Agent Dark- Vegas Read online

  Vesper giggled. It was true that the girls had started it. Raye had suggested during dinner that they should implement a rule. Whenever someone at the table said the word “have,” everyone drank. The next hour everyone had been fairly careful, but all it took was a few slipups before the drinks started flowing.

  After a while they had to stop playing the game, otherwise they’d all be too drunk to dance, but that didn’t stop the drinks from flowing. Vesper was just glad to have a fun night out and blow off some steam. That she was learning Aldo actually had a personality was a very pleasant bonus.

  The two witches, Meg Anne and Raye, seemed to bring out the best in Aldo, or the worst, depending on your perspective. It seemed alcohol brought out the lothario in him. And the ladies loved it. They took turns making suggestive comments towards the dwarf, and drunk Aldo had an answer for every comment. A few of his suggestions even made Vesper blush. If his bedroom game was half as good as his banter, he was half dwarf, half sex god.

  “Just make sure you don’t get so drunk you can’t dance,” Raye said. “You promised us dancing.”

  Aldo sat up straighter. “I dance for you. All night I will move my body for you.”

  “I like the sound of that,” purred Raye.

  “Me too,” Meg Anne added. “Don’t forget about me.”

  Aldo looked shocked. “How could I forget about you? One does not forget about a goddess.”

  Vesper grinned. “On that note, I need to use the ladies’ room. Girls, try not to molest Aldo in my absence.”

  “We make no promises,” Meg Anne and Raye said at the same time.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you look a little like Jason Momoa?” Meg Anne said to Aldo as Vesper walked away from the table.

  Vesper looked back. Now that she’d said it, he did look a little like the movie star, obviously a shorter version, but the face and hair matched, and Aldo wasn’t lacking in muscles, either.

  A body bumped into Vesper. She turned, embarrassed that she hadn’t been watching where she was going. “I’m sorr—” Vesper froze mid-sentence. The man she’d bumped into was hot—scorching, make it hard to breathe hot.

  The stranger flashed a grin. His perfect pearly-white chicklets were framed by lush lips and dimples.

  “Fuck me,” Vesper said.

  “Pardon me?” the stranger said, still smiling.

  Vesper blushed. It was obvious that the alcohol was affecting the filter between her brain and her mouth. That, or his hotness had shortened a few circuits in her brain. “I mean fuck me, I’m sorry... Err, I mean fuck, I’m sorry.”

  The stranger laughed and ran a hand through his short dark hair. The move brought Vesper’s eyes from his delectable mouth to his eyes. Vesper thought they looked like pools of dark chocolate, the kind of chocolate she could swim in all night. “I’m Hector.”

  “Vesper.”

  Hector smiled. “Nice to bump into you, Vesper. Let’s do it again sometime.”

  “That sounds... good.”

  Hector’s friends grabbed him and started pulling him towards the bar. He gave her one last grin before joining them.

  Vesper shook her head and headed to the ladies’ room. That sounds... good What the hell was that? One smile and she turned into a pile of mush incapable of forming coherent sentences? She needed to stay away from that one. He was trouble with a capital T.

  After using the washroom, Vesper headed back to the table. While she’d been gone, the girls had squeezed in closer to Aldo, who was in the middle of a story.

  “There I was in the middle of a dragon’s den, pants down, hands full of gold when the dragon says ‘put down the treasure.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a dragon talk, but it is like an angry James Earl Jones on a loudspeaker. Absolutely enthralling and terrifying at the same time.”

  “What did you do?” Meg Anne asked.

  “I said to the dragon, ‘I can’t drop the treasure, I was born with it.’”

  Raye slapped Aldo on the leg. “You’re bad.”

  “Did you really tell a dick joke to a dragon? That seems unlikely,” Vesper said.

  “Are you kidding me? Dragons are the biggest foul-mouthed perverts in all of Unreha. Telling a dick joke saved my life.”

  Vesper shrugged. She’d never been to Unreha, so she couldn’t comment on the foul language of a dragon. “I’ll have to remember that if I ever end up caught in a dragon’s lair.”

