by Chandra Ryan
He laughed. “And there’s a difference?”
“There is. I happen to like single-minded and pushy,” she said with a wink of her own.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
She smiled as she pushed him back a step. “You don’t know how lucky you are, buster.”
All trace of humor disappeared as he stared down at her. “Yes I do.” The words were soft and held a promise she didn’t want to identify. They caressed her soul and filled her mind with thoughts she shouldn’t—couldn’t—have about him. “That’s why I don’t want you anywhere near Alex.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, I agreed. You’ll be with me tonight. But I don’t like it.”
“I have to see this through.” Unable to look at him any longer, she walked into the front room.
“Just tell me why.”
“Because I dream of demons too. And my nightmares aren’t going to stop until this is finished.”
He was silent for a moment, as if giving thought to her words. “I’m trying to understand. Really, I am.”
“You don’t have to understand it. You don’t have to understand me. But I do need you to support me in this.”
“Okay. Just promise you’ll stay close to me. If anything happens…”
She appreciated the gesture but doubted there was much he could do if they messed this up. “If anything happens, we’re screwed.” She took a 9mm out of a drawer and placed it into her handbag. “I’m ready.”
“Do you know how to shoot that gun?”
“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s actually what I’m best at.” She smiled at him teasingly before walking toward the door.
“You must be one hell of a shot then,” he mumbled, the faint trace of a smile on his lips. “Okay, so how do we get an appointment with Alexander?”
He might never be happy about her going, but he was doing as she asked. He was supporting her. And that was all that mattered. “We go to Beck’s and have my Uncle Gus make a call.”
“Beck’s it is.”
He wrapped his arm around her protectively as they made their way out of the apartment and into the night. As they walked across the parking lot, she considered telling him about her—about Alex—but quickly dismissed the idea. There were only a few ways that conversation could go where she didn’t end up in a psych ward and she didn’t have the luxury of chancing it tonight.
He opened the passenger door of his classic Charger and then stood back so she could slide into the seat. She’d ridden in it a number of times since they’d started working together but she still felt the tingle of excitement as he turned the key and the engine roared to life.
Chapter Five
It’d been years since Izzy had been to her uncle’s club, but she was relieved to find the neon devil still dancing on the roof as they pulled up. It was silly but the sight was almost comforting. Of course, Jacob didn’t share in her moment of nostalgia. He was already down to business before they even managed to get out of the car.
“It looks like we’re going to have a wait.” Jacob nodded to the long line of people at the club’s door before cursing quietly.
The line wasn’t a problem for her though. “Stay close to me and try not to act like a tourist.” She hoped her teasing tone took the bite out of the statement.
“I’ve done this before, you know.”
She hoped he was right. She prayed that tonight would just be another raid, but she doubted it would work out that easily.
Letting the comment go, she opened the door and slid out of the car. He followed her lead, but stopped briefly to toss his keys to the valet before meeting her at the door and wrapping his arm around her waist. She was playing with fire as she snuggled into his warmth, but she didn’t have the strength to deny herself—not tonight. Tomorrow she’d deal with the pain of goodbyes but not a second sooner.
Walking directly to the heavyset, bald bouncer, she smiled brightly. “Jojo! How’s business been?”
“Izzy!” He pulled her into in a crushing hug before releasing her. “Better now that you’re here.” His eyes swept over her appreciatively, completely ignoring the man at her side.
“Please, little old me…” She batted her eyes at him while smiling seductively.
“Where have you been? We’ve missed you, child.”
“Rehab, prison, you know, the usual spots. Oh, I did wake up in Mexico once—that was an experience.”
“Hard times, huh? Go on in and get yourself a drink. And buy one for the arm candy.” His gaze shifted to Jacob for the first time. “He looks like he could use some loosening up.”
Jacob coughed at the comment but she just smiled and ran a finger over his jaw affectionately. “Don’t worry. If anything can loosen him up, it’s me.”
Jojo laughed heartily as he stepped out of the way to allow them entrance to the club.
As soon as they walked through the door, Jacob pulled her to him. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous club but he didn’t seem to want to take any chances. She was okay with that. She liked being close to him. His possessiveness was comforting. And comfort was one thing she needed right now. Now that she was surrounded by people whose sculpted faces were too perfect to be the work of God, her stomach began to flip nervously and every atom of her being screamed that she shouldn’t be here. She was risking her hard-earned sobriety. But, with Jacob at her side, she had the strength to press on.
She stopped and turned to Jacob when she could no longer ignore the pull of the glass bottles at the bar though. She had to lean close and talk directly into his ear to be heard over the music, but she needed him to hear her. This was important. “I can’t drink or take anything tonight.”
He studied her a moment before nodding. “Got it.”
And, from the serious look on his face and the way he held her tightly, she believed he actually did get it. She nodded back to him and then they began moving through the crowd again. For an extra measure of security, she kept her fingers firmly entwined with his so they wouldn’t become separated.
