Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 8

Marie-Terese hung back and watched the drive-by. As Gina sauntered up, the woman in the white fur took one look at what was so obviously for sale and her stare went blade sharp. Which was unnecessary. Her businessman boyfriend didnat give Gina a glancea"he was too busy talking to his buddy. And all the back-off-thatas-my-man did was encourage the come-on: Gina positively preened in front of that territorial hatred, lingering until the man finally looked up.

He didnat focus on what was in front of him, though. He gaze s.h.i.+fted past Ginaas latex buffet and trained on Marie-Terese.

Instant. Cosmic. Attraction. The kind you couldnat hide from other people and you couldnat bottle up and you couldnat turn off if you ever got the chance to act on it. With their stares locked, they were both naked and in each otheras arms, not for hours, but for days.

Which meant she wasnat going anywhere near him and not because he had a possessive girlfriend. If what shead felt at first around her ex had been trouble, this moment between her and that stranger had the potential for catastrophe.

Marie-Terese turned away and wound through the crowd, seeing nothing in front of her or around her. Those steel gray eyes of that man consumed her, and though she knew he couldnat see her anymore, she could have sworn she felt him staring at her still.

aHey, honey.a Marie-Terese glanced over her shoulder. A pair of college boys dressed in hip-riding jeans, Affliction T-s.h.i.+rts, and skulled-out accessoriesa"i.e., the bell-bottoms of the twenty-first centurya"had come up behind her and were once-overing her body. Given the sly way they looked at her, it was pretty clear they had pockets full of their daddiesa money and heads vacant of everything but the confidence typical of big, dumb football players.

She also got the impression they were on something: Their eyelids twitched rather than blinked, and both had lines of sweat over their upper lips.

Great. Just what she needed.

aHow much for me and my friend?a the one whoad spoken up said.

aI think youad better go see someone else.a Gina had no problems with threesomes, for instance. Or video cameras. Or camera phones. Or other women. Hopefully she drew the line at the Catherine the Great equine stuff, but you couldnat be surea"it was entirely possible that a l.u.s.ty whinny meant asuck hardera to her.

Mr. Talker got in close. aWe donat want anyone else. We want you.a Taking a step back, she looked them both right in the eye. aFind someone else.a aWe have money.a aIam a dancer. Thatas all I get paid to do.a aThen why havenat you been up in any of the cages?a He leaned in again and she got a whiff of his cologne: eau de beer. aWeave been watching you.a aIam not for sale.a aBulls.h.i.+t, baby doll.a aIf you continue to hara.s.s me, youare going to get banned from this club. All it takes is one word from me to management. Now back the h.e.l.l off.a Marie-Terese walked away, knowing d.a.m.n well they were p.i.s.sed and not caring in the slightesta"thank you very much, Trez. As much as she hated asking for help from the man, she would in a heartbeat if it meant keeping herself safe.

Over at the bar in the back, she ordered a c.o.ke with extra ice and regrouped. It was still early, only about ten thirty, which meant she had another four or so hours.

aThose two steakheads giving you trouble?a She looked up at Trez and smiled. aNothing I couldnat handle.a She eyed the leather coat in his hand. aYou off?a aJust over to my brotheras for a meeting. Listen, the bouncers are all tight and I should be back in about an hour, two at the most. But you call me if you and the girls need anything, akay? Phoneas going to be on the whole time. I can be back in the blink of an eye.a aWill do. Drive carefully.a He gave her hand a squeeze and strode through the crowd, his height dwarfing everyone in the club.

aThat your pimp? Maybe we should just talk to him.a Marie-Terese glared over her shoulder at the college guys. aHeas my boss, and his nameas Trez. Why donat you go and introduce yourselves to him?a aYou think youare too good for us?a She turned and faced them. aDo yourself a favor and leave me alone. Unless you want to be taken out of here in an ambulance.a The one who had been doing all the talking smiled, revealing sharp white teeth. aDo us a favor and stop thinking that wh.o.r.es like you have the right to an opinion.a Marie-Terese recoileda"but only on the inside. aDoes your mother know you talk to women like this?a aYou are not a woman.a Marie-Tereseas throat closed up hard. aLeave me alone,a she said hoa.r.s.ely.

aMake us.a Vin scanned the crowd for the dark-haired woman and got frustrated when he couldnat find her. Theyad made eye contact for one electric moment and then shead disappeared into the sea of bodies like a ghost.

