Animal Instincts (Entangled Ignite) (4 page)

Chapter Six

Entering the cloaked area of The Ark, Luc stopped at the security station. No guard. Fuck. He swept his gaze over the casino, half the size of a football field. He searched beyond the banks of slot machines to the game tables—blackjack, roulette, craps—and to the sports book area and poker rooms along the back wall.

He spotted the missing guard in an aisle between banks of slots. There was no mistaking him. He had a thick head of silver hair worn long enough that it brushed the back of his collar. The man’s back was turned to the entry, and he leaned in to one of the patrons, a dark-haired woman whose hands were loaded with jewels. Luc reached for the surveillance headset clipped to his collar and tapped the push-to-talk button. “Andreas, report to your station now.”

The guard took a quick look over his shoulder and immediately straightened. He returned to the entry where Luc was fighting to hold his temper in check.

“Why did you leave your station?”

“I was only gone a minute, I swear.” Andreas’s thin lips turned downward. “I could see the door.”

“You didn’t see me come in.” Luc jutted his face into the guard’s. He couldn’t decide if Andreas had been planning to rob the woman of her jewels or if he had darker intentions. “
Don’t
leave your post. If you can’t do your job, you can always go back to working in the habitat.”

“Yes, sir.” Andreas shook himself. “Sorry, sir.” He rushed back to his station.

A scream suddenly raised the hair on the back of Luc’s neck. A cry prompted not by a lucky streak but by fear. Luc shouldered his way through the crowd and tapped his mike. “Security. Casino floor, now.”

At one of the blackjack tables, a customer was holding a gun on a dealer. Her eyes narrowed as she avoided looking directly at the gun’s muzzle pressed to her temple.

Damn. Andreas was part of his security team, but he’d been too bored to stay at his post and do his job. And that lapse had led to a problem for them all.

“What’s going on?” Luc asked, slowing as the harried-looking man wearing a suit with frayed lapels swung his gun arm toward him. Instinct made Luc want to grab the gun and ram it straight into the guy’s face. Adrenaline shot through him and his body tensed and his breath shortened. He fought the urge to resort to violence.

“I was cheated,” the man cried. “That bitch cheated me.”

Luc flashed a look at the dealer, who was struggling to keep her human form.

“I’m sorry this wasn’t your lucky night,” Luc said to the man, as he edged closer to him. “Why don’t we go to my office?”

“I’m not going anywhere. Neither is anyone else until I get my money back. Don’t come any closer!” he warned, his gun hand shaking.

Luc stopped moving. The man was obviously desperate. Also obviously, he wasn’t wealthy, and he didn’t seem of any importance. Luc didn’t sense any corruption in him, either, so why was he here? Was there some reason his father needed this man? Luc wondered. Or had this one even been invited into the casino?

Luc’s half-brother, Nik, stepped in out of nowhere, accompanied by Doyle Craven, his pale, blond, sycophantic shadow. A tux stretched across Nik’s powerful shoulders, the blue-black material the exact shade of his eyes and slicked-back hair. His only ornament was the heavy gold ring embossed with a wolf, a snake, and a hawk, a gift from Pop when he’d turned eighteen and had been initiated into the upper ranks of the Kindred.

“I’m Nik Lazare, general manager of the casino.” He spoke directly to the man with the gun. “Let these folks go back to their games, no harm done. Come with me and I’ll let you into a private game room, give you the chance to win everything you lost.”

“Nik!” Luc growled. “I don’t think he’s the right man for that game. I’m handling it.”

Nik’s dark eyes flashed with anger.

“Not to this man’s satisfaction,” Doyle murmured.

Luc glared at the toady who never contradicted Nik. “I think there’s been a mistake here.”

“One I’m trying to fix,” Nik said, his thick lips pulling into a grimace.

You’re only making it worse!

Try to stop me, little brother.