  “You should,” Aldo said. “Dragons love dick jokes, especially when women tell them.”

  Vesper couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

  “It’s time to go dancing. The club is just next door,” Meg Anne said.

  Vesper downed the last of her drink. “I’m in.”

  Raye pulled Aldo to his feet. “All right, mister, time to show us your moves.”

  “I’ll show you ladies my moves later this evening, but we can dance first.”

  Normally Vesper would’ve rolled her eyes at such a comment, but by the way Meg Anne and Raye were giggling, it seemed the cheesy line was having the desired effect. Even she was curious now to see what type of dance moves a drunk dwarf had.

  The dance floor was packed, yet Meg Anne and Raye managed to carve out a space in the middle for the four of them. Kat wasn’t sure if it was the swaying hips, strategically placed elbows, or the girls using magic, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting her dance on. Oh, and judging Aldo’s moves.

  Aldo certainly had rhythm. He wasn’t one of those overly expressive dancers with arms flailing about, but instead he moved in a compact fashion, and he gave off a confident vibe, like he was as comfortable here surrounded by beautiful women as he was at home working on a tiling project sans pants. It was interesting seeing this side of Aldo. She’d never known many dwarfs, and had always assumed they would be more on the antisocial side. Perhaps she’d fallen into the trap of thinking TV and modern movies actually were a true representation of the magical races. No, it wasn’t just that, she decided. It was the fact that Aldo’s personality was far more multifaceted than she’d believed.

  At the shop he was quiet, answering questions and dealing with customers in an efficient, businesslike way, but not expressing any personality. At home he was less quiet, but still kept to himself, and when he was working on renos, he preferred to work alone, which fed into the image of him being almost reclusive in nature, but tonight he’d shown that he had an outgoing and charming personality; it only took alcohol and two sexy witches to bring it out in him, although Vesper suspected that it was more the latter than the former. Meg Anne and Raye were vibrant and sexy, and if she were into women, she’d definitely be into them. She suspected that the feelings were reciprocated, but it was too hard to tell. The two of them were sassy, sexy, and yet had an air of mystery to them. Going out for drinks and dancing with the vixens was dangerous grounds, but Vesper didn’t regret it for a moment. She was having fun.

  After half a dozen songs, Aldo and the girls were still going strong, but Vesper needed a breather and some water. She signaled to the others that she was hot and going to get a drink. They smiled and kept dancing.

  As she left the others, she decided that the two witches must be using magic, as the dance floor was packed outside of the little bubble of space around them. She weaved her way through the gyrating bodies until she was free of the crowd. Making her way to the bar, she wondered how Kat’s night was going. By now she was probably talking with Lola Arvel.

  Vesper was glad that it wasn’t her out there now. Vampires made her nervous. It wasn’t that she disliked them—Thomas was a great guy, as was Dexter. Although Dexter never spoke of his heritage, she was sure he was an Unreha vampire. The first time he entered her shop and set off one of her warding spells she’d realized there was more to Dexter than she’d first realized. He was far too powerful with magic to be a normal vampire. Perhaps he was one of the elder vampires who’d been on Earth for centuries, although she couldn’t tell. No, her problem with vamp
ires was the whole concept that they could turn you. That was a power that came with great responsibility, and when it was mismanaged, terrible things happened. A newly turned vampire was dangerous. Bloodlust could make them do horrendous things, even to the ones they loved. Dying was one thing, but accidently killing your friends and family in a bloodlust–filled rage was another entirely.

  That Kat was confronting one of the most powerful vampires in the city made Vesper slightly nervous for her friend. Sure, Kat was a badass draia, and maybe she couldn’t even be turned, but the idea still made her nervous.

  “Here you go,” the bartender said, placing a bottle of water and a drink in front of her.

  Vesper frowned. She hadn’t been in the lineup more than ten seconds, and she certainly hadn’t ordered a drink or water, yet they were exactly what she wanted.

  “I saw you coming off the dancefloor towards the bar, and I wasn’t sure if you’d be looking for a drink or some water, so I went ahead and ordered both.”