As they approached the bar she scanned the occupants and singled out a weak-looking female who stood out among the perfect people. Izzy slid up behind her before signaling to the bartender, Mitchell. He smiled and nodded in return as he walked over to the spot.
“You, up!” His voice was low and gruff as he spoke to the girl on the stool.
She glanced back at Izzy before turning her attention back to the bartender. “But I was here first.”
“Up or out, it’s your choice. But I guarantee you won’t like the out. Our bouncers can get pretty handsy with young, pretty things like yourself.”
The girl relented but snarled at Izzy as she walked past.
Ignoring her, Izzy took the seat happily. After all, being family had its perks. “Mitch, it’s good to see you again.”
“Izzy, how the hell you been?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Sober. But I’m guessing you can fix that.”
“Name your poison, it’s on the house.”
“Vodka on the rocks. One for me and one for him.” She gestured back at Jacob as Mitchell began grabbing glasses. “And make it the good stuff.”
“Nothing but the best for you,” he said with a wink.
The music continued throbbing in the background as he poured the clear liquid into the glasses. The combination of the rhythmic bass and the hazy smoke made the drink almost irresistible as he put it in front of her. Thankfully Jacob’s watchful eye and his reassuring squeeze on her shoulder got her past the moment. As a token of her appreciation, she dipped the tip of her finger into the strong drink then ran it along his lips. His tongue darted out to lick the finger clean and the simple yet provocative action sent a shiver of desire through her entire body.
“I see you got your first ink,” Mitch commented.
It was almost painful to pull her attention away from Jacob, but she managed. “House de Soleil.” She resisted the urge to look at the ink that symbolized her mothe
r’s house. She’d worn a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover it, but they had ridden up at some point and now the reds and golds of the ink were displayed against her pale skin.
“Don’t you think it’ll piss off a couple of people?”
“Have I ever cared who I piss off?” She raised her glass in a salute to the man’s laughter. But before she could bring it to her lips, Jacob stumbled into her and caused the drink to spill down her front.
“Jesus!” She did her best to look angry, but she was sure her relief was obvious. Turning back to Jacob, she winked ever so slightly. “What the hell happened?”
“Sorry, someone bumped me.” He was doing a good job looking genuinely surprised. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve believed him. Unfortunately Mitch didn’t seem to know better. His eyes narrowed in on the woman he’d just evicted. She was regrettably still close enough to have caused the commotion.
“Mitch,” Izzy shouted, trying to draw his attention back to her. The girl was whiny, but that didn’t mean Izzy wanted her blamed for something Jacob had done. “I need to get cleaned up. Make sure he isn’t bothered.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one plays with your toy.”
Leaning over, she whispered to Jacob, “Thanks for that. I’m going to go see if I can get an appointment with Alex. Try to be good while I’m gone.”
He nodded. It was a stiff, jerking motion designed to let her know he’d heard her. Then, before she had to worry about anyone around them becoming too nosy, he went back to nursing his drink.
On her way to her uncle’s office, she grabbed a towel off a barmaid’s tray and dabbed at her damp top. She gave up on trying to dry off, though, as she reached the large wooden door. She threw it open without bothering to knock and stepped into the office without invitation. Admittedly it was a brazen move. But brazen got results in this world.
“Uncle Gus, it’s nice to see you again.” Experience had taught her that drunks were less likely to be treated with caution so she made sure to slur the words.
“If it ain’t little Isabella.” His scraggly blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and his t-shirt gave a clear view of his tattoo-covered arms. His wide girth made him appear languid, but looks were deceiving in his case. She’d seen him in enough fights to know he was a serious threat. Fortunately he was also a coward so she doubted he’d stand in her way tonight. “I see you’ve become reacquainted with the bar.”
Smiling at him, she giggled. “I did. Mitch is a sweetie.” Glancing around the room, she saw three other members of the Community but none of them looked familiar.
“Where are my manners?” His gaze followed hers to the people sitting in front of him. “Isabella Rathe, this is Isaac Marrow, Rose Smyth and Jim Loag.”
She’d been out of the Community too long to recognize any of the families except Marrow. And that was a family she wanted to stay far away from. “Hey all. If you don’t mind, I need to borrow my uncle for just a moment.”
They looked at each other uncomfortably before turning toward her uncle in unison. “Sorry.” He rolled his eyes as he stood. “But this should only take a minute.”
They seemed confused but remained silent as he led her into a small room off the back of the office. What had once been a broom closet had been converted into additional office space by adding a couple filing cabinets and a single chair.
“What is it, Izzy? Do you need money?” he asked, closing the door behind them.
“I need to meet with Alex.” She kept her words crisp and clean now that they were alone.
Her uncle smirked and shook his head. “You haven’t been drinking.”
“Sorry, I needed to see you privately. I thought that’d be more likely if I were drunk.”
“Probably right.”
“Now about that meeting.” She could have finessed him a bit. They had the time. But she wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.
