or the aftermath, but believe me, we do not want a replay here. I am only going to tell you one time, get a better handle on your security team.”

  “Sorry boss,” Steve answered with an appropriate amount of shame. “How much did they get away with last week anyway?”

  “About twenty grand. But I don’t care about that,” Lucas replied, sitting back, staring at Steve pensively. “They beat up my bartender and one of the dancers.”

  “Have you figured out why security wasn’t able to stop them yet?” Steve asked.

  “I’m working with police detectives to conduct a thorough investigation, but the basics seem to be that the intruders were armed and not afraid to use their weapons. They came in with guns blazing and I’m assuming human nature prevailed and the security staff felt scared and outgunned,” Lucas intoned. “But we need to be more vigilant than ever. Your guys need to be hyper aware of every single thing that is happening at this club, or in any of my clubs that you’re working at. We need to predict every incident before it happens and see every bad intention stirring around in a drunk patron’s mind. Use your training on body language and keep this club safe. Do I make myself clear?”

  Steve swallowed and nodded quickly.

  “To ensure that we’re all on the same page, I’ll be calling a staff meeting tomorrow so we can go over the security protocol for every situation. It seems like everyone around here forgot that we have a particular way of doing things.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Steve said brightly, but his cheeriness fell under the scathing look on his boss’ face.

  “I shouldn’t have to tell you where there’s trouble in this club. You should be on it before I see anything. If you weren’t good at your job I would never have hired you, but Steve, if I have to tell you this again, it will be in your exit interview.”

  Again, the overweight man nodded shifting his eyes downward.

  “Okay, get back to work.”

  Steve hurried from the office, leaving Lucas to watch the cameras again.

  Lucas owned four clubs in Las Vegas and two in Miami Beach. He spent most of his time in Nevada, sometimes making his way to Florida, but he found the brunt of his business was contained in the eighty thousand square feet he owned between his properties on West Sahara and West Flamingo off the main strip.

  The robbery had come as shock to Lucas, who had always maintained exceptionally high standards for the safety of his dancers and patrons. He had reason to suspect that the heist had been an inside job as there was no other reason Lucas could imagine that anyone in their right mind would target a place with openly armed bouncers. And
the people who had pulled off the robbery were obviously not two-bit meth head criminals; they were pros.

  Adding to his suspicion was the fact that the security had been locked out of the main office and the thieves had managed to make their escape through a little-known tunnel inside the secured back room. Unfortunately, this was not before seriously injuring two of his staff.

  Those fools picked the wrong business to hit, Lucas had thought at the time, shaking his head at the stupidity of such a stunt. Vegas was a small town, despite its influx of tourism. He would learn who had hit him sooner or later and the retribution would be devastating. He would personally see to that.

  As Lucas mentioned to Steve, it had little to do with the money. He regularly spent twenty thousand dollars on impulsive shopping sprees. If not for the abuse the two assailants had administered to his employees, and the destruction they had done by shooting up his building, he would likely have forgotten the entire incident, writing it off as a cost of doing business. But they had made a show of it and Lucas did not appreciate the theatrical gesture.

  Which reminded him; Lucas glanced at his diamond-studded Rolex. It was getting late and he wanted to visit his employees in the hospital before visiting hours were over. He had been there every day since the robbery. It was important that they knew he was taking care of everything.

  It’s hard enough for these girls without something like this happening, Lucas thought miserably.

  He checked out the camera footage one last time and sighed. Another altercation, a verbal one, had broken out by the bar and his female bartender was trying to break it up before it escalated into blows.

  He snatched up the radio and barked into it.

  “Steve! Fight at the main bar!”

  “Copy.”

  He paused at the door to ensure that his bartender was unharmed and that the bouncers closed in before exiting the office.

  I’m going to need to do something about this before something bad happens here too.

  Chapter 3

  Penelope’s dark hair cascaded in tumbling waves over her shoulders as she slowly sashayed around the pole at the center of the stage. She fixated her dark brown eyes on the man directly in front of her, suddenly dropping to her knees in a crawl. Inwardly, she savored the wide-eyed look of embarrassment the kid had as his friends elbowed him in the ribs mockingly.

  Penelope had been a dancer for three years and the fun of the show never diminished, no matter how many times she flipped around the brass rail.

  Licking her lips, she drew closer to him, staring deeply into his eyes and she wondered if he had ejaculated in his pants yet.

  He certainly looks like he has and I’m pretty sure I’d know that look anywhere, Penelope chuckled to herself, maintaining her steadfast gaze on the man-child.

  “Tip her, Raj, tip her!” his friends hooted and the young man fumbled for a five-dollar bill to stick in Penelope’s red sequined bra top. She winked at him, backing up slightly as she rolled gracefully onto her six-inch stilettos, spinning easily to take on the pole.

  She wrapped her muscular legs around the cold steel, inching her way upward as naturally as a snake wrapping its way around a tree trunk; she moved effortlessly. Closing her eyes, she threw her head back, using only her powerful thighs to secure herself to the pole, caressing her body as if the metal between her legs was a sex toy bringing her to explosive release.

  “Nobody fucking move!” The voice rang out loudly over the hypnotic beat of the R&B song accompanying Penelope’s sensual routine. Then, a gun shot was fired.

  She recognized the voice she thought, but the surreal feeling of the moment made it impossible to identify. A brief second passed with only bass pounding through the club, the patrons falling eerily silent before pandemonium rang out. Shrieks and screams filled Penelope’s ears.

