Mob Sorcery 4 - Ch9

“Call me stupid, but I’m pretty sure Ashley works for Quintus,” Vince said drily. “Getting her involved sounds like the opposite of your earlier advice.”

Salome shot him a wan smile through her cognac snifter. “I know Ashley. More than that, I know how Immanuel works, and how somebody like her shoots up through the ranks so fast.”

“Betrayal? Because that’s what I think you’re suggesting.”

Laughter filled the room. Salome shook her head. “Such a human thought. So omnipresent in your business world it has always amused me. Somebody does something to beat their competitor, and the competitor says it’s a betrayal or even invokes patriotism.” She took a deep sip of her cognac, eyes staring into Vince’s. “One rises in the world of immortals over the corpses of others. Those with power know that their subordinates will turn on them one day, simply because they must.”

“I guess if ‘jobs for life’ existed in Immanuel, there’d be a lot more organized hits on your bosses,” Vince said drily. “Can’t exactly wait for Quintus or Bastet to get old enough to retire.”

Salome inclined her glass ever so slightly, then flicked her phone out of an invisible pocket on her dress. Or, more likely, some sort of pocket dimension. Vince’s bracelets had similar magic, but the succubus could easily afford clothing with the same spells.

She waggled her phone in the air while raising an eyebrow. “So, willing to try Ashley?”

“Any alternatives?”

“Give up. That raiju is in the clutches of an overlord who is currently in Quintus’s bad books, and who knows who you are,” Salome said. “That’s your in with Ashley, for reference. Our lovely little demon would love an opportunity to weaken a less-than-friendly overlord, and Quintus would probably overlook the whole thing because it benefits him.”

Vince narrowed his eyes. “An overlord? Aren’t they the demons who run Immanuel’s territory in the underworld, kind of like capos? If Quintus is already this guy’s boss, why not take care of him?”

“Bureaucracy. Literally.”

Salome placed her brandy snifter down and began tracing lines in the air with one finger. Pink light glittered in her wake, tracing out what looked a bit like an organizational chart. Three, actually, and they only connected at the very top.

“Those wolves keep their business and enforcers separate, yes? It’s smart. Keeps the law at bay and limits liability.” Salome tapped the middle section, which had what appeared to be a caricature of Quintus hovering above it. “Quintus runs what we call Operations, but you’d call the enforcers. Does all the grunt work to keep things running, but doesn’t handle the actual business or goods.”

“That’s your job. I ran protection, but there were always others to move the stuff,” Vince said. He frowned. “If anyone from logistics was involved in a job, things had gone bad.”

“Yes. Like Main Street.” Salome shook her head as she tapped another part of the glowing chart. “So I’m in logistics. Not under Quintus, but I help him enough that he has a lot of influence. Seeing where I’m going?”

“The overlords are separate too. And if one misbehaves…”

The succubus nodded with a smile. “Quintus doesn’t officially control the overlords, but much like what happened when Arnulfo Siragusa stepped out of line, it is his responsibility to manage the underworld. He’s the only Immanuel executive that operates entirely in the shadows. A lightning rod of sorts, should things go south, but that also means he has immense latitude.”

“Enough to overlook Ashley helping me?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Enough to overlook a human enforcer embarrassing a powerful demon and taking something of great value.”

“This doesn’t sound a lot like keeping Quintus in the dark.”

“That’s where Ashley comes in, but we can talk about that once she’s here.”

Once again, Salome shook her phone in the air. This time, Vince simply sighed. He waved a hand in assent.

While tapping away at her phone, the succubus poured more cognac. She tilted the bottle toward him and he let her add a little more to his glass.

The office lacked any seating save Salome’s chair, so he simply leaned against the desk. Salome clicked her tongue.

“Ashley will be a few minutes,” she said. “Perhaps we can meet her in more suitable environs?”

Her fingers brushed his chest as she strode past him, hips sashaying and horns tantalizing close to his face. He followed her out of the office.

The younger succubus had returned at some point. She sat at the bar, playing with her phone and herself. Vince blinked at the sight of the other woman openly masturbating.

“Like what you…” The younger succubus trailed off, her eyes widening as she stared at Salome. Fear flashed across her expression and she snapped her legs shut.

