Playing Against Type: Soulgirls, Book 4

Dedication

As always, for my beautiful soulgirls. I couldn’t ask for better inspiration.

Prologue

Checking into the resort amidst the chaos of an arriving romance author convention provided Special Agent Finn Mikelson with all the cover he needed. The harried reception staff swiped his credit card, filled out the paperwork and slid over the card keys with brisk air of
move it buddy
so they could rush on to the next guest. Travel suitcase in one hand and a backpack over his shoulder, he skipped the bellman and headed straight for the elevators.

The opulence of the Arcana Royale shimmered in the morning sunlight. Everything about it—from the waterfalls to the all-seeing Sphinx to the beautiful marble statues and rich parquet floors—invited visitors to an age of decadence and wealth. The world outside faded away, leaving only the beauty of the here and now, but the effect was lost on the special agent. He knew the beauty harbored dark secrets. The glitz and the glam disguised the rotten core of corruption. Corruption he would expose if it was the last thing he did.

And it just might be.
 

He hit the button for the elevator and waited patiently with a dozen women of varying ages, who chattered as old friends and acquaintances did when they hadn’t seen each other in a while. The group of three women on his left ranged in age from forty to fifty-five. They hugged, almost squealing in their delight to be together. Apparently they only met once a year at the convention and they had much to catch up on. Another group complained about the delays their flight encountered. Just behind him waited a woman who didn’t speak to the others or make eye contact. He checked her shy expression in the reflection of the elevator doors. Her badge proclaimed her a
first timer
.

So she probably doesn’t know anyone.
He shifted his bags and took a step slightly to the woman’s left, allowing her to move closer and be a part of the “crowd.” She glanced at him, barely long enough to flash a smile before looking away. He nodded, cataloging the various bits of information the groups shared. More people pressed in around them, all waiting for the elevators.

Thankfully two opened almost at the same time and most were able to board. The chatter drifted away as the doors shut and they swooped upward. He was booked into the twenty-eighth floor. The other passengers left the elevator on lower floors and he rode from twenty-two to twenty-eight alone—well, as alone as one could get under surveillance from a camera above.

Finn knew it was there, but he didn’t spare it a look. Better that they think him just there for a vacation and oblivious to the eye in the sky security features found in every casino. Let them keep their attention on the gaggles of women and their luggage. He understood surveillance and he wanted to use the distraction to his full advantage.

A half-smile turned up the corner of his mouth. He would unearth the answers he wanted soon enough.

Chapter One

Heidi glanced up from the paperwork spread across her desk, a frisson of awareness skating up her spine. Eyes narrowing, she stared at the door. It was the middle of the day and all of the dancers slept in their frozen states, silent and secure. No one moved in the theatre, not even Stan. Minion slept along the back of her shoulders, tufted ears folded close to her head and the imp’s fuzzy kitten-like face buried in Heidi’s hair. Flipping the folder closed, she waited.

The handle turned silently and the door swung inwards. A tall man with black hair leaned against the doorframe. The flirty smile on his lips didn’t quite touch his devastating blue eyes. “Miss Heidi.”

“Connor.” The shadow man’s arrival didn’t bode well. He rarely ventured into the Midnight Mystery Lounge unless something was wrong. Sadly, she’d already had to deal with him twice in as many months over issues with two of her dancers. As far as she knew, however, no one else should have earned this kind of personal attention.

“You don’t look very happy to see me. I’m wounded.” He grinned and strolled into her office. His gaze swept over the contents of the room, from the books lining the walls to the stack of puzzle boxes decorating a shelf. Despite his apparent interest in the surroundings, she knew it was a ruse. He would detect even the faintest trace of weakness in her.

Fortunately, she’d overcome her weakness for him years before.

She closed the folder. “I’m busy, Connor. What do you need?” She added the folder to another stack and dragged a new one toward her. She didn’t bother to read the words, looking at the information inside was enough to piss him off.

He dropped into a chair opposite her desk and swung his booted feet up to rest against the polished wood, one ankle over the other. “Some days I think you forget who is in charge.”
 

“Some days I think you forget who kicked your ass.” She lifted an absent hand up to brush against Minion’s downy soft head and kept the little one asleep.

Warm masculine laughter spilled from his throat, an invitation for sex that would have drowned an unprotected woman in a sea of lust. “I never forget why I like you.”

“Well that makes one of us. What do you want, Connor?” It was the second time she’d asked. If he forced a third, she would have to remind him that despite his position, she ruled this theatre.

The Midnight Mystery Lounge belonged to her, and it didn’t matter that it sat nestled in the heart of the Arcana Royale. She owned it through her blood, sweat and tears. Everything and everyone in it was under her protection. She fought for those contracts, held them tight in her fists, and wouldn’t allow the Overseers any more influence than they were due. Yes, they had some lease on the girls’ souls, but she had everything else. She hoarded that control and the ability to negotiate their freedom when the right circumstances presented themselves.

“Fine. Business it is, then.” Disappointment flickered across his face, too quick for her to grasp what had upset him. She ignored the tug of curiosity. Better to avoid traveling that path again. “We have an issue that needs your delicate touch.”

My delicate touch?
Circumstances must be dire indeed if he issued his invitation in such flattering terms. “I’m listening.”