Luc clenched his jaw and held himself back against the challenge. His adrenaline was buzzing now, shooting sparks to every inch of his body. He wanted to take Nik up on it, to rip that superior grin from his face.

“Hey, just give me my money and I’ll go.” The gunman’s voice was shaky.

Luc turned on him even as Nuala arrived on scene and stepped between them. “How much did this man lose in the last hand?”

“Five hundred,” the dealer said.

“Give me his chips.”

“Stay out of this, Nuala.”

“Back off, Nik,” she snarled, her features rippling slightly. She suddenly appeared far more powerful than her slender five-foot-five frame indicated. She picked up a stack of chips and held them out to the man with the gun. Her dark eyes held his as she said, “Now take your chips, cash them in, and don’t ever come back.”

Even as the man grabbed the chips from her hand, he lost focus for a second, long enough for Luc to send the gun flying with a wave of his hand.

Looking confused about what had just happened, the man quickly backed off toward the cashier amid a clamor rising among the other patrons.

“That was very generous of you,” Doyle told Nuala, slipping closer to her.

Nik now looked as if he wanted to tear Nuala apart, but she stood her ground.

Fetching the gun and putting it in his pocket, Luc focused his attention on his siblings and reminded them,
People are watching
.

I’ll deal with you later,
Nik promised
.
He whipped around and walked off, Doyle traveling in his wake.

Certain his brother wouldn’t let this drop—Nik
never
let anything drop where he was concerned—Luc waited until the man collected his money, then grabbed him by the elbow. “I’m going to escort you out of here now.”

Luc headed for the exit, a special cleansing station for all humans who still had their souls. Once through the room, the man’s mind would be cleared of everything associated with The Ark.

“Never come back,” he said as the man hurried through.

A hand hooked through his arm. His sister had followed him.

“You know Nik’ll think you’re taking my side again,” he said.

“I simply was trying to be the voice of reason.” Nuala’s voice held an anxious note, as it did too often these days. “You are my brother, even though not everyone here appreciates that.”

Half-brother—half-breed, actually—though she’d never held that against him. And he could damn well take care of himself, even in a den of predators.

“You appreciate it and that’s all that matters to me.”

Nuala shifted her gaze over his shoulder. She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “Gotta get to work. There’s Jonathan Weller. Daddy wants me to give him the very special treatment. Later.”

Luc turned to watch her approach the publisher of the
Chicago Daily Record
. Weller was a whale of significance to their father, Cezar Lazare, CEO of The Company and The Ark casino boat. As the executive host, Nuala kept the most important gamblers happy—politicians, heads of companies, trust fund babies. She provided them with anything they wanted, from a free dinner to sex with a beautiful companion in the brothel that her mother Beatrix ran in the lower deck.

Anything to keep them coming back, to keep them lightening their bank accounts.

To keep them betting their souls.

Chapter Seven

Since Ethan didn’t want me involved in his investigation, I decided to do what I could on my own. He’d insisted on checking over Shade’s apartment, but rather than going with him, I told him where to find a spare key.

I headed for Lake Michigan.

It was dusk by the time I parked and walked several blocks to the lake. As I reached the concrete walkway along the water’s edge, I tried to find the location the wounded wild dog had shown me after the fight. I was haunted by the memory of the weird encounter with the predators.

How did they fit into the mix? If the fight hadn’t been raided, would those exotic animals have entered the arena next?

And who was the man who’d seemed to have control over them?

For a moment I imagined the mysterious stranger again, long dark hair framing a striking face. There was something about him that drew me. Those eyes that glowed silver against the dark. I shook away a sudden chill that crawled up my spine. I had to force away the memory and concentrate on my task.

I looked across the water to the promontory of Museum Campus. The incoming tide lapped at the pilings of the pier. I took a deep breath, inhaled the faint scent of fish. The wild dog had shown me the Adler Planetarium building, but not from this angle—it had to be from a spot farther out on the lake. Sort of. He hadn’t been on some boat as I’d tried to convince myself, at least not from a top deck. He’d been looking
up
at the building as if from underwater.