Head seen her before. He couldnat place whereabut head definitely seen her before.

aWho are you looking for?a Devina said in a low voice.

aNo one.a Vin nodded at a waitress, who came over quickly.

After drinks had been ordered, Devina edged closer and eased in, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pus.h.i.+ng against Vinas biceps. aLetas go back.a aBack where?a aTo the private bathrooms.a Vin frowned as a dark-haired woman in the far corner turneda. No, it wasnat the one. Maybeano, not her either.

Black hair, blue eyes, heart-shaped face that he wanted to take into his hands. Who was she?

aVin?a Devina pressed her lips behind his ear. aLetas goaIam hungry.a Unlike the night before, this do-me-now stuff annoyed more than tempted him. He knew d.a.m.n well that the seduction routine was less about s.e.x between the two of them, and more about that prost.i.tute coming over and pulling a whole lot of how-about-some-of-this. The thing was, Devina didnat mind including other women as long as it was on her termsa"and evidently those didnat include half-dressed ladies of the night making like they wanted to mount him and ride him off to an o.r.g.a.s.m in public.

Nope, the women had to be more attracted to Devina than him for her to be cool with it.

aI want some privacy,a she purred.

aWe have a guest.a aIt wonat take long.a Her tongue licked up the side of his neck, making him feel like he was a fence post getting p.i.s.sed on. aI promise you that. Iam hungry, Vin.a aSorry.a His eyes searched the crowd. aIam full at the moment.a Devina dropped the act and sat back in the seat. aThen I want to go home.a At just that moment, the waitress came over with a beer for Jim, a shot of Patrn for Vin, and a Cosmo for Devina.

aWe canat leave now,a Vin murmured as he gave the woman a hundred and told her to keep the change.

aBut I want to go home.a Devina crossed her arms over her chest and pegged him right in the eye with the demand. aNow.a aCome on, Devina. Enjoy your drinka"a Before he could tell her theread be plenty of privacy as soon as they got back to the duplex, Devina cut him off with, aMaybe Iall just go buy that red head for myself then, since youare not going to take care of me.a Right, okay. Wrong thing to say. Absolutely wrong b.u.t.ton to hit.

Easing to the side, Vin took the keys to the M6 out of his pocket. aDo you want me to walk you to the car? Or do you need cash for the prost.i.tute?a Devinaas eyes flashed black in the silence that erupted between them. But she should have known not to play hardball with him.

After a moment, she s.n.a.t.c.hed the key out of his hand. aOh, I wouldnat dream of troubling you. Jim will walk me out. That way you can stay and enjoy the view some more.a With a small nod, Vin glanced at the other man. aJim, would you mind doing the honors?a The guy slowly lowered his beer. aLook, if she wants to goa"a aThen sheas free to. And she wants you to escort her to the car.a The poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d looked as if head rather have his fingers filed into stubs than get in the middle of things, and Vin didnat blame him.

Uncrossing his legs, Vin stood up. aAh, h.e.l.l, man, you just relax here and Ialla"a Devina shot to her feet. aJim, please take me to his car. Now.a Vin shook his head. aNo, Iam going toa"a aThe h.e.l.l you are,a Devina snapped. aI donat want you taking me anywhere.a aItas cool,a Jim muttered. aIall do it.a The man got up, but he left his leather jacket, as if he were not expecting to be gone long. aIam just taking her to the car. We clear on that?a aThanks, man.a Vin sat down again and swallowed his Patrn on a oner. aIall be here waiting.a Jim indicated the way to the door, and Devina walked off, her chin up and her shoulders back, her fur in her arms.

As Vin watched them go, it was times like this that made him question the ring thing. Head done nothing to encourage the prost.i.tutea"he hadnat even looked at her.

But you had been staring at someone, an inner voice pointed out.

Vin resumed scanning the crowd, all of whom seemed to have black clothes and dark hair. d.a.m.n itawhy did she have to be in a club like this, where everyone was a brunette?

Exceptawell, the why had been pretty obvious: She hadnat been dressed as a customer.

With a curse, he glanced up at one of the cages, where a woman was aglow in blue light, writhing as if shead lost a cold penny down the front of her thong and wasnat allowed to use her hands to get it out. Was his dark-haired woman a danceraor what that first female had been?