  Vesper turned just as Hector slid beside her and accepted a drink from the bartender.

  “Are you stalking me?”

  Hector grinned. “No. I’m far too smart to stalk a witch. Who knows what terrible hex you’d put on me.”

  He knew she was a witch? Warning lights went off in her head. How did he know? She reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you for the drink.”

  Hector grinned. “You don’t have to check for magic, I’ll just tell you I’m a werewolf. That’s how I know you and your friends are magic users—I can smell it on you. Although there is something about your guy friend. He isn’t just a warlock. He’s something else.”

  Vesper relaxed. Werewolves had acute senses of smell, and she probably smelled like the residue of all the potions she worked on. That explained how he knew the girls were also witches. It was interesting that he couldn’t tell what Aldo was. Perhaps he’d never encountered a dwarf before. “What’s a nice doggie like you doing in a place like this?”

  Hector leaned in. “Who said I was nice?”

  A shiver ran down her spine, right from her brain directly to her lady parts. A bad-boy werewolf who looked like he should be on one of those sexy firefighter calendars? She was in trouble. “Careful, wolfy. Maybe I like nice guys.”

  “No you don’t,” Hector said.

  Vesper raised an eyebrow. “I don’t?”

  “Nope.”

  Vesper grew irritated. Sure, Hector was hot as fresh lava, but there was a line between being confident and being cocky, and he was way over it. “All right, fur-brain, why don’t you tell me my type? Do your doggie senses tell you that?”

  “Are you sure you want to know?” Hector said, undeterred by her derogatory nicknames.

  “Hit me with your best shot.”

  “OK,” Hector said. He leaned in again so he could whisper in her ear. “The first time we bumped into each other, you turned and your heartbeat started to race, and when you looked into my eyes, your eyes slightly dilated. And just now when I told you I wasn’t nice, your body reacted in a particular way.”

  Shit, he was right. Her heart had raced. That wasn’t her fault, though. But what did he mean by her body reacted in a certain way? Then it hit her. Werewolf... he could smell her arousal. There was no bluffing her way out of the fact that she wanted him. “Keep your hypersensitive nose to yourself, mister.”

  “Where is the fun in that?” Hector said. “Besides, I find you irresistible. You are sexy beyond compare and smell divine.”

  Vesper shook her head. This one was going to be trouble. The best kind of trouble.

  7

  Kat

  After dealing with her vampire issues, Kat decided she deserved a little me time, and that meant sleeping in and then she’d do some research, better known as spending the day on Google. So far, the sleeping in wasn’t going quite to plan. She was awake far too early, but as long as she didn’t leave the confines of her bed, she considered it a win.

  Kat’s phone beeped with a new text from Judah. I’m in town. Want to meet for coffee later and I’ll give you your laptop?

  Kat grinned. She was excited to get her new laptop. She wasn’t a tech geek, but a supercomputer? Who wouldn’t want one? She knew from working with Thomas how useful he found his. Why don’t you swing by the house? I have another project I need your help with, Kat replied. She then typed out their address.

  Sounds good. Be there in about an hour.

  Kat groaned. She hadn’t planned on getting out of bed this early, but she knew Judah was a busy guy, and she really wanted his help on her next project. Besides, he was delivering a magically enhanced super computer, the least she could do was invite him over. She jumped in the shower and then got dressed. After organizing her Google search notes, Kat headed downstairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass.

  As she took a sip of her juice, Vesper walked into the kitchen wearing just a long T-shirt.

  Vesper looked surprised to see her.

  “Morning,” Kat said. “How was your night out? Run into any hot guys?”

  Vesper looked sheepish. “You might say that.”

  A hunky dark-haired man then walked into the kitchen behind Vesper. He looked at Kat and stopped. “Oh, hello,” he said.

  Kat smiled at the stranger. “Hello to you too. I’m Kat.”

  “I’m Hector. I’m sorry, Vesper, I didn’t know you had company.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t have company. Kat is my roommate.”

  The doorbell rang. Shit, thought Kat. What are the odds of this happening?