I heard a scrabbling sound I recognized.

Rats.

Looking around to make certain I wasn’t being watched, I crouched and silently called to the little beasts. Within seconds, a pair of good-sized rodents appeared, their pointy noses sniffing the air. I pulled a little plastic bag from my pocket and set two pieces of kibble on the pier. One of the rats immediately ate its piece. The other sniffed his and rolled it as if the food wasn’t up to snuff. But when the first rat tried to move in on the food, the second gulped it down.

“More where that came from.” I shook the bag before their pointy noses.

I got more kibble from the bag. Holding out my hand palm up, I froze and waited. The rodents darted forward. The moment their noses touched my hand, I shared the image I’d gotten from the dog, then swung my thoughts back to the lake, and with my free hand, shook the bag of food. Rats weren’t the most cooperative of animals, but that didn’t mean they weren’t smart. They got the picture: if they gave me what I needed, I’d reward them with more food.

Continuing to project the images the wild dog had shared with me, I stood. The rats scrabbled along the edge of the pier. My pulse rushing—apparently they knew how to get where I wanted to go—I followed the rodents south along the lake, past Museum Campus onto Northerly Island, where the city’s only casino boat was docked.

Underwater. The lower deck of the boat
would
be underwater, and it undoubtedly had portholes.

Drawing closer to the entry, I read the sign: The Ark Casino.

Chattering at me, the rats demanded a reward. I gave them the last of my kibble, which they gobbled and fled. Even before entering the boat, I could hear the oddly musical sound of slot machines. There was a connection between the boat and the fight arena: gambling.

I went inside and was startled when I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the other side of the casino floor.

He was tall, and his medium build seemed whipcord hard beneath his tux as if he worked out daily. Thick, dark hair so long it dusted his shoulders waved around a lightly bronzed face, rugged yet so mesmerizing it could grace a magazine cover. I swallowed hard and cut straight for him, but he was moving, too. He slipped behind a pillar and disappeared. It took me a minute to fight through the crowd, but I was intent on confronting him and getting some answers this time.

I rounded the pillar. A dead end.

Looking around, I spotted a black door. When I got close, I saw the
“
Do Not Enter” sign. Opening the door, I slipped inside. Before me, a set of stairs yawned downward. A long hallway stretched from the bottom of the landing, a strange intermittent glow illuminating the windowed wall that seemed to undulate with the lake’s tide.

A frisson of fear pierced me. What was I getting myself into? If I called Ethan for backup, what would I say? The rats led me here?

The boat rocked against the dock, and the swirling water reminded me of a shark tank I’d once walked through. The contents of my stomach swirled, too, and I forced myself to walk down the flight of stairs.

The lights flickered and suddenly went out. If I wanted to go on, it would be in the dark. But as I reached out to touch the glass wall so I could use it as a guide, the hallway began to glow once more. A mere blip in the system, I thought.

I could hear sounds now. The murmur of voices. The
thump-thump
of music. The thrum of sound like the slot machines upstairs. My legs felt heavy as I forced them to move forward. The noise grew louder, the tunnel brighter. A man in a uniform stood guarding another door.

Who’s this chick? Not exactly dressed for the evening, but she’s a looker.

I started. The security guard hadn’t actually spoken the words out loud. That meant I’d heard his thoughts. But that was impossible—I could read animals, not people. Unless I had now inherited Shade’s ability. I felt as if my head might explode. Or my heart. My body was unnaturally tight as fear laced it with its poison.

I reached up to touch Shade’s sea glass for courage.

“Your invitation,” the guard said, holding out his hand.

Uh-oh.
“Um, I’m not sure where I put it.” Trying to catch a normal breath, I searched my pockets as if I actually had an invitation.

I’d never been able to read people. Something about my ability had changed. Normally I could communicate with animals, using images. What if that would work here? Taking a chance, I created an image in my mind.

