Blood Red Roulette

by Jana Denardo

  Arrigo drove one of the more boring cars again. Of course his sporty ones weren’t good for hauling people around, and Luc didn’t know why Arrigo even needed so many cars in a town where he could walk to literally everything. Arrigo probably owned them just because he could afford them. Right now, Luc wished they were in a sporty car. At this time of night, it was easier to go faster in the city. It’s not like Arrigo had to worry. All he had to do was one of his Jedi mind tricks to get out of speeding tickets he could probably pay for with his pocket change. The silence in the car suffocated him, but Luc didn’t break it. He worried about what could be happening to Lily. If Eleni hurt her, he would carve her like a nutria. Eleni probably wouldn’t die if he did, but it might be better that way. She deserved to suffer.

  The diner was its usual well-lit self, but no customers seemed to be inside. That wasn’t unusual. It was part of the reason he was trying to help Lily find a different job: not a lot of customers, not a lot of tips. Arrigo parked around the corner. When they got out of the car, Arrigo handed a Taser to Luc, who took it wordlessly. He tugged his shirt down to hide the top of it in his back pocket, releasing the scent of spilled alcohol as he did so.

  “Luc, you know where the back door is?” Arrigo asked.

  Luc nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Take Sykes and go in the back. I’ll take the front.” Arrigo stared at the glass front. “I don’t like that we can’t see anyone in there. Lily could be in the kitchen, talking to the cook since there’re no customers, but it could be something worse. Give me a minute to cause a distraction so you can slip in.”

  “Be careful,” Luc said, casting an uneasy glance at Sykes. It never occurred to him he might be teamed up with someone other than Arrigo, someone he barely knew. Luc shook it off. It was only for a few minutes. What did it matter? Sykes was an ally.

  “She can’t take me in a fight.”

  “A fair fight,” Luc corrected him. “She’s already proved you’re not bulletproof.”

  Arrigo looked at him sourly but nodded. He pointed to the rear of the building.

  Sykes started back there without waiting for Luc, who jogged to catch up. He passed Sykes, leading him to the back door. He cursed under his breath when he found the door locked. Sykes eased Luc aside, taking the knob in hand. He muttered something, and a soft click sounded. From the front, a faint jangle of the brass bells hanging above the door told Luc Arrigo was inside. He held up a hand, stopping Sykes in case the man couldn’t hear the bells.

  After what felt like an hour but was probably only thirty seconds, Luc opened the door. A shout echoed in the back hallway. He tried to break into a run. Sykes dragged him to a halt, pressing Luc against the wall, gently but firmly.

  “We have the element of surprise,” Sykes hissed in Luc’s ear. “Don’t blow that.”

  Of course. He was an idiot, but if anything happened to Lily or Arrigo, it would be his fault for not acting faster. Luc followed Sykes down the hall at a slow crawl. Arrigo had been right about them being in the kitchen, but they weren’t in there to talk. A man in a greasy apron lay on the floor. Luc couldn’t tell for sure if the man was dead. He felt fairly sure he was. Lily huddled in the corner near a tray of spilled food. Arrigo stood between her and Eleni. Luc’s blood surged, his fangs aching in their sockets.

  Lily sported bruising on her face. Her eyes seemed half-glazed, as if she’d been under Eleni’s control but was coming out of it. Maybe she couldn’t hold it with Arrigo in the kitchen, threatening her. Why had she hurt Lily in the first place? Luc knew it had to have been done just for fun. He was not going to let that lie.

  “Let Lily go, Eleni,” Arrigo said, holding her attention so Luc and Sykes could slip into the room.

  Lily’s eyes widened when she saw Luc and his partner. She started to say something, then clamped her mouth shut.

  “Do you think I’d do something that dumb?” Eleni scoffed, pointing her gun at Arrigo. “How did you find me so fast?”

  “Better question, did you kill Cheryl, the witch I had watching this place?” Arrigo asked as Luc and Sykes crept in on kitten feet. Luc drew his Taser.

  “I think you know the answer. Even better question, why were you watching this diner? Is this girl one of yours?”

  Luc couldn’t see Eleni’s face, but he could hear the smile in her voice. It made his stomach clench. Sykes started to softly chant, and Luc knew Eleni would hear it. Just as her head began to swivel Sykes’s way, Lily grabbed the tray and winged it at Eleni. It missed but it caught her attention.

