Blood Red Roulette

by Jana Denardo

  “She put my coworker in the hospital,” Arrigo replied, figuring he gained nothing by downplaying the danger.

  Luc’s blue eyes widened. “Coo-wee! So she’s the crazy ex they make into murder shows.”

  “Or slasher films,” Arrigo agreed, and Luc paled. “I never said my philosophy of grabbing what you want in life always leads to good choices.”

  Luc snorted. “Bad things still happen even when you’re careful.”

  “So they do,” Arrigo agreed, rubbing a hand along Luc’s arm.

  Luc threw his arms around Arrigo’s neck, bearing him backward as his mouth crashed against Arrigo’s. Arrigo pulled Luc tight against him, stumbling a few more steps before catching his balance. Luc trembled under his touch.

  As his mouth conquered Luc’s, Arrigo backed him against the kegs. He broke the kiss to give Luc some air, and to give his own subconscious a kick. His last few lovers had been vampires, too, where he could show his teeth and bite, which heightened things for his kind. He didn’t want Luc to have a heart attack. He nuzzled Luc’s neck, only serving to tease himself.

  “Damn,” Luc panted. “That was… damn.”

  Arrigo smiled, reaching down to fondle the obvious bulge in Luc’s battered jeans. When Luc didn’t pull away, Arrigo sank to his knees. He didn’t know how far Luc had gone before, and the dingy back room of a bar wasn’t ideal, but it did lend a naughty air to it. He plucked at Luc’s zipper pull, making him jerk.

  “Arrigo, what are….” He tossed a frightened glance toward the hallway door. “They’re right back there.”

  “The door creaks loudly, and we can’t be seen here from the doorway. We’ll have warning,” Arrigo countered, undoing Luc’s zipper. He studied Luc’s face for consent or the signal to stop. Luc nodded slightly, lust and anxiety mixing in his pretty eyes.

  Arrigo pulled Luc’s jeans and underpants to his knees, then kissed the tip of Luc’s penis, massaging his hip muscles. Arrigo sucked on the tip of Luc’s cock, and Luc’s muscles tensed under his hands: not quite the reaction Arrigo was hoping for. Luc feared getting caught.

  Undaunted, Arrigo knew he could relax him. His tongue played over Luc’s cock, and then Arrigo took it deep into his mouth, his hands alternating with toying with Luc’s testicles and spiraling up and down the shaft. He tickled his tongue against the sensitive spot just under the head as Luc played through Arrigo’s hair; a sure sign he was relaxing. The touch of Luc’s hand in his hair made Arrigo harder, his cock throbbing in its denim cage. Arrigo leaned into his touch. He could see the pulse point faintly beating in Luc’s femoral artery. Arrigo wanted to sink his teeth into his thigh, to drink while he teased.

  Suddenly Luc’s hands fell away, and Arrigo heard them clapping back against the metal kegs for support. He teetered on the edge of his control. Arrigo cupped his hand around Luc’s cock so he could turn his mouth to his balls. He kissed the wrinkled, fuzzy flesh before sucking one into his mouth, his tongue tickling against it. Arrigo did the same with the other side, leaving him trying to stifle a moan.

  Arrigo glanced upward to find Luc’s eyes closed, his body weight against the keg. He slowly slipped Luc’s cock back into his mouth, sucking at the tip again. He came, and Arrigo drank him down, Luc’s muscles trembling under his hands. He got off his knees, pulling Luc to him. He didn’t shy away from the kiss but seemed a little dazed as his hand strayed to Arrigo’s erection.

  Luc rubbed Arrigo, his eyes canting to the side. “I’ve never—”

  Arrigo kissed him again, deeply as if trying to drive the anxiety from him. Suddenly, the door at the top of the stairs opened. They couldn’t be seen where they were, but Luc jumped away, deeper into the shadows.

  “What the hell is taking you so long down there?” a man demanded to know.

  “Sorry, Da. I was cleaning up a little. I’ll be right up,” Luc said. When the door slammed shut, he yanked his zipper up. “Sorry.”

  “No, I understand. He isn’t a man I’d want you to cross,” Arrigo replied, his erection flagging.

  “I don’t know….” Luc turned to Arrigo, a fearful expression on his face. “What happens next? Do I see you again?”

