Silver-Tongued Devil (13 page)

After Alexis finished her report, Adam took the lead on relaying what we’d learned from Mistress Bianca. His observation about the murders being connected grabbed the leaders’ interest big-time.

“They certainly sound connected,” Orpheus said. “Unfortunately, the human’s death also means your trail has dried up.”

“Not necessarily,” I said. “Mistress Bianca told us that she’d been approached by some rough vampire elements about supporting a change in the Black Light District leadership.”

The Despina perked up. “Oh?”

I nodded. “Apparently, Slade’s alliance with the Despina shook up some old resentment among the city’s vamps.”

“Who’s behind the movement to oust Slade?”

Adam looked to me to explain. “Tiny Malone.” I grimaced. “He runs a strip club in Alphabet City. He’s little more than a hustler. Hardly powerful enough to give Slade a direct challenge for power.”

Adam stepped in. “Unless he could work behind the scenes, sowing discontent among the vamp population while also undermining Slade’s authority by making it look like he’s not in control.”

Orpheus nodded. “Sounds like you need to go pay this Malone a visit.”

Ugh. I knew it was inevitable, but the very idea left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since I knew the minute I walked in his club, Tiny would recognize me.

Alexis had been mostly quiet during the discussion. I assumed she was allowing Adam and me to take the lead, as Orpheus had instructed us to do. But the scowl on her face indicated she was annoyed we’d been the ones to get the new lead. “What exactly is our objective when we approach him?”

I squinted at her, wondering if it was a trick question. “Obviously, we’re going to talk to him to figure out if he’s behind the murders.”

“Talk,” she snorted. “You ask me, we grab him off the street, take him to a remote location, and beat the truth out of him.”

I had to bite my lip to keep from pointing out that, in fact, no one had asked her shit. Next to me, Adam opened his mouth to respond, but the Despina beat him to it. “I concur. Swift, decisive action is the best approach.”

Adam shot them both a disbelieving look. “Pardon me, but at this point all we have to go on is hearsay. If we beat him, he’ll maybe confess but only because he wants the pain to end.”

“There’s no maybe about it,” the Despina said without a trace of concern. “Torturing confessions out of criminals is Alexis’s specialty.”

The vampire cracked her knuckles. “Back in Los Angeles they call me the Iron Maiden.”

I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. When I opened them again, Adam was staring at the females like they’d grown two more heads. “Well, Iron Maiden, it’s common knowledge that you can’t trust confessions from torture victims. And since our goal is to find a killer, not just a random, forced confession, I think we’ll skip the beatings for now.”

Tanith narrowed her eyes at the mancy. “That’s not your decision to make. Orpheus, what do you say?”

“I am committed to finding the murderer as quickly as possible.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, clear signs there was a “but” coming. “However, in this case, I don’t believe we have enough evidence to justify such extreme measures with Mr. Malone.” The Despina stiffened, but he continued. “Sabina, Adam, and Alexis will question Mr. Malone. If they feel that harsher measures are warranted based on that conversation, then I’ll consider your suggestion.”

“With all due respect, High Councilman, you’re making a mistake,” Tanith snapped.

“I welcome your participation in this investigation as an ally,” Orpheus replied coolly. “But you would do well to remember that you are in mage territory.”

The air was sucked out of the room. I wanted to pump my fist to support Orpheus’s kick-ass display. But I refrained because at that moment the Despina looked like she was ready to jump across the table and, mage territory or no, show the High Councilman how vampires dealt with public shaming. Not very diplomatic of her, I must say.

However, she seemed to get herself under control quickly. Her nostrils flared as she sucked some air into her lungs and swallowed her pride. “Understood.”

Orpheus acknowledged that with a dignified nod. “I applaud your dedication. Just as I know Sabina and Adam appreciate Alexis’s assistance.”

This was the part where Adam and I were supposed to eagerly nod and make appreciative noises. Only one of us managed to pull that feat off. I was too busy swallowing the bile that always rose when politicians tried to force saccharine platitudes down my gullet. However, no one seemed to notice my discomfort. Except Alexis, who glared at me so hard I think I felt my skin burn.

Needless to say, as we all rose to go find Tiny, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about the outcome of our upcoming chat.