“Oh no, keep at it.” Salome waved a hand dismissively. “Just try to understand territory, hmm? You nearly got your horns ripped off the other night when you took Felicia’s regulars. I won’t be so kind as to stop.”

The other succubus nodded. “Yes, Mistress Salome.”

They ascended the stairs to Salome’s actual office, which doubled as a bedroom. In the bright light of day, the space lacked the charm it held at night. The defaced and obscene knick-knacks on the walls appeared tacky, and the heart-shaped bed covered in jet-black satin looked cheap.

At least the long violet sofa in the corner appeared normal, as well as the computer and its desk.

“You didn’t invest in mood lighting,” he said while looking around.

Salome raised a hand and snapped her fingers. Sunlight vanished and only the bed remained lit, covered with a hot-pink spotlight. He lost sight of her, only to feel her fingers trace his jaw. They fell to his neck, then lower.

When they ran a lap around his crotch, Salome pressed her lips against his neck and giggled. “You were saying, V?”

He gulped, and she kissed his Adam’s apple. “Uh, are we meeting Ashley like this?”

Sunlight returned and Salome flopped onto the sofa. “Obviously not. She’s weak to anything sexual, so a quick fuck isn’t on the cards.”

“Quick?” he asked.

She grinned. “Well, by my standards. What about yours? How long do your girlfriends keep you up, hmm? Had two of them at once yet?”

“I think Nina and Pola would rip my dick in half if I tried,” he drawled.

“And what of the other pupper?” Salome’s eyes glittered.

He looked away.

Truthfully, the idea of having Fia and Pola, or Fia and Nina, at the same time was far too appealing for a sane man to say no to. Especially as she got along with both and had a wild streak.

“Bingo,” Salome whispered.

Before he could respond, a bang echoed from below them. He gave Salome an odd look.

“The soundproofing is off. I wanted to know when Ashley got here,” the succubus said. “She doesn’t believe in waiting for people to open doors for her.”

Given the squawking of the other succubus, he would have guessed as much even if Salome didn’t tell him. Had Ashley kicked the door in?

When the door to Salome’s office blew inward, slamming against the wall with a deafening bang, he knew she had. Salome glared at the intruder.

Ashley’s appearance had changed almost entirely since he last met her on Christmas Eve, which was an impressive feat. When he first met her, she’d been a mix of every demihuman on the planet. On Christmas Eve, she’d become a peacock woman with dark skin.

Today, Ashley looked like an artist’s interpretation of Cerberus. Coal-like skin with an odd sheen unlike any human Vince had seen, plus vivid blue and white hair that fell nearly to her ankles like an untamable mane. Three long, sleek wolf’s tails bounced behind her, and the tips appeared to be ablaze with azure flames. Her eyes glittered like sapphires with irises transformed into diamonds with blue pupils.

More than that, she wore a lot less than normal. A tube top and hot pants, plus the visible straps of her G-string underwear. As she’d enlarged her tits several cup sizes, the effect of being so scantily clad was highly visible.

“Cerberus?” he asked.

“Everyone guesses that.” Ashley rolled her eyes. “I heard Korea put on a lightshow for you the other night, so figured to dip into their mythology. I’m going bulgae, the fire dogs that tried and failed to collect the sun and moon for their masters.”

“Well, we’re not asking you to collect the sun for Quintus today,” Salome said drily.

Vince wasn’t up for dry comments, though. His blood ran cold at Ashley’s casual mention of Korea.

“How the fuck do you know what went down?” he asked. “I’ve only told a couple of people exactly what I dealt with, and it’s not like there was anyone nearby to watch.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re scrying me.”

Ashley snorted and leaned against the wall. Her three tails wagged while she looked him up and down. “I’m not, but yeah, we have people watching you. No fucking shit. You’re meeting with a Yakuza tengu regularly and pulled off the assassination of Arnulfo before we knew what even happened. Fucking embarrassing for me that I couldn’t say for sure what was going down.”

He met Ashley’s fiery gaze and wondered if meeting with her was the right decision. Grimacing, he looked back at Salome, who simply gestured back at Ashley.

“I can’t exactly spill the beans—” he began to say.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Ashley stepped forward and pushed him, nearly bowling him over. “I’m not calling you an asshole, just stating a fact. I caught your duel with that fox with my own eyes and called in some favors to find out what that big lightning spell was. Somebody recognized it as the Sword of Dangun.”