“I don’t think that would be such a good idea.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Uncle. I asked for a meeting.” She already knew what his opinion was—keep low and don’t rock the boat.
He studied her for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re going to see him with your dead momma’s ink in your blood? The momma his daddy had killed?”
Pulling the sleeve down over the tattoo, she met his gaze defiantly. “Why would he care about some ink? He knows who my mother was and everybody knows who had her killed. It’s old news.” The logic was flawed. And by the crossing of his arms, she knew he’d spotted it. The news may be old, but the tattoo was new. That made the ink a statement.
“There’ll be a feud.”
“I’ll keep it covered…for tonight.” She had planned on keeping it hidden from Alex, but the promise stung. “Come on, I need you to make the call.”
He sighed heavily but still took out his cell phone. He dialed the number and then put the phone to his ear. “Alex, it’s Gus. I’ve got someone here who’d like to see you.” There was silence for a moment before her uncle spoke again. “Isabella.” More silence. “How the hell should I know? Looks like she’s been using again though.” Her stomach turned as she waited for the conversation to be over. “Okay. I’ll let her know.” He ended the call as his gaze found and held hers. “He’s at Toxic tonight. He thinks you might be interested in buying again so he says you’re welcome to stop by.”
“Great.”
She was about to leave when he reached out to stop her. “I know I haven’t been much of an uncle, but I don’t think you should go, Izzy. No matter what you say, I know why you got that ink. You got it for them to see. And I understand. But it won’t end well.”
She pulled away from his touch angrily. She didn’t want to be reminded of her mother’s death. And she certainly didn’t need to be told how this was going to end. “What? You’re a prophet now? You know how the cards are going to fall? That would’ve been handy twenty years ago. You know, when you let your sister die.”
He shook his head. “You know I’m no prophet. And I admit I’ve made mistakes, including letting your momma down—”
“I’ve gotta go,” she snapped. She couldn’t listen to him confess his sins. She just didn’t have the heart. Not after the way he’d turned her and her sister away. He’d abandoned her and Nikki to state care and then had promptly forgotten all about them.
Jerking the door open, she walked calmly into the next room as if nothing had happened and forced a smile for the people still waiting there. “Nice to have met you.” She continued across the room without waiting for a reply and was out the door without a backward glance. More than anything, she wanted this to be done so she’d never have to set foot on this side of town ever again.
Back out in the club the music thumped louder than before as strobe lights whirled through the darkened room. Rubbing her temples, she realized her nerves were already starting to fray. It was a sure sign that tonight was going to be a long night. Glancing toward the bar, she spotted Jacob but noticed that he wasn’t where she’d left him. Her stomach twisted as she wondered what that meant. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good. Steeling herself for what was about to come, she made her way over to him.
“You’re not where I left you,” she said sweetly into his ear.
Turning around on the stool, he pulled her to him. His face was dark and his shoulders tense. “Is it set?”
“Yep, he’s waiting for me at Toxic.”
“Then we should go.”
Izzy glanced up at Mitch, who was watching them carefully, before turning back to Jacob. “I thought you were going to be good while I was gone?”
“You said to try. I tried.” He shrugged as they linked hands and made their way through the mass of writhing dancers.
When they’d finally made it out of the club, she took several deep gulps of fresh air, relieved to be in the open again. Before she could ask him what’d happened, the valet brought the car a
round and tossed his keys to him. Nervous bubbles danced in her stomach, but she forced a smile as she slid into her seat.
Chapter Six
She was silent as he got into the car, but after he shut his door she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “What’s going on?”
“I could ask you the same question.” He started the car and then threw it into gear before pulling into traffic.
“I did exactly what I was supposed to. I got us a meeting with Alex.”
“That isn’t what I was talking about. What’s going on at that bar?”
They turned down a side road and the lights from the oncoming traffic flickered across his face as they drove. “What do you mean?” She guessed it meant he’d seen something, but she was hoping it’d been something insignificant—drug sales, minors being served, solicitation…
“Two men came and escorted that girl out.”
“And?” She could tell by the way he was building the story that it didn’t end well, at least not for Izzy. Whatever he saw in there, she was going to have to find a way to explain it away.
“I followed them. She disappeared before they made it to the back door. She just vanished—poof.”
Nauseating dread filled her as she pictured what he must have seen. There were some things that refused to be explained away. And vanishing people happened to top the list. Still, she had to do her best. “She probably just managed to get free and then got lost in the crowd.”
“As I sat there waiting for you, I’d almost gotten myself to believe that. But then some woman asked Mitch to light her cigarette.”
“Okay.”
“He lit it by snapping his fingers.” Jacob’s voice was a soft growl.
As she imagined Jacob’s reaction, she suddenly understood the reason for his move and for Mitch’s guarded expression. Any date of Isabella Rathe’s should know about the magic. Since Jacob didn’t…
She sighed to herself as she thought about the implications. She had a mess to clean up after this was done. She needed to stay focused on Jacob for now though.