  Arrigo charged her, but the distraction wasn’t enough to catch Eleni off guard. She took a shot at Arrigo, hitting him at least enough to make him stumble. Lily screamed. Luc wished Arrigo had brought Luc’s gun to this fight, but they couldn’t wander around Fremont Street with Luc’s freaking rifle.

  Eleni spun, aiming at Sykes. Luc lunged, trying to protect Sykes. The bullet whined past him. Sykes yelped, and blood blossomed on his face. Luc didn’t know if it had grazed Sykes’s cheek or destroyed his jaw. Sykes fell, moaning. Luc stared, petrified.

  Eleni scrambled after Lily, jolting Luc into action. Killing them wouldn’t help her get out of this mess. A living hostage might. Luc hurtled after her. Eleni grabbed Lily’s arm as Luc jammed the Taser right into one of her breasts.

  Screaming and jerking, Eleni stumbled back. Rage flooding him, Luc held on, finger still on the trigger as they tumbled back into the massive stove after tripping over the dead cook. Eleni managed to get her arm up under his in an attempt to pry the Taser away. Her eyes met his. Luc felt his will stripping away like old paint. Fighting the best he could, Luc fumbled against the stove. The knobs were under his fingers. Luc dropped the Taser like she told him but battled back her mind, struggling to regain control. He grabbed her hair.

  Red washed his senses. Luc slammed Eleni’s head into the stove and turned on the burner. The fire roared up, catching her hair ablaze. She shrieked. Luc screamed as the fire licked his fingers. He fell back as Eleni tried to beat out the flames, fed by what had to be product lacquered over her hair. Luc found one of the cook’s knives and dove back on her with it, pressing her head back into the fire with one hand. He didn’t stab her so much as sliced through her throat, feeling bone and pressing on. Blood sprayed all over him, driving his senses wild with hunger and rage. His fangs dropped.

  Luc licked his lips, chasing down the blood drops, barely aware of the screams behind him, of Arrigo calling his name. The taste of his creator’s blood overwhelmed him. Luc wanted more, sucking it from his slick fingers as Eleni turned to dust and ash before him. She looked like the remains of an ashtray wrapped in clothing. He whipped around, his senses telling him there was more blood in the room. Lily lost all color upon seeing him. Luc could taste her fear, and it excited something in him. He took a step forward.

  “Luc!” Arrigo snapped, and dragged Luc’s attention to him.

  Arrigo smelled good, tasty. Luc grinned, advancing on him.

  “Luc, stop right now.”

  Luc felt Arrigo’s will slam into his and crush it like a china plate falling off the top shelf. Luc dropped the knife, stumbling back. He dragged in a deep breath and came back to himself. He covered his mouth to hide his fangs and keep a scream in.

  When he could find his voice, he whispered, “What did I do? Oh God, I killed someone!” Full-body tremors shook him so hard Luc could barely stand.

  Arrigo put both hands on Luc’s shoulders. “Luc, you did what needed doing. You stopped a murderer. Now I need you to stay as calm as you can, and help Sykes while I take care of Lily.”

  Luc cast a frightened glance at Lily. “You’re not going to hurt her.”

  “Of course not.” Arrigo turned to them, and Lily huddled in on herself, too afraid to talk. She made soft, terrified sounds, and Luc knew he was responsible for part of that. Arrigo spoke to her quietly, and she calmed, then went to sleep. He waved for Luc to move, and Luc dropped down to Sykes’s side, probing the man’s fa
ce. Sykes didn’t move, and for a moment Luc thought he was dead until he brushed the cobwebs off his senses. It looked as if the bullet went into Sykes’s cheek, but he couldn’t see an exit wound. The best he could hope for was it went out through the mouth, which would explain the knocked-out teeth, or it was lodged in Sykes’s skull. Luc couldn’t think about that. He grabbed a kitchen towel, holding it to the bleeding wound. God, the blood smell, which should have excited him, made his stomach flip.

  “Luc,” Arrigo called softly.

  Luc didn’t want to look at him, but he couldn’t avoid it, couldn’t hide from his own bad deeds. “He’s alive, but I don’t know where the bullet is.”