Vince relaxed. Or forced himself to, at any rate.

Kiyoko had reminded him that everyone had an interest in what was going down. He needed to accept that few secrets could be kept.

Which brought him back to reality.

“I think you should close the door,” he said.

Surprisingly, Ashley did so without complaint. She strode into the room and leaned against the wall. Her eyes flicked from Salome to Vince a few times.

“Well? You said you had some sort of deal to offer,” Ashley said.

Vince looked at Salome. “I do, but I think I need some terms before you hear it.”

A nod from the succubus. She drew Ashley’s gaze. “There are two conditions. One, if you decline, you don’t breathe a word of this to Quintus.”

Ashley’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t nod.

“Two,” Salome continued, “if you accept, you’ll be keeping Vince’s true objective a secret from Quintus for…” She looked at him.

“As long as possible,” he said. “You’ll know when you won’t have to.”

“So you are up to something, and something big.” Ashley bit her lip. “I have my own condition. If this offer is bullshit, and a way to try to shut me up by telling me something I’ll discover on my own, I’m telling Quintus anyway.”

Vince opened his mouth to argue, but Salome spoke first, “Deal.” When he glared at her, Salome rolled her eyes. “You worry too much, V. Ashley will be salivating the moment we tell her what she can do. I even considered making the third condition that she gives you a blowjob, but didn’t want to make her throw a tantrum.”

“I’d do worse than throw a tantrum,” Ashley muttered. Her tails flared with blue light, and Vince wondered if they could literally burst into flames. “Fine. Hit me.”

The succubus gestured to Vince, and he took a deep breath.

Only one way to do this. Boldly. Pretend Ashley might not screw him over or that Nina was standing downstairs, ready to rip Ashley’s arms off as she apparently had in the past.

“I want the Yakuza raiju held by Immanuel, and you want to hurt the overlord holding her,” he said.

Ashley’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. The flames in her tails went out and her pupils turned into blue dots.

Vince bit his lip, but Salome simply grinned.

“Sanchez… You want to fuck with that bastard’s little fiefdom?” Ashley asked, voice barely a whisper. Excitement reverberated in almost every syllable she spoke regardless.

“Uh, I take it that’s who’s holding—” he began to say.

“Fuck, you don’t even know.” The demonic lieutenant stomped a foot and glared at Salome. Then she stopped and looked back at Vince. Her eyes fixated on his cane. “Maybe it doesn’t matter. Sanchez is the overlord of our fief—that’s we call the bundles of territory each overlord controls for Immanuel—that borders downtown. It’s become more and more important since Houou kicked us out of the city center, and his head is the size of the fucking moon.”

“Which is why he’s ignoring Quintus,” Vince said.

“You know that much at least. Yeah, Sanchez thinks he’s big and bad enough to handle his own shit. Hire his own enforcers, do his own smuggling.” Ashley sneered. “Tends to forget when things go bad and he needs help, like with main street. That was a job to bail his ass out.”

Vince’s fists reflexively balled. Ashley caught it and grinned toothily.

“Oh yeah, he’s the reason you got fined back to the stone age,” Ashley cooed. “I didn’t know he had the raiju, though. Always wondered where she went. Figured some high-flier wanted a fancy pet and bought her.”

“Salome?” he asked, cooling himself down. “If Ashley doesn’t know where she is—”

“Sanchez has her powering a data center for him,” Salome said. “Doubtlessly she’s kept close, as she provides the free electricity that makes all the profits.”

“I thought data centers were the size of small countries and built in the desert.”

“Most are, but this is a small-time operation. Mostly for handling private data, mining cryptocurrency, acting as a front-end for people who need it.” The succubus shrugged at his confused expression. “Magic is one thing, but there’s a lot of money in providing privacy on the internet, and a criminal enterprise underneath Immanuel can handle that. People trust we’re less likely to install black boxes when the NSA asks—especially right now.”

Vince imagined that would change if Immanuel installed a sympathetic president. Privacy-oriented companies tended to become pariahs when they started deep-throating the authorities.

