True.
“You don’t usually offer it.”
Also true.
At least, she didn’t offer it to me.
“Agreed. It gives me hives,” Quetta admitted. “So I’ll do this once, and we’re never speaking of it again.”
Turning fully, I rested my arms on the bar. “All right. Hit me.”
The other Keeper grunted, then narrowed the distance between us. Her words were just for me. I could respect that.
“Whatever game those boys are playing—skip it.”
“Not a bad bit of advice,” I admitted. “Wasn’t interested in it anyway.”
I rose, but Quetta just stared at me.
“You don’t usually lie to yourself,” she mused. “Probably a good plan to not start now.” With that, she whisked away, her back to me, and I stuck my tongue out at her, uncaring if she saw it in the mirror. Besties could be such a pain in the ass.
I glanced to the corner where Cipher and Bish had been all cozied up and then to where Váli had been before they took off with him. I owed Váli a boon and he wasn’t shy, he’d collect it when he was ready.
I also wasn’t that worried about Cipher and Bish trying to hold him hostage. Seriously, he was Vengeance. He ate douchebags like them for breakfast.
A delighted laugh escaped me.
Silly boys.
That was better than if I’d planned it myself. With a little pat to my own back, I marked a point to myself in the air and then bamfed my way home. A hot bath, some wine, and maybe some MMA fighting if there was one on.
I could go for a little blood and bone tonight.
Chapter 2
The thing about sin…it was tantalizing and too damn tempting, until it bit you in the ass. And not in a nice way. - Karmen
Cipher
When the world set to rights again, Cipher’s castle-style mansion came into view. Bish had plopped them right next to the pool. That was just fine with Cipher. He preferred the sweet luxuries of his place over the barren island Bish seemed to favor.
Not that he minded the place. There was wicked surfing to be had on that coast, but unless there was an adrenaline rush on the horizon, Cipher liked the finer things in life. Call it the greed in him.
He stepped away from Bish and Váli to admire the fantastic place he’d acquired when he first came back to Dallas. It really suited him, if he did say so himself.
“What the hell, Bish? I’m all for spending some time with the guys, but on my own terms. I hate being interrupted. I’m pretty sure you know that.” Váli threw off Bish’s hands so hard, the Keeper of Death stumbled back a few steps. He started to raise his hand, but Cipher’s short shake of the head had helped him find his composure.
Váli had always been a hothead, but what else did they expect from a man who lived and breathed vengeance? It wasn’t like he enjoyed long walks on the beach while cuddling kittens and puppies to his chest. No, his idea of a good time was ruining a man’s life after dancing over the graves of past successes.
And Cipher loved that about his temperamental friend.
Bish, on the other hand, would have loved nothing more than to string him up by his toes over the pits of hell. He’d said as much to Cipher on a number of occasions.
“Oh, I don’t know. I thought we had fun together, and you looked like you needed a quick escape. You’re welcome,” Bish added sarcastically as he straightened his slightly wrinkled dog shirt. This one saying Life goal? Pet all the dogs with several pictures of small animals overlayed in the background.
Cipher wasn’t exactly sure that all of those were dogs. Some looked like small rodents, but whatever.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll be taking myself back now.” Váli braced to transport back to Sinner’s when Cipher raised a hand.
“Wait, Váli, my friend. You know by now that Karmen’s already left. She’s never where you expect her to be. Why don’t you stay around and have a nightcap?”
Váli studied him callously, but it didn’t bother Cipher. That was just the way the man was, unless he was trying to seduce his next lay. Never one to lie to himself, Cipher could admit it tweaked his nerves watching the other Keeper flirt with Karmen, but he knew his feisty little bitchnuts—and he meant that in the most endearing way—would never jump into bed with him.
No, too many centuries ago, she’d placed Váli firmly in the friend zone.
“Fine. You’re probably right. She’d leave just to mess with me. That woman really knows how to screw with a man’s head.” He smiled dreamily off into the distance.
That little comment had Cipher biting his tongue and grinding his teeth. “Bish, grab the Nectar.” He held his hand out to the lounge chairs by the sparkling pool. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about anyway.”
“I’m not interested,” Váli told him almost dismissively before dropping to sit on one of the lounge chairs. Cipher had already stripped off his shirt to enjoy a little sun on his back, but the other Keeper only pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slid them over his eyes, hiding them.
“You haven’t even heard our offer,” Cipher countered. He kept his tone playful and teasing, but Váli merely pushed his sunglasses up with his middle finger.
“That would be because you’re trying to persuade me without saying what you want,” Váli stated, taciturn ass. “Don’t be such a prissy asshole, and put up or shut up.”
Bish snorted as he strolled back over to join them. He was back in board shorts and his shoes had vanished. He wouldn’t look amiss on the beach, which was where they’d been when Cipher got the word that Karmen had arrived at Sinner’s. She may not think he was aware of her comings and goings, but he made it his business.
He was also done with her avoiding him.
His little bitchnuts needed to remember who she belonged with. Snatching up his own sunglasses, he slid them into place as Bish set ice-cold glasses of Nectar on the table for each of them, but cradled his own.
“What Ciph is trying to tell you is that we have a job for you.” He spoke in easy, almost conversational tones. One might almost be persuaded to believe that the Keeper of Death was just hanging out on a sunny late afternoon to have a drink and shoot the breeze.
Instead of fighting off a killing rage. Punishing Karmen was one thing, but there would be no actual death. Cipher was more than willing to cater to his need for vengeance, but there would be no permanent harm done to the bitchnuts.
Or the Keepers would be minus one of their number. Death might be hard to kill, but nothing was impossible.
“You two going to stop giving me the longing stares and man up, or am I out of here?” Váli hadn’t touched his drink.
Ugh. Why did Karmen like this asshole? Nothing fun about him, and yet she’d been all lit up while they chatted.
She shouldn’t be so damn happy, not when he’d been unable to find a single thing to fulfill him since she’d taken her happy ass and walked out on him. For what, he still hadn’t quite figured out. He sort of thought she’d explain it when she came back, only she didn’t…