Mob Sorcery 2 - Ch25

Chapter 25

The flight back was rougher than usual, as Nicki tried to get her thoughts in order. Vince checked his pills on the way.

Naturally, Salome had slipped him something special. One bottle was a muscle strengthener that lasted 12 hours and should keep him durable with Pola and Nina when they went all-out. The other was for endurance in bed. It even had a warning about erections that lasted longer than 24 hours and advice to ejaculate at least once per hour while taking it. Wonderful.

Vince doubted he’d use it. For now. If his “pride” grew as big as Nina suggested it might, something to keep him going all night might be necessary. It’s not like he knew any spells to remove his refractory period, even if Pola’s love juices could. Although the warnings made him worry that he’d end up needing medical attention so that his balls didn’t explode.

It was just after 11AM when they landed near the usual fast-food joint. Ronin and Fia wouldn’t arrive for another hour.

So he waved Nicki toward the chain coffee shop across the road. There was a café close to Ally’s laneway, but Vince doubted Nicki would appreciate it.

They grabbed drinks. A coffee of questionable quality for him, and a caramel frappe for her. Not that they called it a frappe, but it sure as hell looked like what every other store called a frappe. Chains and their nonsensical naming conventions.

Once seated, he jumped right into it. “The Lionettis are extending my contract. Part of it includes payment to hire you for the next few months.”

Nicki looked up at him from where she had bent over her drink and blinked cutely. “Uh… you’re already hiring me, Vince. I didn’t hit you up for my pay from the other night because it would have been dickish as hell and we’re friends now.” Her face flickered with uncertainty, and allowed Vince to clearly see the Nicki he knew in her altered features. “But I’m definitely working for you already.”

“Not like this. I’ve only been able to pay you whenever you fly me around, and it’s not like I’m replacing your day job. This is different.”

Her eyes widened and she froze mid-sip. Slowly, her wings rose behind her and her hair seemed to stand on end.

“You alright?” he asked.

Nicki pulled her lips free of her straw and coughed. “Fucking hell. Are you saying you want to hire me, hire me?”

“I think you need to speak actual English, Nicki.”

“Oh, fuck off.” She cursed several more times beneath her breath and plonked her cup on the tiny table between them. “You’re offering me a job?”

“You wanted to be my getaway flier. I have the money to hire one full-time for the next three months.” He sipped his own coffee and frowned. “Although we’ll need to actually talk about it seriously. I might even need an actual contract with you, depending on the terms of my own contract.”

She remained silent, but her wings returned to normal. Her fingers drummed against the table nervously.

“Well?” he asked. “I wanted to run this past you rather than just assume you’ll be available.”

“Do you think I’m going to say no?” The way she bit her lip suggested she might. “I just… don’t know if I deserve something like this. I really don’t want you to think that I’m just in it for the money again. Do you even need me full-time? Fia said you’d be off for like a week.”

“If I randomly called you up tomorrow morning and said I needed a lift somewhere, would you drop your current job to handle my emergency?”

“That’s… Didn’t we agree that I keep my current job?” Her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh! You want me available whenever you ask, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” He tilted his cup toward her. “Things are getting serious. My expanded contract has me on the hook for a lot of stuff and I need someone I can rely on. You stuck it out on Friday night, well after most fliers would have bailed. The Tower was a disaster and you helped me get to the top despite that.”

“Sure, but that wasn’t that big of a deal,” Nicki mumbled. “Are you sure?”

“Are you sure?” he fired back. “This is a little more than Wings or booking a flight a few days in advance. I mean it when I’m saying that I might call you at a random time and need to be flown across the city. The job requires me to help defend Lionetti turf, and with things heating up that could mean helping out at any time.”

“I get it.”

Despite her words, she stared into her cup and sucked on her straw. Empty slurping sounds escaped her as she swiftly reached the end of her drink. Her eyes turned to the counter, where plenty of people lined up for a morning coffee.

“Another?” he asked.

“I can buy my own drinks.” She grimaced for some reason. “I hate to ask this, but…”

“How much am I paying?”

She winced and her wings shrouded her body. Yeah, despite her change in appearance, she remained Nicki.

“I never asked how much you actually earn, but I’m pretty sure what I can pay you from the contract is as much as you’d earn all year.”

“In three months?” She remained unwilling to look at him.

“Yes. Something wrong?” Her nervousness got to him a little more than usual.

“No. Yes. I just…” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind one ear and let out an explosive sigh. “Fuck, Vince. I really did want things to be less about money, but now you’re dangling this in front of me. Do you know how hard this is? I want the job. Fuck, I don’t care what the terms are. The last couple of weeks have been amazing. But I also don’t want it to seem like I’m chasing the cash. The fuck am I supposed to say?”

“A tentative ‘yes’ is fine.”

She shot him a frustrated look before poking him in the chest. “There you go again, just shrugging off my bitching like water off a duck’s back. Do I need to flirt with you again and coo in your ear to make you take me seriously?”

Vince sincerely hoped she didn’t. Mostly because he knew she’d get the reaction she wanted, especially looking like that.

“Yes, I’m interested. Fucking hell, Vince, you really didn’t need to be so serious about it.” Nicki pulled herself up to her full height and glared at him. “Although you realize I’ll still need to fly over to you whenever you need me?”

“We have a spare bedroom,” he said.

She rolled her eyes, but her face reddened. “I don’t need to hear you and Nina fuck like beasts every night.” More quietly, she said, “But I’ll think about it. Can’t be worse than living with a bunch of drugged-up harpies.”