“I always wondered how his little side project made so much money. Figures he used the lightning spirit to power it all,” Ashley muttered, then smirked. “Well, that was my first target anyway. He keeps a bunch of private enforcers there. Kick their teeth in, ruin his demons, trash his biggest business, and steal the bitch that makes his moolah. Cops will show up and arrest the leftovers after we fuck off.”

This sounded less like a break-out, and more that Ashley wanted to blow shit up and his target coincidentally happened to be there. That worked for him, but he worried she wouldn’t hold up his end of the deal.

He pointed a finger at her. Ashley mimed biting it off.

“Remember, I’m here for—” he began to say.

“The raiju. I get it.” She rolled her eyes. “Fuck, you think I don’t know how a deal works? You help me set fire to one of Quintus’s biggest thorns, I give you the lightning bitch. I’ll even pretend you’re not collecting a new sex pet.”

“I’m not,” he said.

“If you’re not going to tell me the real reason—”

He raised his hand to stop her. “Forget it. I take it you’ll need a few days to plan this out, so once you have it sorted, call me. You have my number. Just know that I’m busy on Monday.”

When he ran a hand through his hair, he assumed that was it. A sigh escaped him.

The deal sounded too good to be true. Could Ashley be trusted? Had he fucked up by letting her know his true goal? If Quintus found out, he might be able to guess their target if he knew Houou had moved the soul egg.

“Don’t ignore the girls when they’re making faces at you,” Daji’s voice murmured in his ear.

He blinked and refocused. Ashley glared at him, her arms crossed under her exaggeratedly huge tits. Salome steepled her fingers.

“Something wrong?” he asked, looking at Salome first.

“Ashley is keen to move, but I’d like to confirm the reason,” she said.

Vince blinked again. “She is?”

“Duh.” Ashley rolled her eyes. “Tell me, Mister Assassination Target, what’s happened every time you’ve been up to something interesting lately?”

She’d just told him, but he probably would have come to the same conclusion with a little thought.

“Somebody takes a swing at me or intervenes,” he said. “An attack after I meet with the Yakuza kumicho. A corrupt broker of our local dragon grifter sends cartel goons at me a day later, right after I meet with you and Quintus. A suspiciously strong fox protects Arnulfo after Houou refuses to assist him beforehand.”

Ashley snapped her fingers and pointed them at him. “You got it. And what happened yesterday?”

“Caught that too, huh?” He scratched the back of his neck. “Do you know who was behind it?”

“Normally I’d tell you to fuck off, but I’ll be nice.” She shrugged. “I’m about 99% sure they were Houou goons. Not Inaba, though. Too incompetent. Probably a shit attempt by Hatoyama to take you out.”

Salome frowned. “Which means the 1% chance is that they’re Yakuza goons pretending to be Houou.”

“I mean, all the recent bullshit could easily be Yakuza shell games.” Ashley shrugged. “That’s the specialty of the Japanese, and especially Knightsgate. They used similar bullshit when they forcibly ‘merged’ the foreign Knightsgate branches in the 1930s and 40s. Can’t say I have any sympathy for the foxes, though. They were the ones pulling this shit back then. Does make me question if the Inaba twins have been spending too much time jacking off to social media to do their jobs, though.”

A shell game, huh?

Vince wasn’t in the state of mind to consider that possibility, but he wondered what things would look like if he simply assumed the Yakuza were behind everything. Even when Houou appeared to be solely responsible, blame Houou.

Okay, he was in enough of a state of mind to question one thing.

“Hatoyama has done too much shit for it to be the Yakuza,” he said.

“He’s a moron. A greedy moron chasing his brother’s glory,” Ashley said. “An obvious patsy for anyone with grander schemes.” Her eyes narrowed. “Say, didn’t you first meet the Yakuza thanks to one of his amazing ideas?”

Vince opened his mouth to answer, only to find his mouth dry. His mind reeled at the idea.

Because she was damn right. If Hatoyama was behind all the aggression against the Lionettis, then he was indirectly responsible for Vince’s encounter with the Yakuza. An encounter the Yakuza seemed damn prepared for.

How had the Yakuza been ready to seize a depot in northern Albion when their current territory lay all the way to the south? Why had they been so prepared to ally with the Lionettis, when all signs pointed to the wolffolk mafia being outgunned and wiped off the map?