  “Technically, you do have company,” Kat said as she nodded her head over at Hector. “So do I.”

  Vesper frowned. “Who’s at the door, Kat?”

  Kat gulped. An awkward morning was about to get way more so. “Judah. He’s delivering my laptop.”

  “I see,” Vesper said. She turned to Hector. “We should probably get dressed.” She grabbed Hector by the arm and pulled him towards the stairs.

  Kat waved. “Nice meeting you, Hector.” She then walked to the front door. She had to figure a way to distract Judah long enough for Vesper to get rid of her new lover. It was definitely for the best if Judah didn’t see Hector.

  There was nothing official between Vesper and Judah, just a lot of flirting and suggestive talk, but Kat knew Judah did have feelings for Vesper. The potential for a really awkward meeting was sitting around twelve on a scale of one to ten.

  She opened the door. “Judah. So good to see you. Come in.”

  “Thanks, Kat. Sorry for texting you so early. I know you like to sleep in on the weekends, but I have to fly out this afternoon.”

  “Not a problem. Come in, let’s go to the living room and you can show me my new toy.”

  Kat led Judah to the living room. She sat down on the couch facing away from the opening to the hallway. “OK. Let’s see this bad boy.”

  Judah sat down on the couch beside her. He opened the laptop. “Put your thumb on the mousepad.”

  Kat did as he asked. The laptop fired up instantly. “Welcome, Kat,” said the computer. Kat smiled. Of course it talked.

  “It has a fairly sophisticated AI system similar to what the big companies have, only better and programed to prioritize all questions related to supernaturals. So, if you ask about vampires, it will load MBI database files first, before searching anything else.”

  “Very cool. What else can it do?”

  “You can basically access any Federal database, or State for that matter. If you are trying to break into an encrypted file, it is quicker than most supercomputers, and the graphics are amazing, which you’ll never notice when you are playing Tetris.”

  “Hey, don’t be knocking Tetris,” Kat said.

  Judah laughed. “Sorry. But really, if you ever have any questions, ask the computer. It can probably answer them better than I can.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Judith, whe
re is Agent Dark’s car?”

  “One moment please,” said a very British-sounding voice.

  “Judith?” Kat asked.

  “I hired a voice actor, and Morgan Freeman was too expensive.”

  Judith Dench. Kat knew she recognized the voice. “Seriously? Of all the voices in the world you went with Judith?”

  “The sexy young AI voice is so cliché,” Judah said. “I wanted someone a little more sophisticated. It was a real toss-up between her and Helen Mirren.”

  “Helen would’ve been a good choice, she’s got class and can still sound like a badass. I loved her in Red Two.”

  “I see your point. Helen would’ve been good too. But there is just something about hearing Judith swear that makes me giggle.”

  Kat raised an eyebrow. “Your AI swears?”

  “Like a sailor, depending on how you interact with her,” Judah said. “Isn’t that right, Judith?”

  “Damn right,” said the laptop.

  Kat laughed. “Well, that is fun.”

  Everything was going well until tall dark and handsome walked into the living room.

  “Sorry to interrupt, just need my phone,” Hector said.

  “Agent Dark’s car is parked approximately fifty feet to the southeast of current location. Do you have any other silly questions?” Judith’s voice rang out.

  “Woah, your laptop sounds just like Judith Dench,” Hector said.

  “Isn’t it great?” Judah said.

  “Very,” Hector said.

  Vesper entered the room. “Hector, your Uber is here. Oh, hi Judah. Good to see you.”

  Hector grabbed his phone and headed to the door. He kissed Vesper on the cheek as he went by. “I’ll call you.”

  Kat watched Judah, but to his credit he didn’t outwardly show any signs of being affected by seeing the kiss. But the situation still had awkward written all over it. She needed to do something. “Enough about your super amazing laptop. Let’s talk about me!”

  Judah gave what appeared to be a very forced smile. “What about you?”

  “Besides the fact that I’m amazing? But seriously, I have this great idea for a project, but I need some technical assistance.”