InkintheBlood (6 page)

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 mother’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 around and tossed his
keys to him. Nervous bubbles danced in her stomach, but she forced a smile as
she slid into her seat.

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.

“Maybe he had a lighter palmed.” It was weak but it was the
only thing she could come up with.

“He didn’t have a lighter palmed and she didn’t get loose
and slip into the crowd. And you know what? Someone really did bump me when I
spilled your drink. But when I turned around, there was no one there.”

Crap. That confirmed it. The girl must have been a fader.
Whiny bitch! Izzy should’ve had Mitchell kick her out of the club when she’d
had the chance. How the hell was she going to explain to Jacob that some people
could just disappear and reappear at will? Izzy stared out the window as he
fell silent. Putting her forehead on the cool glass, she wished the
conversation were already over.

“How’d they do it?”

She tried to think of another lie, one that was plausible,
but only the truth was left. “Maybe it was magic.” She expected the words to be
painful somehow, but instead they left her oddly numb.

“Very funny.”

“Why would it be funny?”

“Are you serious?”

She shrugged in answer.

“Because magic isn’t real.” His tone was sharp with disdain.

“And no one can just vanish or light a cigarette with a snap
of his fingers.” She echoed his condescension in her reply.

“I know what I saw.”

She took a settling breath before continuing. “And I believe
you.”

He didn’t speak for a moment, but his silence didn’t last
nearly long enough for her comfort. “So you genuinely expect me to believe they
used some sort of magic?”

“I don’t expect you to believe anything. You saw something
and asked for an explanation. I gave you one.”

“But magic is the explanation you’re going with?”

“What else is there, Jacob?”

“I don’t know, but there has to be something.” His voice was
becoming irritated as he spoke. “Maybe they put something in my drink. I
could’ve been drugged.”

“Would you really have gotten behind the wheel of a car if
that were even a remote possibility?” she asked dryly.

He cursed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Of course
not. But then what? If I wasn’t drugged, what the hell happened in there?”

She wished she had another explanation for him. That there
were some sleight of hand or trick of light that would make everything
believable. But, since she didn’t, she had to concentrate on getting him to
accept the truth. And preferably before they got to Toxic. If he went up
against Alex already jittery, Alex would win.

She waited until he stopped at the next red light and then
cupped his chin gently, forcing him to look into her eyes. As she stared at
him, she imagined her hair changing from black to white and then back to black
again.

“Jesus!” His eyes widened with shock as he stared at her.
“What the hell’s going on?”

Letting go of his chin, she pointed to the now-green light.
“Drive.”

He began driving again but he was visibly shaken by her
display. “Seriously, Izzy, what was that? How—”

“Magic.”

“How? How can you—”

“It’s what we do. It’s what we are.” She could hear the
detachment in her voice as it continued wrapping its numbness around her like a
blanket.

“It’s what you are?” His voice was tight with control. “I
don’t understand. What are you?”

“We’ve been called Asura, magicians, witches and sorcerers.”
She paused suddenly, letting the oldest names die on her tongue. He’d had such
a hard time accepting everything else, she feared the names
angel
and
demon
would push him too far if said. “You can pick whichever you like. They’re all
as right as they are wrong. We tend to use Community though. It’s benign and
can be overheard by humans without causing problems.”

He didn’t reply right away. Instead he continued driving in
silence. At least she didn’t have to worry about breaking things off with him
anymore. Men never looked at her the same after they found out what she was.

“Wait. What do you mean by, ‘can be overheard by humans’?
Are you trying to tell me you’re not a human? And does that mean you can light
cigarettes with your fingertips?”

She chose to ignore the first question. They didn’t have the
time to go into the logistics of what she was or wasn’t right now. “No, I can’t
manipulate fire. And I can’t disappear at will. There are several ways the
magic can manifest. My abilities are limited to my appearance.”

“Huh?”

“I can change the way I look.”

“Anything about yourself?”

“Anything and everything, except the tattoo, that’s
permanent.”

“Okay.” His voice was stiff.

Turning to face him, she forced herself to meet his gaze.
She didn’t find the disgust or horror she’d expected, but there wasn’t
acceptance either. She took a deep breath as she reminded herself that tonight
was about ending things. It wasn’t about acceptance and most certainly not
about love.

Love? The word stopped her in her tracks. Yes, she was
attracted to him and she liked him. She even respected him. But did she
actually love him? Her head spun at the sudden shift in thoughts.

“I know this is a lot to take in.” She wasn’t entirely sure
if she said the words for him or if they were directed toward herself.

“Don’t start with the pacifying tone, Izzy. I’m not five. I
just need to think. I need time.”

It was exactly what she needed as well. But as they turned
down another road she could see the neon lights spelling out
Toxic
in
front of them. “We don’t have time, Jacob. Either we do this or we turn around
now.”

He grimaced as he stopped the car in front of the club.
“Let’s say I believe you. That there are some people who can use magic. Does
Alexander, I mean, can he…”

“Use magic? Yes. He’s a shifter too but he’s not as strong
as I am.”

“I guess that’s better than the fire or the disappearing
one. Still, it might be hard to arrest someone who can change the way he
looks.”

“He doesn’t usually shift. He isn’t strong enough to hold
it.”

“Hold it?”

