Smashed (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8.5)

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Sending Jenner into The Wicked Kiss was risky. He hadn’t been in town long. There was no way of knowing how many vamps knew he was linked to Alexa and me. The plan was to have him go inside and act as a rebel vampire to draw others out. It wasn’t the best plan, but seeing as I only had a couple of hours, it would have to do. If all else failed, I’d grab any vamp at random and hand him over.

I wanted to be relieved to find that Alexa wasn’t there. Instead, I was concerned. Sinclair should be teaching her the willing victim game, not slaughtering at random on the street.

Jenner went in first. I waited fifteen minutes before following.

It came as no surprise to me to find him drooling all over two drunken women. They were giggling, spilling their drinks, and fawning over him like he was a new item on the menu, which he was.

I didn’t approach but did catch his eye. Raising a brow in question, I received only a grin in response. That rat bastard was going to screw us out of time. Getting his dick wet and his fangs bloody was all he could think about. Vegas must be missing him. Because he sure as hell seemed to be missing Vegas.

I half expected to find Willow slugging tequila at the bar. There was no sign of him nor had there been since the night of Alexa’s death. Since the fallen angel had taken Alexa’s darkness, he’d been MIA. It was disconcerting. Willow was now a demon. There was no way of predicting when he would reappear or what he would be like when he did.

Scowling in disgust at the loathsome nightclub, I held every vampire present in total judgment, Jenner included. When a petite brunette sidled up to me with a suggestive smile, I was admittedly tempted to bleed her, though not in the manner she expected. There would be no playing by the house rules for me.

“I’m afraid I’m unavailable tonight,” I said, much to her obvious disappointment. “See my friend over there? Why don’t you tell him that if he gets his ass in gear, I’ll let him come back here and enjoy you later? Trust me. You want what he’s got.”

She considered Jenner, eyeing him up with curiosity. Then she adjusted her cleavage and tried once more to convince me. “Are you sure you don’t want a taste of this? I’m a gymnast. You can bend me like a pretzel.”

“Then my friend is definitely the guy for you. Go talk to him.” I added a subtle pulse of power to influence her, and she was off, heading over to Jenner with a sassy swing to her step.

She delivered my message as instructed. Jenner lingered, engaging in further conversation before gradually disentangling himself from all three women. They grabbed at him, begging him to stay. Ever the charmer, he took the time to flirt with each one of them. Kissing hands, murmuring playful promises, Jenner was as smooth as he’d ever been. Seducing victims on stage in Las Vegas had kept him at the top of his game. The salacious ass.

Shooting him one last dark look, I vacated the building. Staying too long would be suspicious. It was no secret that I preferred to hunt elsewhere.

By the time Jenner met me outside, he reeked of perfume and red lipstick marked the edge of his mouth. “I hope you’re happy,” he said proudly.

“Because you managed to remove yourself from that little orgy you were working on in there? Yeah, I’m thrilled.”

“No. Because with a little seduction and conversation I was able to get the ladies to tell me who in there is one of your so-called rebels. Not only that,” Jenner paused, rubbing his fingernails on his shirt to add to the drama. “They’re leading one of them out here any minute now.”

He was quite impressed with himself. I didn’t share that sentiment. “Jenner, if you fuck this up—”

“Trust me, Arys. It’s all good. Just relax and wait.”

What choice did I have? Jenner’s smug expression was just one of many things that had driven me from Vegas. He’d always been the headstrong one, the one with a flair for the dramatic. But he was also one of the smartest beings I knew.

Just as he’d said, the brunette came out of the building with a vampire in tow. He wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. Focused on the cute little thing luring him along, he didn’t notice us. Not until we stood on either side of him.

“What’s going on?” He was immediately suspicious, looking at the woman in sudden awareness. “Arys, come on. I don’t know what you think I did, but I promise you, whatever it is, it wasn’t me.”

“Got a name?” I asked, unable to keep a satisfied smile at bay.

The guy wasn’t new, but he was by no means a match for either Jenner or me. And he knew it.