  “I certainly hope so, but not here.” Arrigo nodded to the staircase, and Luc started up the steps. “I’ll find you and please do remember what I said.”

  “Huh? Oh, the woman. Okay. I’ll remember,” Luc promised.

  “If I’m not home, you can find me at Taabu and Giancarlo’s Psychic Advisement and Paranormal Investigations. It’s where I work. Oh, yeah here.” He pulled out his phone, bringing up Siobhan’s picture. “This is Siobhan, a friend of mine who’s in town. If you see her around, she’s okay.”

  “Okay.”

  “I should text this to you so you have it.”

  “Can’t. My phone don’t do that.”

  “Okay, too bad.” Arrigo didn’t risk lingering. He snuck out of the bar and headed back to his bike.

  Well, that had been impulsive and probably stupid, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret it. And hopefully, he’d beat Siobhan home and to the shower, because she’d be able to smell Luc all over him. Arrigo did not want another lecture.

  LUC KNEW his da and brother could tell what he had done in the back room. It probably screamed in neon all over his face, but Da didn’t do more than punch his arm lightly.

  “You need to put on more muscle if it takes you that long to change a keg, peeshwank.” Da smiled a little. For him, calling Luc a runt was practically showing affection. His da seemed in a relatively good mood.

  “Sorry, Da.” Luc didn’t bother to remind him of the excuse of cleaning up a little down there. Just as well; if Da went down there, he’d know Luc lied about cleaning.

  “Henri needs to leave. Move it.” He jerked his shoulder toward the bar.

  Henri’s look could have melted the metal gating on the front door. Luc saw the reason for the death glare. His brother’s idiot friends were in the bar, and no doubt Henri wanted to goof off. He mumbled a half-assed apology as he slipped behind the bar. Henri chucked him against the bar as he left. Luc let it go and washed some of the glassware stacked around the dirty little sink.

  No one wanted a drink at the moment. Luc wished they did. He needed a distraction because all he could think about was what he’d let Arrigo do to him up against some kegs of beer, a first for him. The boredom of washing left his mind free to think about Arrigo. The most intimate thing he’d ever done with a man besides kiss was the hand job with Billy, and even that hadn’t been very good.

  He knew he’d let Arrigo do whatever he wanted to him. Luc had wanted to ever since the kiss outside the casino. He’d dreamed about it, trying not to hear the hateful words of his family, the rantings on Sunday from Father O’Brien. In his head, he could hear O’Brien’s voice, making his gut tighten. Would God really care a man had sucked on his dick?

  He hadn’t asked to be this way. Luc’d say everything about him was as God made it, but his family would argue. O’Brien would say it was the devil’s path. Luc didn’t care. It felt so good. He could still feel Arrigo’s mouth on his cock, sucking him down. Luc nearly broke a glass, squeezing it as if he could force the memory out of his brain.

  To distract himself before his dumb cock could embarrass him in public, Luc looked around the bar to see if anyone needed anything. Some bikers sat in the corner with a still half-full pitcher in front of them. Henri seemed to be teaching his new friends how to play bouree, a Cajun card game. Luc flipped channels on the TV behind the bar, trying to find a more interesting sport to watch than the current golf program but finally giving up. He didn’t like sports much besides football.

  He remembered Arrigo’s warning about the old girlfriend. It occurred to him Arrigo hadn’t given him many details about this ex. His heart raced as he realized that gave him an excuse to call Arrigo, which did nothing to help him regain control of his emotions. So Luc forced himself to think about the last practice chapter he’d read in the G
ED prep book. That was safe.

  Chapter Ten

  “WHERE SHOULD we look in a city this big?” Michael asked, rousing Arrigo from his attempted catnap against the soft silvery Italian leather of the rolled couch arm. Arrigo’d have to talk to Siobhan about letting people wander his home at noon, even if they were members of the Chiaroscuro finally there to help with the rogue. Michael was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He looked hard. His Japanese partner, Hanako, shared that edge, though she seemed more intrigued by the view out of the penthouse windows than by the matter at hand.

  Looking as sleepy as Arrigo felt, Siobhan sat at Arrigo’s dining room table on the other side of the open space that constituted the living room, dining room, and kitchen, away from the bright swath of light. Thanks to the open-concept layout—something he wasn’t sold on in spite of it being the “in thing”—the table sat extremely close to the couch.

