Page 51 of Sleep With Us

Tom smiled, but it was the kind of shallow smile that meant he’d be up to mischief as soon as I turned my back. “You can trust me to serve everyone the drinks they deserve.”

“That’s the problem.”

Tom lowered his voice, and said with the same smile, “Make that son of a bitch hurt.”

We both knew we were talking about Sebastien. I nodded, and headed off to begin another day managing the SOS Hotel, hoping it wouldn’t be my last.

CHAPTER 14

Zee smuggled me in a back door at Razorsedge, then left me in a communal dressing room, surrounded by colorful demons climbing in and out of various skimpy costumes. I sat on a chair, looking very underdressed in my beige sweater and slacks, feeling like a human doll that had been tossed into the wrong claw machine, squished among brightly colored plushies with extra adult bits.

Zee had told them I was off limits, but that didn’t stop them from getting a look at the boring human who’d adopted their star performer. Ramone spotted me, and chuckled at my attempt to blend in. He pulled up a chair, sat, and offered me a puff on his vape.

“I’m good, thank you.”

He shrugged, and sucked on the vape. “I hear Zee’s performing at eleven.” He hissed out the vapor through clenched, sharp teeth, and his eyes got a little bit larger. I suspected the vape had more in it than nicotine and peach flavor. “You ever seen his shows?” he asked.

“Uh, no. But he dances sometimes at the hotel, though.”

Ramone puffed a hoop into the air. “Not like this, babycakes. He’s something else. Be careful. There are no wards here to protect you, and he’s potent. You might lose your mind for a while. Some folks like that, you know? In the old days, before more of us came through the veil, some incubi set up shop here, made humans think we’re divine. Those early fuckers were worshipped as pagan gods. Gave the rest of us incubi a bad rep. Some folks still come here to fall under the spell though, you know? Humans are weird like that. They know what’s bad for them, and crave it anyway. But I’m guessing you’re not like that?”

“Thanks for the warning, but I’ll be alright.”

As it approached eleven, I left the dressing room for the main bar and stage area, keeping to the fringes where I’d go unnoticed.

Despite the short notice, the club was packed, wall to wall. Zodiac had made it known all over social media that he was back at Razorsedge, and tonight’s show was his comeback performance. Sebastien would be making a fortune on tickets. A fortune that went straight into his silk-lined pockets. A fortune that wasn’t his, according to the ruined addendum. The contract had expired without being renewed. Everyone here was technically free, but without proof, Sebastien would never relinquish his rights.

I needed to get my hands on that proof.

Anticipation buzzed the air. The main stage was dark. Nobody had performed yet. Everyone waited for Zodiac. Everyone, including Sebastien.

He lounged in one of the booths, with two female demons on his arms. In his cream suit, blue shirt, and glossy black shoes—his “Smooth Criminal”outfit—he looked the part. His wings shimmered with silver glitter, and that same glitter sparkled in his white hair, pulled back in the savage French plait running between his spiraling horns.

I hung back, hiding where dappled, colored lights confused the shadows, and gradually made my way around the outside of the buzzing crowd.

There was no room for mistakes tonight.

Lives depended on my ability to slip through the crowd unnoticed. Be invisible. Just a boring, nobody human.

The lights above the stage began to glow.

It wouldn’t be long now.

“Adam Vex.”

I jolted to a stop in front of another average human. But this one was middle-aged, shorter than me, with a neck as wide as his head, and a dash of whiskers shading his jaw. It took me a heartbeat to recognize him wearing a smart shirt. “Hello, Detective Somers.” Oh no.

The club’s ambient light caught in his close-set eyes, making them gleam. “Not enjoying the show, Mr. Vex?”

“Oh, I am. I just—I’m looking for the bathroom.” I began to inch around him, which jostled me into nearby people. “Sorry . . . I just need to . . . can I just . . . squeeze by?”

The irritating man smiled, remaining firmly rooted in my path. “I hope there are no massacres this evening.”

“Oh, probably not.” I chuckled. Someone bumped my arm and grumbled. “Just lots of people having a good time.”

“Well, you’re here, and so is Zodiac. Whenever that happens, folks usually die.”

Ugh. The last thing I needed was a nosy detective drawing attention to me. “Well, gee. It almost sounds as though you don’t like demons. This is probably the wrong place to be, if that’s the case, Detective.”