  “I’ve got her hypnotized. I tried to strip away what happened, but this might be too much for the retrograde amnesia we can do. I might have to keep her close and send for a mind-mage to fully delete the memory,” Arrigo said. “I’m trying to keep her unconscious for now.”

  “Just don’t hurt her.”

  Arrigo jutted his chin toward the pile of ashes. “I have to call 911 and then the Chiaroscuro because I do think I’ll need that mind-mage asap. I need you to do two things.”

  “Anything.”

  “First, I need you to break my nose.” Arrigo winced as he said it.

  Luc drew back. “I can’t do that.”

  “Luc, you have to.” Arrigo jabbed a finger at the blood on the floor. “I can’t tell the cops I was grazed again. I have to account for the blood. Damn forensics, godsend to cops, and bane of operations like this. So punch me in my damn nose.”

  Luc’s lip trembled. He didn’t want to punch the man he loved in the face. He didn’t want to give into his violence. He had enough of it. He didn’t want it. He didn’t want to be his father and brother.

  “What’s the other thing?”

  “We can’t let the cops see Eleni’s clothing. You need to get it the hell out of here. I can’t go in case Lily wakes up and remembers everything.”

  “That’s even worse.” Luc shuddered again. This was his mess. He had to deal with it. “I’ll do it.”

  “Hurry up, then, because I have no idea how long Sykes will last.”

  Luc didn’t even give Arrigo time to brace himself. He’d been on the wrong end of a flying fist so many times he knew how it was done.

  Luc gagged when the bone broke under his fist. “Oh God, Arri!”

  Arrigo held up one hand and wiggled his nose with the other. Luc realized he was trying to make the under-eye bruises worse because he would heal so fast. “It’s fine. Get the clothes and get going.”

  After pulling out his cell phone, Arrigo started the call. Luc looked at the clothing while Arrigo spoke to the 911 operator, his voice distorted by the broken nose. Luc couldn’t make his limbs move. How could he dig Eleni’s clothes out of the ash pile he’d made of her?

  “Luc,” Arrigo hissed.

  Luc jumped forward and scooped the clothes and shoes up. He raced out the back door with them, wondering where in the hell he could throw them. The dumpster in the alley was too close. They’d check it for sure. His feet carried him past the Alibi before he even knew it. Luc tossed her shirt in their dumpster. Fuck you, Da. Hope they do find it. He ran as fast as he could after that, finding two more dumpsters to ditch the rest of the stuff before circling back to the diner. Quickly approaching sirens blared as he dashed back in.

  “Is Lily okay?” Luc slid into the kitchen.

  “Fine for now.” Arrigo pressed his car keys into Luc’s hand. “You have to go back to the Veer now.”

  “How? The cops are almost here.”

  “I know. You must go now.”

  “But….”

  Arrigo pulled him close and whispered, “Luc, it’s less than an hour before sunup. You can’t stay here. I’ll take the blame for sending you away. Shani and her people can come talk to you in the Veer tonight. But you have to go now.”

  Luc bobbed his head quickly. How could he have forgotten the time? He realized he couldn’t go home like this, covered in blood. He called Siobhan, begging her to bring him some clothes. He filled her in as he changed in the car in the far corner of the parking lot. She took his clothing away in a duffel and instructed him to take everything out of the car that might be of importance and leave it in the Veer’s public lot. Luc suspected this would be the last time anyone saw this vehicle. She left him to make calls to Arrigo and the Chiaroscuro.

  Once in the bathroom in the Veer, Luc sat in the tub, letting the shower drench him. It wouldn’t wash away the things he had done and felt. He wanted Arrigo with him. Instead, he sat there until the water ran cold with only one thought in his head: He killed the bitch.

  Chapter Forty

  “I STILL can’t believe you’re the one who managed to kill her.” Michael gave Luc stink eye from across the living room where he sat at Arrigo’s Coliseum table, fussing with his shoulder sling.

  Luc paused in his attempts to shove in more of the amazing cake Taabu brought over when she stopped by earlier with a dinner for him and Arrigo. All of her cooking reminded him of home. Her gumbo danced on his tongue, and her collard greens he could have eaten right from the pot without sharing, and drank up the pot liquor to boot. He didn’t remember exactly what Arrigo told her about what had happened at the diner, mostly because he had been half-asleep at the time.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Look at you!” Michael gestured at him with his good hand. “You look like a dandelion and twice as easy to snap. Who knew you could set a vampire on fire and slice her damn head off?”