Connor pulled his legs back and leaned forward. His intense gaze locked on hers and urged her cooperation. The compulsion eddied over the surface of her skin, but couldn’t quite penetrate her shields. It wasn’t on purpose, his power came from deep within and he wore it like others would a finely cut suit—natural and effortless.

“An FBI agent checked into the Royale this morning. His name is Finn Mikelson.” He paused, as though waiting for her to acknowledge the name.

The name meant nothing to her, however. “And I care because…?”
 

“Because he is here to gather evidence about the casino’s secrets and to build a case against the owners.” The declaration actually surprised her.

Frowning, Heidi continued to pet Minion’s head, gentle, soothing strokes. It helped her stay calm as much as it kept the imp asleep. “He’s human?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you worried?” She saw the agitation under the words, in his bearing, and hanging around his neck like a noose threatening to string him up.

Connor tried to force a more relaxed posture. It didn’t work. “He is a very stubborn human. He makes his living doing surveillance and is extremely talented.”

Heidi waved a hand. “He’s still human. There’s more to it. Spill.”

“He’s a null.” He pushed the words out through gritted teeth.

A null—well, that explains Connor’s presence.
“So the natural enchantments don’t work on him.”

“No.” As one of four remaining Overseers, Connor wielded considerable power. That
only
he approached her suggested his fellow Overseers remained divided on how to handle the issue. Or perhaps he acted alone without their knowledge or approval.

She imagined it was some combination of the two. The Overseers lost one of their number just a couple of months before and had, to her knowledge, not replaced their fifth. That meant the four who remained had to drain their considerable personal resources to maintain the protections over the casino.

Exerting some energy, she wound a spell around the Minion and activated the little one’s teleportation ability. The imp vanished with a
poof
to Heidi’s private suite where she could sleep safe and undisturbed.
 

Inching forward on her seat, she flattened her palms against the desk. “If he is a null, then my only option is to put him in a puzzle box. I could remove the issue, but that would generate far more interest if he disappeared while here on assignment.” They rarely needed to deal with the human authorities, but it wasn’t unheard of. Actions demanded consequence, but did they dare risk attracting more agents to search for one downed man? She doubted it.

“No. That needs to be an absolute last resort. I want to use one of your girls. Let her seduce him, distract him, change the data if necessary—”

“My girls are not prostitutes.” Nor would she sell them out to the highest bidder.

“No, but one of them owes us a favor. We’re calling that favor in now.”
 

And there was the rub.

“She is far too innocent to do what you’re asking.” Innocent wasn’t the correct word, but the woman’s innate sunshine and honesty powdered her every action like sweet sugar on glazed donuts.

“It’s what makes her perfect. She need not truly deceive, just distract, enchant, seduce. I have seen your dancers. They are
all
capable of it.” Connor didn’t threaten, but she didn’t mistake the steel in his tone for a request.

“I will ask her. If she agrees, fine. If not—”

“If not, she doesn’t need to stay here any longer. We can revoke our agreement.” The FBI agent’s arrival clearly had him rattled. The thought intrigued her, but she refused to let it distract her.

“You cannot take away her sanctuary.”

“Why not? If the man is successful, we will find more threats coming at us than some unhappy gamblers. If the humans discover this haven, it will have to be destroyed—along with everything it holds—to ensure no trace exists to lead them to any of our kind. We survive and thrive because we remain out of sight. Human authorities know we are here, but if they have no proof, they don’t act. Strip away the curtain and everyone loses.” Dramatic—yet effective.

“Fine. I will talk to her. Now get out of my theatre.” She didn’t envy Peppermint this task. The woman’s gentle soul was a fragile, beautiful thing. She wasn’t given easily to deceit.

Connor leaned over and placed his hand along the back of hers. The warmth of his palm flattened over her skin and electricity zinged through her. Her shields flared. Heidi didn’t pull her hand away, but she shut down her response to the physical contact.

The Overseer’s teeth flashed in a tight, feral grin. Power shimmered in the air between them—buzzing with menace. “You may run your theatre, but we both know that your throne is also your prison.”

“You’re boring me, Connor.” She spared him a minute smile and resisted any pleasure at the fury flashing across his eyes before he could shutter the emotion. “Go away and bother someone else.”

He didn’t move so much as disappear. The surge cost her and she sagged back against the chair. Banishing him from the theatre was the only influence she could exert over the creature she’d once loved.

Closing her eyes, she brought her rebellious heart under control and concentrated on draining the uneasy emotions his presence stirred. Peppermint would wake in a few hours and Heidi would give her the task.
And if she fails—shutting down the business would free Connor.
 

She quashed the thought and forced her mind back to the folder on her desk. Opening it again, she stared at the pages, but couldn’t focus on the words.
Destroying the Arcana Royale would answer so many problems—

But could she really sacrifice so many for the good of herself?

Pepper Kirk woke blinking. Stretching her arms over her head, she worked the kinks out of her spine and legs. She always managed to lie down before the curse swept her under. So many of the other girls didn’t worry about whether they stood or sat, but Pepper—Pepper preferred to lie down. She liked the imagery and the comfort. It made it seem less like some dark curse and more like simply going to sleep.