  Michael smirked at Arrigo. “This is why I don’t like working with vampires. Are you even awake?”

  Like most werewolves Arrigo had known, Michael irritated him. “Yes, you furball.”

  Michael paced past Hanako in front of Arrigo’s living-room windows, not pausing to look at the view nor to address Arrigo’s slight on his werewolf lineage. “What can I smell in all this? Where do I even start, especially since we don’t know who we’re looking for?”

  “If I knew, I’d have gotten the rogue by now,” Arrigo said, shooting the lycanthrope a sour look. “I know she’s attacked one friend and may be after more, if she is in fact following me. It’s happened before so I’m being very cautious. Taabu will be leaving the hospital today. I have no idea if she’s safe or not. She and I talked about the attack, but all she remembers is a late-night female customer, someone new to her. The doctors say she might remember more, but that it’s common for victims not to remember traumatic details. Taabu’s sister’s a cop, and she said the same thing. There was some CCTV video, but it didn’t add much. To top it all off, I saw in the papers there was an attack at the Scarlet Kiss, a vampire club, the mortal, not-actually-a-vampire type.”

  “Really? Those still exist or did Twilight bring them back?” Hanako asked.

  Arrigo shrugged. “Don’t know. I get meals there, so it is possible someone is following me. Like I said, it wouldn’t be for the first time. If so they would know that. I don’t think I knew the victims; well maybe the bartender.”

  “And we’re not sure what happened at the Kiss has anything to do with the rogue,” Siobhan added. “The girl was hit by a bus, theoretically running away from where she stabbed the bartender in the throat. She’s dead. He’s in a coma.”

  “True, it could be a coincidence, but my gut says otherwise. I have a few other friends here, but most of them are Supernaturals. They’re not in the Chiaroscuro, but I thought they might be able to help safeguard my friends if this is in fact about me.” Arrigo glanced at Hanako. Craig said he’d send a witch or someone similar. Arrigo wondered what she could do. “If we watch my friends long enough, the rogue might return. I hoped for something more proactive. It’s been a few days since the attack, but the store has been locked up. Taabu wants to start working again the day after tomorrow. I’m not sure if going there will help you get a scent or not.”

  Michael shrugged, his burly shoulders hinting at the strength the werewolf could bring to bear even in human form. “It’s worth a try, but I think we need reinforcements.”

  “I agree. The city is too big for the four of us, especially since the sun is brutal. I’m old enough to withstand it. Siobhan can handle some of the midday sun but not much. And neither of us sees well with so much light.”

  “They should have sent at least another nonvampire,” Hanako said, staring at the view through the huge living-room window. “Or a witch whose magic isn’t dependent on trees and plants like mine. Vegas is not a place for a miko.”

  “That’s a shrine maiden, right? Sorry, I’ve spent time in Japan, but I’m not particularly knowledgeable about what a miko’s powers are,” Arrigo said.

  “Female shaman would probably be a better term. I’m not really the maiden type, and miko are often secular these days. I’m definitely secular. I suppose a wood witch would be the best term for me. Our powers differ, but as for me, I draw my magical energy from plants.” Hanako tapped the small tree branch she had in her front pocket, decorated with colorful ribbon. “My tamagushi helps me focus my powers, but there aren’t a lot of trees around here, at least not ones I’m attuned to. Also, I need to be relatively close in order to pull power from them.”

  “That’s too bad, Hanako. The rogue is probably counting on Arrigo racing after her without a plan because he’s been known to do that.” Siobhan side-eyed him.

  “Hey! I’ve been trying to be better about controlling my fiery nature ever since that incident at Woodstock.”

  Hanako cocked up her eyebrows. “You got into a fight at the peace and love mecca?”

  He chuckled. “I was high at the time.”

  “That answers that. I’ve always wondered if vampires are affected by drugs, but your kind are always so tight-lipped.”

  “We can, but it doesn’t last long. And making Arrigo nuts is what makes this game fun for her, if we’re right about this being about Arrigo,” Siobhan said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she didn’t kill Taabu, but it’s a mistake letting her live.”