Oh, who the h.e.l.l was he kidding. No doubt you could buy what was in the cages as well.

Still, prost.i.tute or not, that had been some kind of moment when theyad locked eyesa"the pull had been undeniable, even though it made no sense. It wasnat that head ever judge a woman for being a professional, but he couldnat imagine being with one whoad done that for a living. Was doing it for a living.

Nope. No way. Even if she were as safe as she could be, even if she chose to do it because she liked it, his mind was not hard-wired to share. Thereas was too much of his father in him, and the paranoia would kill him.

Cursing, Vin wondered how in the h.e.l.l head gone from taking one look at the woman across a club to trying her on for a relations.h.i.+p. When he was already in one. And had a diamond the size of a grape waiting at home for hisa"

Abruptly, his dark-haired woman burst through the crowd in the back. She was walking fast, her shoulders knocking into people as she went, her face grim and tight. And right on her tail were a pair of guys who had necks larger than their heads and nasty expressions.

Like they were ten-year-olds about to pick the wings off a b.u.t.terfly.

Vin frownedaand got to his feet.

CHAPTER 12.

As Jim walked around the back of the Iron Mask, he was not cool with what was doing on so many levels. And his outlook did not improve as Devina slipped her arm through his and pressed herself close to him.

aItas chilly again,a she said in a low voice.

Yeah, it was, but he wasnat going to warm her up like he had last night. aLet me help you put your coat on, then.a aNoaa She stroked the fur that was over her arm. aI donat want to wear this right now.a Which, gee, wow, probably meant Vin had bought it for her.

This was really not a good turn of events.

Jim got her over to the BMW, and the moment she killed the security alarm with the electronic key, he opened the driveras-side door.

aIam not good at stick s.h.i.+fts,a she said, staring into the interior of the M6. aI really canat drive them.a She waited like she expected him to say something. aJima"a aLetas get you into that car.a She glanced over at his truck, which was parked two s.p.a.ces down. Although she didnat come out and say it, given the way she angled her head, she was asking him a question.

aI canat.a Jim took a step back. aIam sorry.a Devina hugged that white mink closer to her chest. aDidnat you like last night?a aOf course I did. But I know him now, and no matter what you say in this moment, you will regret it later.a There was a long, tight moment; then Devina nodded and slowly sank into the bucket seat. Instead of closing the door or pulling the belt across herself, though, she just stared out over the steering wheel, the lights of the dash illuminating her gorgeous face.

aIam sorry, Jim. I donat know why I askeda. Itas not fair to you or him or me. Iam just so empty that Iam making bad choices and not acting right.a s.h.i.+t, he knew exactly what that was like. aItas okay. People do that.a He crouched down so he could look into her eyes, and as he did, he got p.i.s.sed with Vin. Didnat the guy know what he had? For f.u.c.kas sake, no one was perfect, and the spat theyad just had in the club proved that on both sides. But come on.

aLook, Devina, have you talked to him? Tried to explainaa G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Jim couldnat believe the f-word was about to come out of his mouth. aHave you tried to explain how youare feeling?a aHeas always so busy.a Her eyes were dark and deep as she looked over. aBut maybe you would speak to him for me? Tell him that I love him and I want to be with hima"a aWaitawhoaaa Okay, that was almost as bad an idea as their having s.e.x again. aIam not the kind of guya"a aPlease. Jim, please. Itas clear he likes you, and believe me, that doesnat happen all that often. You could just tell him that you and I talked out here and that I miss him even though heas in my life. I mean, Iam not a fool. I know what kind of man he is. Making money is always going to be important to him, and there are benefits to being with someone like that. But there has to be more.a Her eyes seemed to flash. aDonat you think there has to be more to life, Jim?a As he felt that ensaring pull reach out and grab onto him, he got to his feet. aYeah, but you need to be saying those things yourself.a For a moment he thought he saw something hard flash in her eyes, but then she nodded again and stretched the seat belt across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

aVin is not who I thought he was.a Devina started the engine and put the M6 in gear. aIave been waiting for him to warm up and trust me and love me, but it hasnat happened, and Iam losing the strength to hang on, Jim, I really am.a aHeas bought you a ring.a As her head whipped around, Jim was totally aware head not just overstepped his bounds, but bombed the s.h.i.+t out of them. Keeping her in Vinas life was the important thing, though.

aHe has?a she breathed.

aJust hold on a little longer.a Christ, maybe he could talk to Vin tonight. G.o.d knew Jim was a good liar, and in this case, for once his motivations were good: He could try and argue that marriage is something worth believing in. aLook, let me sit down with him, okay?a aOh, thank you.a She reached out and squeezed his hands. aThank you so much. I really do want this to work.a She blew him a kiss and shut the door. Stepping to the side, he watched her ease out of the parking lot and accelerate down Trade Street, the engine going through its gears slick as s.h.i.+t through a goose.

