Deal With the Devil Read online

  He was quiet on the ride up to the fifth floor where Banner’s office was located but he seemed to fill the entire elevator with his presence. Or maybe it was just that he was so big. I had an idea that some major muscles were lurking under his beautifully tailored charcoal gray suit and I couldn’t help but remember the strength of his grip on my hand. I tended to stay away from my own kind and after living exclusively among humans for so long, it seemed strange to find someone who was physically stronger than me.

  Not that I go around flaunting my physical power or anything but I was used to being careful around the fragile people who surrounded me. I’d forgotten my own strength once to disastrous circumstances—but I preferred not to think about that. And I was really glad Jude Jacobson hadn’t seen it or heard it or whatever the hell it was he did. That particular dark secret was worse than failing the Bar exam and my status as a non-shifter put together. And I was fairly certain I would have done more than growled at Jacobson if he’d mentioned it. There was nothing worse he could have known about me except— I cut off that line of thought abruptly. No point picking at old wounds, especially ones as ancient as that one.

  To my relief we got to Banner’s office without any further conversation. I nodded the vampire inside politely and prepared to take a seat to the attorney’s left, beside his desk. Besides acting as a bodyguard, I was supposed to be taking notes and assisting him and believe me, Banner needed the assistance. I had looked over the case thoroughly before Jacobson arrived and I knew all the particulars. Unfortunately, I didn’t think the same could be said of the attorney. Banner had gotten a big head the moment he’d been given a corner office and a nod toward partnership and he’d been coasting on his reputation for a while now.

  But as I was about to sit down, the attorney frowned at me and shook his head. “That’s all, Velez, you can go.”

  “I was told to stay,” I said as neutrally as I could, still hovering over the chair.

  “And I’m telling you to go,” Banner shot back. “I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

  “Fine.” I stood up and turned toward the door. Let the asshole fend for himself—both legally and physically. If Jude Jacobson decided he wanted a little midnight snack, that was just too damn bad.

  “I would prefer it if Ms. Velez stayed,” the vampire said quietly before I could even take a step.

  “Well, now, we don’t need to bother this little gal anymore.” Banner pasted a big, fake, shit-eating grin on his face. “I mean, she’s just an assistant, really. It’s not like she knows anything about your case.”

  Asshole. I bit my tongue, fuming silently. I was willing to bet my next paycheck I knew the case better than Banner.

  Jacobson gave him a level look. “She is here for your protection, not mine, Mr. Banner. I advise you to let her stay.” There was a hint of danger in his voice—the barest glimmer of his predatory nature showing through the smooth outer façade.

  Banner’s grin slipped for a moment but he recovered quickly. “Well, whatever makes the client happy, I always say. Sit, Velez.”

  I did a little more silent fuming at being treated like a trained dog but somehow I managed to hold my temper and sit down.

  “Now then, maybe we can get down to business. Derek Banner, at your service but you can call me DB if you want.” Banner leaned across his desk and offered a hand.

  Rather reluctantly, I thought, Jacobson took his hand and shook it exactly once before releasing it. “Jude Jacobson,” he said.

  “All right. And can I call you JJ?” Banner was big on the whole Southern hospitality, just-folks bullshit and he always spread it on thick with the VIPs. But this time it didn’t work.

  “I think not,” Jacobson said shortly. “Mr. Jacobson will be fine.”

  Banner’s smile slipped another notch. “Well, all right then. Let’s get down to business.”

  “Please.” The vampire made a slightly impatient gesture with one large hand as though to say that he had been waiting to do that exact thing.

  Banner shuffled the papers on his desk and cleared his throat. “So. You’re interested in buying a piece of property that is currently owned by another, er, non-human person—”

  “You may say vampire if you wish. I won’t be offended.” Jacobson’s composure was complete but somehow he managed to convey a subtle displeasure. Maybe it was the fact that his green eyes were glowing slightly, but whatever it was, it seemed to make Banner nervous.

  “Er, yes, thank you.” He cleared his throat again. “So you want to buy and develop this land, as I understand it.” He waited for the vampire to nod before he moved on. “Well, I’m happy to tell you that we’ve checked into it thoroughly and there are no living relatives of this other, um, vampire around so we can move ahead with the deal.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Excuse me,” I murmured to Banner, as discreetly as I could. “Can I talk to you outside?”

  There are a lot of weird laws governing vampire acquisitions, especially property. They’re so slick and powerful and downright scary the human powers that be are afraid they’ll take over everything. So one of the rules is that they aren’t allowed to buy property from another vamp—one who’s been turned into a vampire by a bite anyway—if there are any human relatives of the seller still living. That makes sense if you think about it. Otherwise vampires could just bite anybody they wanted to and influence them to sell their property—not so good in the grand scheme of things. For the humans, anyway.

  Banner was aware of all this and he’d had a thorough check of the property done. But I guess he’d only read the preliminary report and thought it was good enough. The final report, which had come in just that afternoon, clearly stated something else entirely. Whatever the case was, he was not happy about my interference.

  “Velez, if I want your opinion I’ll ask for it,” he growled out of the corner of his mouth before turning his attention back to the vampire. “Now, as I was saying, since there are no living relatives in question—”

  “Mr. Banner, if you could just give me a minute out in the hallway,” I said, still hoping to save face even though I was pretty sure vampire hearing was acute enough that Jacobson would be sure to hear what we were saying.

  This time Banner completely ignored me and just kept talking to the vampire as though I didn’t exist. “We can move ahead with the deal. Now I have some paperwork here—” He started to shove a sheaf of papers toward Jacobson but the vampire held up a hand.

  “A moment please. I would like to hear what Ms. Velez has to say.”

  Banner’s face began to turn red. “As I said before, Mr. Jacobson, she’s just an assistant. She doesn’t have any idea—”

  “A living relative has been found,” I cut in, my voice flat. “Mrs. Ida Delong. She’s currently a resident at the Restful Shores nursing home up in the panhandle. She’s eighty-five and has Alzheimer’s but she is still alive.”

  “So it appears that the sale cannot go through at this time.” Jacobson’s voice was neutral but his eyes were flashing and a hint of fang was showing beneath his sensual upper lip. “I must say, Mr. Banner, I think you could have informed me of that over the phone instead of wasting my time tonight.”

  “You…I…you…” Banner seemed at a loss for words.

  The vampire’s eyes were glowing coal red now and I felt a shiver go down my spine—the night might end in a bloodbath yet. It was obvious that Jude Jacobson wasn’t used to dealing with incompetence.

  I was pretty sure I was no match for him but this was part of my job. Standing on shaky legs, I took a step toward the angry vamp. “Dawson, Levine and Taber regrets this error, of course, Mr. Jacobson,” I said, trying to sound apologetic instead of scared to death. “If you’ll give us a chance, I’m sure we can make this right for you.”

  To my mixed feelings of relief and terror, Jacobson focused on me instead of Banner. His eyes flickered from red to green and he seemed to relax. “The one good thing about this