  Arrigo nodded. “She probably didn’t think Taabu would be able to remember anything. That’s usually how it is after we work our mind games on victims. You’re Chiaroscuro so you know how it is with vampires. We can control minds temporarily, but it rarely lasts once we break our concentration. The best we can do of a more permanent nature is to make our blood donors forget we were ever there. You know what I mean. We make them calm and give them a little retrograde amnesia. The rogue probably thought Taabu was one of the millions of fake psychics out to bilk the public, but Taabu is for real. Her brain is different, and she remembered at least a little.

  “Since I’m directly involved with the victims, Craig didn’t want me to lead this up.” Arrigo scowled, flashing his fangs. He’d like to give Craig a good hard bite to let him know what he thought of that idea. “You and Hanako are calling the shots on this, Michael, especially in the daytime hours.”

  “We can go sniff around inside the office, and then we’ll start questioning people at the shops around it,” Michael replied. “Unless you’ve done that before we got here.”

  “The cops did, but I didn’t. I’ve asked my friend to get into police records to see if there are any missing persons in the last few months. The rogue has to be staying somewhere. A hotel would be risky for her. She’s probably grabbed someone’s dwelling.” Arrigo yawned.

  “Michael, why don’t you head to the Pinball Hall of Fame first, as Arrigo goes there all the time and it’s staffed by Normals,” Siobhan said.

  Michael smirked. “Pinball? Really?”

  “I like games!”

  Siobhan continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted “From there you can go to Taabu’s and ask around at the neighboring shops to see if they saw anything? Hanako can investigate at the Scarlet Kiss. Arrigo and I haven’t slept in nearly thirty-six hours, and this noonday sun isn’t doing us any favors.” Siobhan glared at the window. “In a few hours, Hanako and I can check up on some of the other Normals on the list, ask around and see if anyone has seen anyone strange hanging around. Arrigo will let you inside the shop after he gets some rest.”

  “Give me two hours,” Arrigo put in.

  “Sounds like a plan. Keep in mind I’m no bloodhound. There will probably be too many scents for me,” Michael said, his gaze flicking to Siobhan in a way that said he wished he could go with her. Hanako didn’t miss the look, frowning at him.

  Arrigo wondered if Craig and Hanako had been a couple, and currently she seemed to be with Michael. That might explain why Craig sent a witch whose magic would be weak in a desert. He didn’t blame Michael for at le
ast looking. Siobhan was beautiful. He’d always loved her fiery hair, but Hanako was lovely, too, even if she currently wore a look that might kill.

  “Works for me.”

  “Hanako and I can go now. Why don’t you crawl back to your coffin and get some sleep?” Michael flashed his teeth at Arrigo.

  Arrigo flipped him off. “You do that. I’m going to climb into my king-size bed and enjoy my rest.”

  Michael snorted. Hanako did the same, following him out of the apartment.

  Short on sleep, Arrigo headed back to his room. In a few hours, he’d be ready to tear up this town, and hell had better be ready for the rogue if he found her.

  TWO HOURS hadn’t afforded enough sleep. Arrigo half wished he could have gone with Siobhan, since he knew how well they worked together. It was far more important to get Michael into the office before any more of the rogue’s scent dissipated. It was a shame werewolves were so insular at times—vampires too. It made it difficult to work with them.

  While Michael stalked around the office and outside the building, trying to catch a scent trail, Arrigo silently sorted the mail. Such a prosaic thing to be doing, so pointless, but at this moment, he felt somewhat helpless. He hated the rogue for making him feel that way. At least he could swing past Taabu’s place and give her the mail.

  Michael finally stopped walking around the office, shaking his shaved head. He’s a fine-looking man, Arrigo thought, appreciating his muscular form. “Useless, sorry. At the outside door, I can smell blood, Taabu, and perfume strong enough to make my eyes water. I tracked it three blocks north, but it was lost in the mix of exhaust once I got closer to the high traffic on the Strip.”

  “I figured it was a long shot. I swear we ought to start preserving items of our most wanted,” Arrigo said.

  Michael grunted. “That’s actually not a bad idea. It certainly couldn’t hurt.”

  “I wish I knew where to look for the rogue to narrow your search.” Arrigo drummed his fingers on the table Taabu used to do readings.