Jim frowned and thought that if that was what she cla.s.sed as not knowing how to work a stick s.h.i.+ft, he wanted to know exactly what proficient would be.

Man, he needed a cigarette.

With a rattle and a whir, a car pulled up to the brick wall of the club and parked under one of the staff-only signs. Two barely dressed women with Playboy b.r.e.a.s.t.s and legs as thick as toothpicks got out and stopped when they saw him.

aHey,a the blonde said with a s.e.xy smile. aYou coming into the club?a Her friend had an Amy Winehouse beehive and a necklace that spelled out s.l.u.t in diamonds. aYeah, howad you like to come with us through the back door?a The innuendo was way too obvious for Jimas taste, and that dangler around her neck meant he was far more interesting in going if she were involveda"but if it saved him a trip all the way around the club in the cold night? Fine and dandy, thank you, maaam.

Jim walked over as a bouncer opened the door for the ladies.

aHeas with us,a Blondie said to the guy. aHeas my cousin.a aaSup, man.a The bouncer put out his knuckles and Jim gave them a pound. aGood to meet you.a After they were inside, the guy relocked the door and talked into the Bluetooth clipped on his ear. aUp front? Okay. Coming. s.h.i.+t, girls, we got a rumble in general population. Youare gonna wanna hang here till itas over.a aOh, weall find something to do,a the blonde quipped.

aOr somebody,a the beehive cut in, taking Jimas arm and rubbing up on him.

He disengaged himself. aI got a friend waiting for me.a aMale or female?a the blonde asked.

aMale.a aPerfect for a double date. Clubas that waya"see you in a bit.a The one with the beehive leaned up to his ear. aYou think I look good now, waitall you see my work clothes.a They hustled off through a door marked LADIESa LOCKER ROOM, leaving him in the dark hall thinking that if they were changing into something smaller than what they had on, the pair were going to come out dressed in postage stamps.

As he started down for the club proper, a dark-haired working woman turned the corner up ahead and came toward him. He recognized her instantly as the one Vin had actually been staring at when Devinaas latex nemesis had been begging him for attention, and Jim was not happy to see who was on her tail: That pair of big, young guys were way too close, and they had looks on their faces like theyad chased her into this dim, secluded hallway because they wanted something she clearly wasnat interested in giving them.

Jim glanced up and back. The corridor was a good forty feet long and about ten feet wide, and aside from a door marked OFFICE, which was way far down by the exit, the locker room was the only shot she had at losing them.

And the bouncers were already busy with some kind of disturbance.

Jim planted his feet and got ready to interveneawhen from out of nowhere, Vin appeared in the archway at the club end of things, looking like head come to the same this-ainat-right conclusion.

Striding down, Vin closed the distance fast, but the drama reached Jim first.

aI said no,a the woman snapped over her shoulder.

aYour kind of female doesnat get to say no.a Okay, so the wrong thing to say, right there. Jim stepped into the path of the guys and spoke to the woman over his shoulder. aYou all right?a As she turned to him, it was clear by her hard face and her terrified eyes that she was keeping it together by force of will only. aYup. Just taking a break.a aWhy? Is your mouth tired already?a Jim faced off at the guy whoad spoken. aWhy donat you back the f.u.c.k off.a aWho are you? Another one of her pimps?a The SOB reached around and grabbed her wrist. aWhy donat you let her doa"a Vin diPietro, who had closed the distance, moved like the street was still in his blood. Before Jim took action, he was on the unwelcome contact, catching the biceps of that arm and breaking the guyas hold on the woman by snapping the kid around. He didnat say a thing. Didnat have to. He was ready to pop the motherf.u.c.ker, gray eyes no longer cool, but volcanic.

aLet go of my G.o.dd.a.m.n arm!a the punk yelled.

aMake. Me.a Jim glanced at the woman. aMy buddy and I are gonna handle this. Why donat you grab a cup of coffee and tell those other two girls to hang with you. Iall give you a shout when the att.i.tude adjustment is finished.a Her eyes drifted over to Vin. It was clear she didnat like accepting the help, but she wasnat stupid. Given the buzz in the college kidsa eyes, there wasnat just booze fueling them, but some c.o.ke or meth, too. Which meant the chances of things going downhill fast were high.

aIall call for a bouncer,a she muttered as she opened the locker room door.

aDo me a favor,a Vin said, still vapor-locked on his boy. aDonat call anyone.a She shook her head a little and ducked out of the hall.