“Shifting takes a lot of mental discipline. Alex fatigues
easily, especially when he’s been partying. And he’s always partying.”

“Okay.” He shook his head suddenly. “Jesus! What am I
saying? There’s nothing okay about this.”

It was barely loud enough for her to hear, but she knew what
it meant. He was starting to lose it. “Let’s just get through this. Tomorrow
you can convince yourself it was all a trick of some sort and go on with your
life.”

He sighed heavily before looking at her again. “Do you have
a plan?”

“Not really. I thought that was your department.”

“It is and I had a plan. But that was when everything made
sense.”

“Well, if it helps, I think I can get him alone. That way
even if he does shift, he’ll be back to himself by the time everyone else sees
him.”

“How would you get him alone?”

“When we used to do business, the deals were always made in
private. So if I told him I was there to buy…”

“He might be willing to go back to that arrangement. That
would help. But what about when he sobers up?”

“By then your captain will have handed him over to someone
able to deal with a little shifting.”

“He knows?”

“He busted me, didn’t he?” Not wanting to think back to
those days or to those nightmares, she turned away from him to open the door.
But he stopped her before she could leave the conversation behind.

“It was rough, wasn’t it?”

If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn his voice
sounded almost compassionate. “It wasn’t a vacation.” A shudder passed through
her and her tongue sought out her teeth of its own accord. “But it’s in the
past now.”

Before he could press any harder, she stepped out of the car
and walked toward the entrance of the club. Thankfully Jacob joined her before
she reached it. As they walked up to the bouncer, Jacob wrapped his arm around
her waist. She suspected it was either out of habit or for the bust, but she
didn’t care. She still leaned into him. She was determined to allow herself the
comfort of his nearness for as long as possible.

The line was longer at Toxic but that didn’t matter. Nor was
she concerned about the unfamiliar bouncer. She had an appointment with Alex
and that got her to the front of the line. “I’m here to see Alex. He’s
expecting me.”

He studied her carefully and then looked down at the
clipboard in his massive hands. “Name?”

“Isabella Rathe.”

He looked up at her with a startled expression. “Ms. Rathe,
I’m so sorry to have detained you.” He moved out of her way so suddenly he
nearly ran into a group of young sorority types waiting in line. “Your
brother’s in the VIP lounge.”

“Half brother,” she corrected under her breath.

The club was loud and hazy as she walked through the door.
Dancers were pressed into every available space and were moving in time to the
rich bass that blasted from well-hidden speakers. Even with a quick glance, it
was obvious her father’s club drew a different clientele than her uncle’s.

Beck’s had been tailored to wealthy, beautiful people who
were looking for an escape from routines. Toxic, however, had been designed for
the young. The music was as fresh as the bodies dancing to it. Barmaids had
been replaced by gorgeous men and women who walked around with glowing test
tubes on their trays. Dressed in leather and lace, they helped the clientele
forget about their mundane lives for the night. The employees were there to
make the customers believe they were important, exciting people. And they had
all the newest paraphernalia to help in that endeavor.

Making her way to the roped-off stairs, she whispered to a
guard and then started up the winding staircase with Jacob trailing behind her.
He wouldn’t be searched since she’d vouched for him, but her stomach still
cramped with nervous energy.

They’d just cleared the last step when she spotted Alex’s
table. Never one to turn his back to a crowd, he was aptly sitting in a heavily
shadowed corner. He had two armed bodyguards posted next to him. And, of
course, lanky females surrounded him. Their slight frames swayed to the
remnants of music that wafted up the stairs.

“There she is. My big sister!” Alex’s black hair was pulled
back into a tight ponytail, revealing beautiful blue eyes that were framed with
long, black lashes. With her new hair color and her natural eye color, they
even managed to look like brother and sister.

She’d expected to be afraid of him, just as she had been in
the past. But their years apart and her recovery had changed her. Now, looking
into his eyes, she found only pity for him. He wasn’t a monster. He was an
empty shell—a wasted soul.

“I see you brought a toy with you.” He wobbled slightly as
he stood. “You certainly do have a love of their kind, don’t you?” He walked
over to Jacob, his eyes sweeping over him appraisingly. “I, personally, don’t
see it.”

“Of course not,” she said dryly as she grabbed Jacob’s hand.
She meant it as a show of solidarity, but she found comfort in his touch as
well.

“No offense, I’ve just found they’re no fun.”

Having seen his definition of fun, she wasn’t offended. “No
offense taken.”

She was about to suggest finding a private table when a very
familiar face stepped out of the shadowed corner and walked over to Alex. It
was the fader she’d had evicted from the barstool at Beck’s. The one who’d disappeared
in front of Jacob. Izzy watched as the girl whispered something to Alex, but
try as she might, she couldn’t make out the woman’s words.

“Maggie says she bumped into you at Beck’s.”

Jacob’s grasp on her hand tightened just a little, but Izzy
wasn’t concerned—yet.

“She kindly gave me her seat.” Izzy smiled coldly at the
woman standing next to Alex. “Thank you. Though I didn’t appreciate the vodka
shower quite as much.”

Maggie’s smile held a calculated twist that Izzy didn’t care
for but she was too busy focusing on Alex to give it much thought. He’d already
taken a couple of steps toward her. He was close enough now that she could
smell the alcohol and stale smoke on his breath. “She says she overheard
something about ink.”