Damn Fates.
Always butting in where they didn’t belong.
Family did that.
Soon enough he’d see Jinx again and everything would be right in his world once more. Or, as right as it got in his world. A slow smile found its way to his face and he had to control his expression around the cleanup team. They didn’t need to know he was excited to see a woman.
Information was a weapon, and in the wrong hands it could be deadly.
He was far more excited to see Jinx than he should be. This was a business meeting. Nothing more.
He thought back to the times he’d been near her in his life. Each time she’d commanded his attention, holding it, captivating him from his head to his toes.
Never had a woman held such pull over him.
It wasn’t just because she was a succubus. He’d been around enough of those in his lifetime to know that had nothing to do with the attraction he felt for her. His pull to Jinx was carnal and instinctive. Over the years he’d watched her from a distance, always drawn to her, always mindful of what his obsession could bring.
He’d carved out a nice living for himself—staying off the grid for the most part while still helping to fight the good fight.
She knew about him. About the secrets he kept from his own men. About his magik and so much more. She knew about his father and the horrors his father had brought down upon the earth. About the death and destruction that had followed in his father’s wake. And she knew that he carried those same powers, that same ability, and that he walked a fine line of control.
She knew all the details he kept from everyone, yet she’d never once tried to use it to her advantage. That spoke highly of her character. Of her.
Chapter Three
Lukian waited until the colonel headed to a rental car before he turned to the other men. They’d made it as far as their rental before they’d decided to circle around, tuck themselves away and watch what was happening. Something major was going down in Seattle and they were already down some men, having flown out with only half a team. Lukian wasn’t one to ignore bad vibes and he was getting them in spades at the idea of letting the colonel go off on his own.
“Uh, are we planning to stalk the colonel?” Roi asked from the passenger seat. “If so, can I pee first?”
“Jackass,” said Eadan from the back.
“I thought having you both mated would make this bickering like children end,” added Lukian, annoyed with them and their behavior.
“You thought wrong,” Roi said before smiling sweetly. “Captain.”
“Why, exactly, are we tailing the colonel?” asked Eadan. “We don’t think he’s the rogue, do we?”
“No,” Lukian and Roi said in unison.
Lukian put the car in gear as Brooks pulled away. “I think he’s headed into the lion’s den.”
Roi tipped his head. “Shit. Tell me we’re not going to the whorehouse. Missy will kill me.”
“We’re going to a reputable establishment that the colonel is headed to.” Lukian was careful to keep a good distance from Brooks so as not to tip him off that they were directly disobeying his orders.
“An establishment that features hot succubi who cater to supernaturals,” added Roi. “And just so we’re clear, your wife will end you too.”
“She’ll understand this was to make sure nothing bad happens to the colonel,” said Lukian. “You don’t want to be called to another scene to find his body looking like the ones we just left, do you?”
Roi shook his head. “No. But I’m calling my wife.”
Eadan laughed and then stopped, pulling out his cell as well. “Shit. I’m calling mine too.”
Chapter Four
Jinx kept her posture rigid, watching as hired goons tore apart the room before her. The club was her baby. She’d poured so much of herself into it that it was hard to hold back tears as the men continued to knock down shelves, sending liquor bottles crashing to the floor. They’d already broken a fair number of the chairs and tables in an attempt to show off just how strong they were. Apparently total wreckage somehow equaled badass in their minds.
All she’d really gotten out of the ordeal thus far was that they were dicks. Her girls flinched and huddled in behind her. Thankfully, she’d sent her male workers away, telling them they were needed at another location for the evening. Her boys would have exacerbated the ordeal that possibly could have led to a body count. As it was, the goons were simply making a good deal of noise and breaking a lot of items. They’d not hurt anyone.
Yet.
Jinx had tried earlier to get her girls to go too. None of them had bit on the night at the spa that she’d offered. It was as though they’d sensed trouble brewing. And trouble had certainly bubbled over.
The silent alarms had been tripped. Since Jinx and her establishment were hardly normal, the alarms did not notify the local authorities. What would have been the point?
Come quick and then freak the hell out at the sight of paranormals.
No. That would never do.
The alarms notified her and her own private security. They’d come soon enough. Even though she’d told them earlier that she was having the alarms tested and to ignore any possible alerts.
They were smarter than that. They’d know she was bluffing—trying to keep them all safe. When word reached her of the pending raid on her establishment, she’d done all she could to keep her people out of harm’s way.
Hopefully her security detail would arrive after Helmuth’s men were done trying to scare her by destroying her club. Her security team was headed up by a rather testy alpha male shifter and he’d kill first and ask questions later. This would only lead to more bloodshed. Helmuth was into some dark and twisted shit now. More than his normal and Jinx didn’t want the wrath of it brought down on her people.
As it stood, Helmuth was annoyed with her putting her nose into his affairs. If his men ended up dead after paying her a visit, she’d have a mess like the one on the docks and she didn’t want that.
Helmuth’s goons had been sent to scare her because she’d dared to put a kink in his plans and foil his attempt to kidnap two people. He was pissed and this was his way of making that known to her.
She centered her gaze on Jasper. He was behind the bar and the ringleader of the current group. He moved in Helmuth’s tight inner circle. While he wasn’t Helmuth’s right-hand man, he certainly had the boss’s ear and blessing to be muscle when called for. He was a grade-A asshole who let power go to his head.
She shuddered at the thought of Helmuth. He’d fooled her upon his arrival in Seattle years ago. He’d entered her club looking for the same thing everyone else was who crossed her threshold—sex. As a succubus, Jinx excelled at sex. Her kind required sexual energy and sex to live and survive. This wasn’t a job to her or her people. It was a way to live. Something they needed. And they were good at what they did.
Very good.
No one had left unhappy yet and Jinx had been running sex establishments for centuries. It was easy since she’d basically stopped aging around the age of twenty-five. The more years she had under her belt, the more things changed for her. She’d actually cut back dramatically on taking clients years ago, feeding off the energy in the club instead. She’d made an exception with Helmuth and foolishly let her guard down with him. Once she realized what he truly was—a sick bastard—it was too late. He’d wormed his way into her life.
“So, you like helpin’ the enemy,” Jasper said snidely, pushing more bottles to the floor. He stared out from beady eyes. Five scars lined his right cheek. A sign he’d lost at least one fight in his past with a shifter male. She couldn’t hide her smile. She’d seen him without a shirt before and knew the damage went far beyond his face. Normally, she wouldn’t have gloated at someone else’s pain, but Jasper was a special kind of crazy. He’d been banned from her club years prior for his rough treatment of her girls.