“See, I’m not stupid,” Ashley said.

“Never said you were.” Vince sighed. “I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to. Just be smart. Always assume you’ll be double-crossed, and plan for it.” The demon stepped forward and gave him a soft punch to the chest. “Sometimes the best way to land a sucker punch on your enemy is to make them think they’ve tricked you and have you at your weakest. They’ll leave themselves open, and bam.”

Ashley’s fist shot up and stopped just short of his jaw. She nudged him gently and winked.

“I’d suggest coming up with a good escape plan myself,” Salome said. “Even surprised, an eight-tail fox is a dangerous foe. To say nothing of her officers. If we’re wrong, you lose nothing by being cautious. If we’re right…”

Both women looked at each other, then back at Vince.

He realized then that they’d discussed this before. Hell, maybe it had been a topic at the Christmas Eve get-together before or after he’d been present. If Ashley suspected the Yakuza, Quintus and Bastet sure as hell would.

“Thanks,” he said. “Now, do you actually want to do this today?”

“Hell yeah.” Ashley nodded several times. “Sanchez is back in Spain, catching up with old pals, so he’s out of the picture. If we wait a few days, there’s a damn good chance whoever has been targeting you will mysteriously set up a surprise for us. Now is the best time, and the second-best time was before you started asking me questions.”

“Nina would ask questions,” he said.

“She also ripped my arms off once. If you try that, I’ll rip your dick off.” The demon’s hair and tails flared with blue flames. “So if you want this lightning bitch, we’re going now. Or else no deal. I’ll keep the secret, but I’m not risking a clan guardian showing up and icing me.”

Well, that took out the rest of his day.

He pulled his phone out as he nodded at Ashley. “Just let me message a couple of people. Trusted people,” he emphasized when she glared at him.

She didn’t stop glaring, until she saw Nina’s name on his phone. Afterward, she leaned against the wall again.

He typed out a message to her, letting her know he’d have to skip training today due to business and not wait for him. Afterward, he messaged Ally that he wouldn’t make it to her store today.

Salome leaned against the sofa. She gave Ashley a curious look. “I expected more resistance today. You’re rarely so amenable when I’m involved.”

“That’s because I’m pretending you’re not.” Ashley shot the succubus a cutting look. “I saw Vince’s fight the other night. Saw that new spell of his. Quintus sometimes says a lot of shit, because he’s an old fart, but he was right about V. You were, too, I guess.”

“Trying to hitch a ride before it’s too late?” Salome’s eyes curved and she giggled. “Maybe next time I will demand sexual favors before I let you have a piece of V. It’d be cute to see you stuffed with his cock.”

Ashley bared her teeth, while Salome merely continued to laugh.

Ally messaged back almost immediately, allowing Vince to ignore the demons.

Aww, that’s unfortunate, she said. I’ll be busy making infusions for the Lionettis and looking into the magic tools they left me, but come by tomorrow anyway. Any time is fine! The fox added several heart emojis.

A few seconds later, she added, And don’t worry about Mama, if that’s concerning you.

It wasn’t, he replied. A job came up that I really have to do today or I’ll be in big trouble.

I get you. Always the worst feeling. >.<

He sent her a heart in return, figuring to match her emoji use with his own. Nina sent him a thumbs up and a reminder to be careful.

As he slid his phone back into his pocket, a thought occurred to him. “What about a getaway? I’m going to need somebody to help me with the raiju.”

Ashley shot him an annoyed look. “You want to keep her a secret, right? Organize it yourself. But keep any Yakuza clear. Sanchez will make it look like I helped the Yakuza take him out if any of them show up.”

Which meant he needed a discreet flier. Or Nicki needed to carry two people.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

He thumbed his phone idly while looking at Salome. She raised an eyebrow in return.

“You deal with birdfolk in logistics, right?” he asked.

“All the time,” she purred. “And not just for their eggs.”

He ignored that remark. “You’d have some magic tools that help them transport more at once, right? Because I have a flier who could use that.”

Salome nodded. “Ordinarily, I’d run you through Ashley and our supplier. Those aren’t cheap, given the money-making potential. But I’ll consider it an investment in keeping you alive if that cute harpy doesn’t have to make a decision about who to carry away. You’d make the chivalrous decision to send your girlfriends away and die valiantly instead.”