The Fang Bang squatted between a liquor store and a brick tenement that escaped the 1990s Alphabet City gentrification. The facade of the two-story building was painted black. The only color at all was the red of the tufted vinyl door. The sign out front advertised the business as
FB CLUB, MEMBERS ONLY.

Adam, Alexis, and I stood on the sidewalk outside the club discussing the plan. “Red, what can you tell us about the layout?” Adam asked.

“There are two exits—the front door and another at the rear of the hallway next to Tiny’s office. I never went to the second floor, but I assume that in a pinch, we’ll probably find a fire escape or two.”

“Where does the back door lead?” Alexis asked.

“An alley runs along the back of the building.”

She raised a brow. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.” I didn’t mention that I’d escaped into that alley after my last visit to the club. Or that I’d puked my guts out next to the Dumpster after the scent of Tiny’s singed skin made me physically ill. Or that Slade had to come pick me up because I’d been too out of it to make it home on my own.

“So how are we going to play this?” Alexis asked. “Since we’re not ambushing.” Her tone held lingering resentment. I ignored it. She didn’t like not being in charge? Too damned bad.

“What do you think, mancy? Good vamp, bad mage?”

Adam’s lip twitched. “Considering you kicked his ass last time you were here, I’m pretty sure Tiny won’t buy you as the good vamp.”

“Wait a second,” Alexis said. “You mentioned you’d been here before, but not that you fought this guy. Do you really think he’ll tell us anything if you’re there?”

I pursed my lips. I didn’t want to admit that she might be right. But in all honesty, I was expecting Tiny to take one look at me and sic his goons on us. “I’m hoping the three of us can talk some sense into him before he does anything stupid.”

“Or you could stay out here and let the mage and me handle it.”

I was already shaking my head halfway through her sentence. “Hell, no. I’m not freezing my ass off out here while you two get to have all the fun.”

“Sabina,” Adam said. “She may be right. We’re here for answers, not a fight.”

“Adam, this is a vampire club. They’re just as likely to attack when you walk in as they would be if they saw me.”

Adam frowned. “That would be the case in Los Angeles. This is New York. Even a slimeball like Tiny has to understand that pissing off the Hekate Council would be very bad for his health.”

“You must be joking,” I snorted. “Or did you forget the reason we’re here? Tiny is a suspect in the murder of a mage, Adam.”

Alexis raised a hand. “Guys, there’s a simple solution here. I’ll go in alone and find out what I can.”

“Oh, hell no,” Adam snapped. “You’re the one who wanted to kidnap the guy and cut his fingers off.”

She raised a brow. “Not his fingers.”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, like it or not, we’re all going in. Together.”

“Wait,” Adam said. He had that clever little gleam in his eye that always preceded an idea. “Sabina, why don’t we just use a glamour spell on you? Then Tiny won’t recognize you.”

I snapped my fingers. “Perfect!”

“Wait, why does the mancy have to do the spell on you?” she asked. “I thought you were all magical and shit.”

Her tone and her challenging glare tested my already thin patience. “I can’t do every type of spell in existence, Alexis. But I’d be happy to perform a demonstration of one of my specialties if you’d like.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“Well, we’re not close enough to a cemetery for me to summon the dead,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone, “so we’ll just have to settle for me forcing your body to spontaneously combust.”

Alexis pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, as if trying to decide if I was bullshitting. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to skip the showing off and just get this job done before I choke on the overpowering stench of sandalwood.”

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged. Turning to Adam, I said, “What’s the plan?”

He noted the smirk on my lips and shook his head in that annoyed but amused way of his. “It’s fairly simple. We don’t need a complete transformation. Good thing, too, because I don’t want to deplete my energy too much in case shit goes down in there. Since your hair is a dead giveaway, I’ll just make it all red so Tiny believes you’re a full-blooded vamp. That should be enough to throw him off. Sound good?”

“Go for it.”

He mumbled something under his breath and waved his fingers around my head. The next instant my scalp crawled with magic. Alexis’s soft gasp proved the spell had worked.

“There. All done,” Adam said, brushing his hands together. “How do you feel?”

“The same.” I shrugged. “What do you think, Alexis? Is it enough of a disguise?”