And that was when the knife appeared in the quiet kidas hand.

Leaving Vin to deal with the chatty Cathy of the pair, Jim stepped forward and antic.i.p.ated which direction the lunge with the blade was going to come from. Ah, yes, fidiot with the sharpie was going to cruise in from the right because he was right handed, so it was just a case of waitinga"

Jim grabbed the guy in midcharge, snagging his wrist, whipping him around, and applying pressure to the joint until the weapon dropped to the floor. And just as he introduced the b.a.s.t.a.r.das face to the wall, Vin broke into a fistfight, ducking a wide punch, then coming up with his bare knuckles like a boxer. His impact was a cracking stunnerabut the trouble with illicit stimulants was that they carried, in addition to the possibility of felony and addiction, the certainty of anesthetic properties.

So the kid with the ugly, and now b.l.o.o.d.y, mouth didnat seem to feel a thing. He slammed a return hook into Vinas face and it was on. The pair of them went hog wild, turning the hallway into an MMA octagona"and check that s.h.i.+t out: Vin was both the aggressor and the punisher of the pair.

To give him plenty of room for the beat-down he was delivering, Jim dragged his deadweight out of the way, prepared to keep things civil as long as his load of c.r.a.p kept the trouble and the opinions to a minimum.

f.u.c.ker had to open his mouth, though. Just had to: aWhy do you give a s.h.i.+t what some wh.o.r.e does? Sheas just a heartbeat and a hole, for f.u.c.kas sake.a Jimas vision flickered on and off, but he got ahold of himself and glanced up at the ceiling. Sure enough there were pods at regular intervalsa"which meant this was all being recorded. Then againahe and Vin had been smart enough to let their opponents throw the first punch and take out the weapon, so legally they could argue self-defense.

But more to the point, two college-aged f.u.c.k-twits whoad been doing illegal drugs werenat going to want to report s.h.i.+t to the police.

So no reason not to finish this.

Jim tightened his hold on that wrist, secured another grabber on the upper arm, and yanked the kid back so he could whisper in his ear. aI want you to take a deep breath. Come on, nowaconcentrate. Calm down and take a deep breath for me. Thatas itaa Jim squeezed and squeezed some more until pain cut off any struggle. And when there was plenty of compliance with the even breathing, he dislocated that arm right from its shoulder socket with a quick twist. The resulting scream was loud, but the music from the dance floor drowned out the echo. Which was why, all things considered, clubs were not a bad place for throw-downs.

As the kid sagged onto the floor, Jim knelt in front of him. aI hate hospitals. Just out of one myself. You know what theyare going to do to someone with your kind of injury? Theyare going to put the arm back where it belongs. Here, let me show you.a Jim took the flopping limb and didnat bother telling the guy to breathe deep. He just applied the appropriate pressure so that the bone popped back into its home. No screaming this timea"the SOB just pa.s.sed out cold.

In the wake of his stab at being an ortho doc, Jim glanced up to see how things were going with the other half of the altercationsa"and got an eyeball full of Vin working his opponentas liver like it was bread dough. College Boy was wilting badly and looking royally licked, his hands up not to throw punches, but to ward them offaand his knees knocking together like his balance was going fast.

Which would have been great except for the fact they had trouble.

At the end of the hall, they were attracting attention, a clubgoer peering down the corridor.

The lights were dim, but not that dim.

They had to clear the f.u.c.k out.

aVin, we got to go,a Jim hissed.

The newsflash didnat register, and that wasnat a surprise, given the brutal focus Vin was bringing to his fight. s.h.i.+t, screw the peanut gallery; if he was allowed to keep this up, he was going to kill the guy. Or at least turn the fool into a linebacker-size vegetable.

Jim stood up, prepared to intervene with more than words.

CHAPTER 13.