  “Michael!” Arrigo hissed, his eyes narrowing. Even the werewolf looked quelled by the vicious expression on Arrigo’s face.

  Siobhan, sitting next to Luc on the couch, patted his knee. “And now you know why vampires insist on such thorough mentorships of our fledglings.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Besides, I like his fluff.”

  Luc blushed and shoveled in another mouthful of “naughty Oreo” cake, decadent with thick rum-infused cream hidden under a rich shell of chocolate. He might need another piece. Funny, a few weeks ago, he was afraid to even sit on Arrigo’s stark white couch, and now he was devouring chocolate cake on it as if his life depended on it. Maybe not his life, but his sanity did. He didn’t want to think about what he’d done to Eleni even though he’d come to terms with the idea of that’s what it meant to be in the Chiaroscuro; that was what happened to rogues who killed humans.

  “Thanks. I got pissed. She was gonna hurt my friend. She shot Sykes and Arrigo. She turned me into this!” He pointed at his chest with the fork. “Call it karma.”

  Michael snorted. “How is Sykes? I haven’t heard yet.”

  “My bad. I should have kept you in the loop,” Siobhan said. “But you were asleep the first time I called, and out of it on OxyContin the second time. Luc and Arrigo crashed for nearly a day after Shani and Washington were done interviewing them, and yelling at Luc for leaving a crime scene, even if it was to get someone to the hospital. Sykes will be all right, more or less. The plastic surgeon fixed his face, and hopefully the nerve damage won’t be too bad. The bullet went out his mouth. He’ll need a bridge to replace those teeth, though.”

  Michael winced. “And I’m here whining about my shoulder.”

  “Shoulders hurt, especially since you’re right-handed and you have to fumble around with your left. Must make wiping your ass hard,” Arrigo said, and Luc could almost see Michael’s hackles go up. “Cheryl is still clinging to life. Either Eleni got sloppy or didn’t care so long as Cheryl wouldn’t be there to provide magical muscle. She’s still in a coma, though, and there could be brain damage.”

  “Damn,” Michael said. “What about the guy Luc took to the hospital?”

  “Damien will be fine. I gave him a little tap on the head to help the cover story. I feel bad about that.” Arrigo’s shoulders slumped, and he slid down a little in his chair across from the couch.

  “It’s a big ball of suck.” Luc put his e
mpty plate on the coffee table, wondering how long it would take before Arrigo couldn’t stand it and moved it to the kitchen.

  The answer was five seconds. “You said it.” Arrigo walked into the open-concept kitchen. “I feel bad my ghost hunting at the diner put Lily in danger. She forgives me, though, wants me to come back and finish my book. You could help me, Luc.”

  “I’m afraid of revenants,” Luc replied. “When I’m not convincing myself they ain’t real.”

  Michael roared with laughter, nearly banging his knee into the table leg as he did. “You’re a damned vampire. How can you be afraid of a ghost?”

  Luc grimaced. “I’m new to this vampire thing, okay? And ghosts are scary. Just ask anyone from New Orleans. Don’t you have anything better to do than laugh at me?”

  “In fact I do. I’m waiting on Taabu to come pick me up,” Michael shot back.

  Arrigo stiffened in his chair. “What?”

  “We’re going out to the mob museum. I think Taabu’s hot for me.” Michael shrugged. “It’s too early for me, but it might be nice to get out and think about something other than losing Hanako.”

  Arrigo huffed. “I told her you were a douchebag. See how much she listens to me?”

  Michael flashed his strong white teeth. “Thanks. She probably knows your dubious taste in these things.” He nodded to Luc.

  “Can’t you wait in the lobby?” Luc grumbled, and Michael showed more teeth than was absolutely necessary. “I need a drink.”

  “What do you want?” Arrigo asked.

  “Do you guys drink Bloody Marys with real blood?” Michael pulled a long face.

  Arrigo simply smirked. “Is that what you want, Luc?”

  Luc decided not to take the bait. “I was going to say beer, but I don’t remember seeing any.”

  “I guess I could take you to get an Ono cocktail at the XS club,” Arrigo offered.

  “What’s that?” Luc wasn’t surprised there were still cocktails he’d never heard of in spite of all the weird things people asked for at Shifty’s.