“I guess so. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d assume you were a pureblood.” Her tone indicated that she found the very idea I was pretending to be a pedigreed vamp blasphemous.

I grimaced at the reminder of my mixed heritage. I’d lived among mages so long I had almost forgotten what it was like to constantly be reminded of my shameful beginnings. But for vampires like Alexis, the fact that my blood was tainted by my mage father was cause for suspicion and downright antagonism.

“Anyway, if we’re all satisfied with the new look, I say we get moving.” I reached back to touch the gun in my waistband. I’d pulled it out of its storage case in the closet before we left. Funny. I’d spent so many years wearing it, I’d grown used to the heft tugging at my waist. But now it felt like it weighed twenty pounds. My fingers itched to fire it for old time’s sake, but I reminded myself that bringing it was purely a precautionary measure.

“Once you’re inside, keep your eyes sharp for unfriendlies, which will probably be everyone. But most of all, keep your weapons holstered and your fists to yourself unless directly challenged. Got it?”

Her eyes hardened into two glittered beads. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Then let’s give our regards to Tiny Malone.”

14

W
hen Alexis opened the door, a blast of hot air, cigarette smoke, and Lords of Acid’s grinding synthesizers assaulted us.

Adam wrinkled his nose and held out a hand. “After you.” I shot him a grimace and forged in after Alexis.

The main part of the club housed the typical strip club accoutrements—a round bar in the center, a stage with brass stripper poles, and lots of shadowy corners for lap dances. Customers willing to spend a little more money for some serious fun had two options. First, they could slip their stripper a couple hundred bucks to pay a visit to the “blood rooms.” These were like the champagne rooms at mortal strip joints, but the only liquids in these particular rooms were blood and ejaculate. For those who preferred their blow jobs fang-free, Tiny also offered nymph prostitutes, who serviced customers from second-story rooms.

Anyway, no one looked up when Alexis and I walked in. After all, we were, as far as they knew, just two vampire chicks. Nothing special, considering we were both fully clothed—or mostly so, in Alexis’s case. But when the mancy stepped in behind me, it was like someone scratched a needle across vintage vinyl.

The music didn’t literally stop, of course. But the air shifted and tightened. A few of the patrons stood, looking primed for action. The bartender stopped wiping down the bar and shot the mage an aggressive glare. “Can’t you read?” he shouted over the music at Adam.

Adam tensed next to me. “Excuse me?”

The barkeep jerked his head toward the door. “Sign says vampires only.”

“Actually,” Adam responded, “it says members only.”

“Oh, yeah, smart guy? You a fucking member?”

Adam shook his head. “No, but I’m not here as a customer. We need to see Tiny.”

“Tiny’s in a meeting. You and your two skanks need to get the fuck out of here.”

Alexis lurched toward him. “Listen, asshole.” I grabbed her arm and shook my head. Once she looked like she’d stay put, I turned and flashed my most charming smile at the bartender.

“We really need to speak with him,” I said, my tone cajoling. “Do you know how long his meeting will take?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not his fucking social secretary.”

Apparently, manners weren’t going to work with this guy. “The mage is a Pythian Guard for the Hekate Council.” I jerked my head toward Alexis. “My colleague and I are Enforcers for the Despina,” I fibbed. “We have a few questions for Mr. Malone.”

The dude’s eyes widened. His hand moved under the counter. I grabbed his arm. “Ah, ah, ah.” My voice promised deadly force. “Let’s keep this nice and friendly. Hands where I can see them.” Grimacing, the bartender slowly withdrew his hand and placed it flat on the wooden surface.

I didn’t look behind me to confirm Adam’s location. I knew he had my back covered. “Mancy, you and Alexis make sure things stay civil out here. I’m going back.”

“Be careful,” Adam said.

I nodded and moved toward the back hall. The strippers shot me surly looks as I passed. I ignored them and pushed through the velvet curtain separating the blood rooms from the club.

The hallways held four blood rooms with curtained doorways, one standard office door, and a reinforced steel exit. The latter’s sign cast the darkened space in a bloody glow. I passed the curtains cautiously, but other than some moaning and the stink of illicit sex, nothing jumped out at me. Tiny’s door was closed, but I didn’t bother knocking. I pushed it open with my gun at the ready. The portal swung back and slammed into the interior wall.