I took a white, engraved card from my pocket and offered it to the guard. He gave it a quick glance, then ushered me in.

I blinked and he was actually doing it, standing back and sweeping an arm toward the inner sanctum.

“Welcome to The Ark. Have a good evening.”

I caught my breath. The image I’d placed in his head had worked, and I’d never done that with a human before.

And if you don’t find what you want in there, I’m available after hours.

Ignoring him, I sauntered past the security guard and into a bank of bright lights and hot sounds and choking cigarette smoke. My heart did double time as I stood there taking it all in—banks of slot machines and gaming tables beyond. The complex seemed to go on and on. Fish swirled against the clear walls, undoubtedly attracted to the bright lights. I looked up and through the waves, I saw the Chicago skyline—nearly the same view the wild dog had shared with me earlier.

Whoever ran the casino must be responsible for the fights. Dogfighting was another form of gambling. Replacing dogs with exotic animals was an additional heinous crime. No doubt Shade had found this place and had sealed his own fate.

Which made me wonder about my own safety.

Thinking Ethan had to see this, that I needed him here, I pulled out my cell phone to alert him. He
had
to come. When I tried to make the call, I couldn’t get a signal. The battery was good. Huh.

I’m bored,
a woman complained.
I’m going to ask for another job.

You know how likely that is,
a man thought back at her.
The Boss isn’t going to like you asking.

The boss.

Lured by the conversation, I stepped forward, tried to place the voices.

I don’t know, maybe I can find a way to convince him.

Forget it. I hear he’s not interested in anyone but Luc’s mother.

I touched the sea glass pendant Shade had given me the last time I’d seen him alive. My heart was thundering now and I was having difficulty swallowing. The voices seemed to be coming from the right, from behind a glass window fronting a forested area.

The wild dog had shown me this, too. There were no people inside the animal habitat. Only a couple of wolves. I couldn’t be hearing the animals talking. Amazed that I hadn’t realized animals lived here as soon as I had entered, I kept going, staring at the wildlife. As I went on, the habitat changed, from forest to desert to rocky plains.

Lions.

Hyenas.

Panthers.

All predators like the ones I’d run into the other night. Feeling as if I’d walked into something out of a science fiction movie, I left the path along the habitat and entered the casino proper.

This one is ripe for the picking. She’s a candidate for the back room tonight.

Cezar will give you extra credit if you can get her this time.

I was picking up on more thoughts, all coming from the casino workers. The guests seemed oblivious.

I was good and spooked.

A hand on my shoulder whipped me around.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

I gasped. The mystery man was glaring at me. Again.

I met his pale gray eyes for a moment before I stepped back. I couldn’t help but stare at his mouth. Wide, with full lips, at the moment turned down in a frown. Still, there was something mesmerizing about him, something that sent my senses off-kilter. My nerve endings felt raw.

Despite that, I focused on my purpose. “I—I came to see where the animals for the fights were being held.”

“Who have you been talking to?”

I tried to blink away the effect he had on me, but it was no use. The small hairs on my arms prickled and the back of my neck felt hot. I was responding to his sheer magnetism.

“The wild dog wounded in the fight told me,” I said truthfully. Instinct told me he would believe me. “You know, the one that fought the coyote.”

He continued to stare at me.
Leave now and don’t come back. You’ll forget about this place the moment you step foot outside.

His forceful thoughts made my spine straighten. I could feel the commands trying to twist my mind. He was trying to control me.

“I don’t think so,” I told him sweetly, covering the fact that I was trying not to freak. Showing fear wouldn’t get me what I wanted. “I’m not leaving, and there’s no way I’m forgetting anything I see here. And stop trying to mess with my mind.”

His turn to be startled. His eyes widened and confusion slid through them and down to his sculpted lips. “What
are
you?” he said.

His question made my throat tighten.

Why did he keep asking me that?