“Is this coming off your credit?” Ashley asked warily.

“I’ll make the call,” Salome purred. “It’ll be good cover for why we all met and why you stick together afterward. Anyone scrying will be thrown off the trail long enough, if you’re lucky.”

“Works for me.” The wolf-like demon rolled her shoulders, then walked past Vince. “Get anything done that you need to. Have your harpy meet you outside while I get some fresh air, and we’ll hook her up.”

With those words, Ashley yanked the door open and strode out. The stairs clanked as she left, presumably from her heavy boots.

Vince looked back at Salome, who had already pulled her phone out.

She spoke in French, rather than demonic, preventing him from eavesdropping. After a minute, she hung up. He messaged Nicki in the meantime.

“There’ll be some equipment for your harpy friend to collect,” she said. “I really should make you pay, but I imagine you’ll be rich enough after this job you’re working on to make up for it. Your current get-up is nice, but if you want to slug it out with mystic foxes throwing around facsimiles of divine spells, you should upgrade. Worry about the dreams of home ownership later, or just knock up the billionaire you’re dating.”

Somehow, he felt telling Salome that Alessia wanted him to marry Pola but he’d refused might get him laughed at. So he just nodded.

After he thanked Salome, he turned to leave. But as he opened the door, she called after him.

“And next time, V, I hope I don’t need to use any mental magic to get you in the mood,” she said.

He turned to look at her, and she bit her lip. Desire burned in her eyes, but so did regret.

“I am sorry for what I attempted,” she said. “Even if I still feel you’d be better off forgetting the job that might steal you away from me. But I think the time has long passed that you can shrug me off, when you have no less than three girlfriends.”

Gulping, he could do more than nod.

Adding Salome to the mix excited him as much as it scared him. She’d always been a surprise fuck. A woman that had her fun with him and flitted away when she felt like.

The time felt different. As if she were proposing to become one such girlfriend.

“Next time,” he said, voice gruff.

She smiled at him as he left.

Ashley waited for him outside, along with Nicki. The two were deep in conversation about illusions and transformatives, while Nicki ran her hands through the demon’s tails.

“Fuck, I wish I could make myself look like this without turning into goop,” Nicki gasped. “You’re hot as fuck.”

“I was going for the literal sense, but I guess so.” Ashley grinned and rubbed the back of her neck. “Don’t downplay yourself, girl. Birdfolk are the strongest base for transformatives out of all demihumans. Maybe you can’t turn into a wolfgirl, but you can totally rock a unique look. Those illusions are cute, but you can truly become something if you want.”

“But the side-effects if I change my mind…” Nicki bit her lip.

“We sell shit for that,” the demon said. “I mean, they also have side-effects, but you can be a catwalk model of a finch one day and a cute little penguin the next. Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to one look.”

Vince cleared his throat, and Ashley shot him an annoyed look. He’d clearly interrupted a sales pitch.

“Salome’s hooked us up,” he said. “Let’s get the stuff, and then…” He hesitated.

Ashley merely nodded. “It’s all sorted.”

Nicki looked between them in confusion, before her eyes widened in understanding. She made a gesture of two eyes watching them and Vince nodded.

Even if he couldn’t say it, he was only minutes away from busting up a demonic stronghold. This wasn’t even a real contract. Hell, it hardly even counted as the truly illicit one he’d taken to erase Arnulfo. If something went wrong, he’d be up shit creek without a paddle and surrounded by REAT officers.

If things went right, he’d be delivering the vault-cracker for the heist in time for Alessia’s negotiations with Mei. They’d be one very large step closer to stealing the soul egg.

- - - - -

Commentary: I'm always curious what people think of these chapters that are mostly just long conversations. I often have a lot of "talking heads" chapters, and even if I try to liven them up a little to avoid white-rooming, that can often just extend an already long conversation (or set of conversations).

One of the things I enjoy about Mob is that there's a cast of characters whose appearance changes drastically. I try to have Alessia never wear the same dress two times (she's rich). But Nicki, Salome, and Ashley all overhaul their physical appearances regularly. Ashley is genuinely unrecognizable in her current appearance compared to past ones.

Anyway, fight stuff soon.