  Her dark brown eyes flew open and she stared, mouth agape at the two masked intruders, wielding machine guns slightly to her left. The kid front and center had dropped below the stage, his hands over his head.

  Gasping, she collapsed to the floor of the stage, cowering in fear as one of the two robbers allowed for a spray of bullets to litter the ceiling of the club. Glass shattered to the ground and more cries rang out from the dancers and patrons alike.

  “Nobody fucking move!” the second, bigger masked man yelled again.

  He pointed the weapon directly at the crowd while his cohort scampered toward the bartender.

  Oh shit, not again.

  One of her dancer friends at The Kingdom had told her about the robbery there last week and what had been done to the bartender and dancer.

  Oh, dear God, please just let them take the money and get the hell out this time. No one needs to get hurt.

  “Get in the office,” the smaller one barked at Angel, the beautiful blonde bartender. Angel nodded and turned toward the back, but the robber stopped. On what seemed like a whim, he turned to the stage and Penelope could see his eyes raking over her body through this balaclava.

  “You too,” he growled at her. “In the office.”

  She froze, unable to cooperate, until he raised the gun aiming it directly at her face.

  Nothing is going to happen if you just do what they say. Angel needs you. Don’t panic and no one will get hurt.

  Penelope was suddenly unsteady on the heels that had become second nature to her over the years.

  Don’t fall, don’t make a scene, just keep it together. If you think, you can find your way out of this safely.

  Angel, the petite bartender, hurried toward the back of the club while the thug pushed the butt of his firearm against Penelope, forcing her along.

  “Hurry up!” he snarled. “Let’s go!”

  She did not argue, but her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She tried to look about for security, but she did not see one bouncer.

  Did they kill the guards? Penelope swallowed a scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. They hadn’t killed anyone at The Kingdom, but maybe this time they weren’t taking any chances.

  Penelope couldn’t think about that. She needed to remain calm.

  They made their way through the small back hallway to the security room door at the end where Angel fumbled for her keys.

  “Move faster!” the smaller masked man screamed and Angel whimpered. The man then looked at Penelope. “If you even think of doing anything stupid, I’ll kill her right in front of you.”

  “It’s okay,” Penelope called out, hoping to calm the near hysterical woman. “You’re doing great.”

  Her compassion was rewarded with a backhanded slap to the face.

  “Shut up!”

  Penelope gasped and touched her cheek, tasting blood in her mouth.

  Angel finally managed to open the locked door and the robber shoved both women inside. He glanced at the security cameras to ensure that his partner still had the front under control and Penelope prayed silently that someone had manage to call the police undetected.

  “Open the safe!” he ordered and Angel moaned.

  “I don’t know the combination,” she whispered, her grey eyes lit with fear.

  “Yes, you do!” he snapped, raising the gun.

  Angel shook her head. “No, I don’t!” she cried.

  Penelope knew that she was telling the truth. She had worked with the seasoned bartender long enough to know that she would not risk their lives for a few bucks.

  “Open the goddamn safe, Angel!”

  Both women stopped in shock. He knew Angel’s name. He knew them both, she was sure of it, and Penelope was now trying desperately trying to place his voice.

  This one doesn’t sound familiar. The other one definitely did. But do I know this one?

  Angel shook her head again. “Mr. Hanover changed the combination after the robbery at The Kingdom and I no longer have access to it. He’s the only one with access to the safe now,” she whispered. “I swear to God! I would do it otherwise.”

  The gunmen barraged Angel wi
th curse words, and in his anger, threw several objects within his grasp across the room. He grabbed a chair, and it inadvertently hit Angel, instantly knocking her unconscious.

  Penelope gasped aloud and tried to back away as he advanced on her.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait for Hanover to get back, won’t we?” he leered and Penelope felt her heart stop. “Whatever will we do while we’re waiting?”

  “Don’t,” she hissed. “Don’t touch me!”

  But he was already on her, his free hand reaching for her G-string, pulling her toward him roughly.

  “I’m not planning to leave here empty handed, so until we figure out the money thing, I’m going to take something I’ve always wanted,” he leered.

  “Who are you?” she gasped, willing herself not to cry.

  If this is going to happen, I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry, she vowed.

  Without warning, her attacker was jerked up into the air by a large, strong hand around his neck. The gun was ripped out of his hand, as the attacker clawed desperately to break free from the suffocating grip. Penelope stared in shock. Her attacker’s eyes rolled back in his head as the man who had just saved her choked the life out of him.

  Good, die! Penelope screamed in her thoughts, silently cheering on her unexpected savior. She was too scared to make a sound, but her emotions raged. Penelope turned to look at his face and realized it was Lucas Hanover…except he was someone else.

  His face was an eerie shade of white and the green of his eyes were glowing a surreal unnatural light. As his fingers continued to press on the robber’s windpipe, incisors grew to long, pointed tips, jabbing into blood red lips. A fine red line trickled down the corners of his mouth and Penelope had never been more aroused or terrified in her life.

  In slow motion, Penelope turned her dark eyes back to the dying man, who was almost levitating in Lucas’ single hand. Before she could register what she was seeing, she watched as his almost lifeless fingers curled around the trigger of an extra gun hidden in his waistband, sending a spray of bullets into Lucas Hanover.