Her living situation sounded exactly like he’d feared. Although Vince realized the irony of paying her to rent a room from Nina. Even if Nicki got an upgrade, she was effectively reliant on him. Hence her concern. While he wanted to be an employer, the situation could easily come across as being her sugar daddy.

Although a real sugar daddy would get a lot more than Nicki’s attitude and some flights.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll need to sort out things with Alessia first, but it should be sorted this week,” he said.

“Damn. That’s fast.” A smile finally crossed her face. “Maybe I can get some more permanent illusions from Ally. Or even…” She gulped.

Once again, Vince kept his thoughts to himself about her desire to change her appearance. If it helped her confidence or made her happy, he didn’t want to mess with her.

Ignoring Nicki’s protests, he grabbed her another drink when he went for a second coffee.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, now curled up in her chair with her knees in front of her face. “What’s that, your fourth coffee of the day?”

“Third,” he said. “You have no idea how tired I am.”

She leered at him. “Oh, I can guess. Nina’s mentioned a few times in our group chat how hard the two of you fuck. I don’t think she believes in TMI.”

Given Nina’s desire to wander around naked or close to it, he could believe that. Not to mention that she’d shoved the photo of Pola fucking him in Alessia’s face.

Before they descended into small talk while waiting until noon, he realized he should ask about that.

“Nina didn’t post a certain photo in that group chat, did she?” he asked.

Nicki raised an eyebrow. “The only photo she’s shared is of you dozing in bed the other day. Is that it? You looked cute.”

Thanks, Nina. Vince groaned and ran a hand down his face. “No.”

Time flew quickly as they chatted, to the point where he lost track of time and got buzzed by Ronin. He and Nicki crossed the road to find Ronin leaning against the wall inside the fast food place. A small army of Wings fliers waited for their orders, but the regular line looked nearly empty.

Only a few tables in the seating area had people at them. Mostly families, although a trio of suits lurked in the corner and a pair of Labrador doggirls chatted over their fries. At least, Vince suspected they were labs from the floppy ears.

“That was fast,” Ronin said, pushing off the wall. He nodded at the harpy. “Who’s this?”

“It’s Nicki. I’m, uh, using some illusions.” Nicki rubbed the back of her neck. “Ronin, right? I know we met last week and you helped Vince, but I can be bad at names.”

“Nah, you remembered it. You look good.”

“We were just over grabbing coffee, or what counts as it from a chain,” Vince said.

“Here I figured you’d refuse to touch the low-quality stuff now you’re hanging with the mob.” Ronin walked toward the registers and they followed. “Aren’t Italians big on decent coffee?”

“I think Fia would vomit if she drank the coffee I just did, but I’m not sure the rest are that picky.”

Ronin glanced over Vince’s shoulder and he immediately knew that Fia had walked in.

Or, as it turned out, was standing directly behind him. Something jabbed him in the back and he spun. Fia glared up at him.

“I think you’re calling me a spoiled rich girl,” she growled.

“You avoid chains like the plague.” Vince pointedly looked at the menu. “Go on. Tell me what you’ll have for lunch here?”

Fia flushed. “A cheeseburger.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You already ate, didn’t you?”

When Fia refused to answer and instead pushed past the trio, he knew he’d been right. She might call Pola and Alessia princesses, but Fia had a snobbish streak.

A young wolfgirl, likely still in school, took Fia’s order and made small talk with the older woman about her outfit. To Vince, it looked like Fia’s standard fare: fashionable but flexible clothes, and no skirt. Her jacket looked designer.

Fia turned to look at the rest of them. “Well, what are you ordering? My shout.”

“I can cover this,” Vince said. “I invited you out.”

“I won’t say no to free food,” Ronin said.

Both Ronin and Nicki gave Fia their orders, which were polar opposites. Ronin got a massive triple patty burger that took a while for the cashier to enter into her system, while Nicki got a cheeseburger like Fia, but with a shake on the side.

“Are you really going to be stubborn?” Fia asked.

He sighed and gave in. Only for Daryl to show his face and relieve the cashier.

Ronin and Vince nodded at the burly wolffolk as he fiddled with the register. Daryl’s jaw still had the bruises from last week.

“Just fixing your order. Easy for the kids to mess up the custom stuff,” Daryl said, then glanced up at them. “Haven’t seen you two together for months. Figured you might have fallen out.”

“We just haven’t needed a late-night fix after drinking lately,” Ronin said.

“Speak for yourself,” Vince said.

Fia clicked her tongue. Her lack of appreciation for greasy fast food at 2AM was noted, although Vince vaguely recalled that she preferred gyros.

While he gave Daryl his order, the purpose for coming here remained clear in Ronin’s mind.

“So, Vince mentioned something went down here the other night?” the off-duty cop asked.

Daryl folded his arms but nodded. “Yeah. You investigating? A detective came in the other day, but didn’t give me much faith he cared. The asshole who kicked my ass came in this week and fucked off when we called the cops. But nothing’s happened since.”

Ronin’s expression darkened. “Mind giving me the details? I can’t promise anything, but I don’t like that a rogue enforcer is getting off for any reason.”

“Sure. I can even play you the tape. Always happy to assist.” Daryl’s attitude toward Ronin was worlds apart from what he showed Vince.

While the rest waited for their order, Ronin and Daryl retreated into the back of the store. The food got made before they returned, so the group found a table.

“What’s this about a rogue enforcer?” Fia asked as she daintily picked at her cheeseburger.

The neighboring doggirls looked over in interest, likely because “rogue enforcer” drew attention, but returned to their chatter about makeup soon enough.

“Somebody was hitting on all the cashiers and conning them into giving him free food. Probably sleeping with a few, too,” Vince explained. “Daryl confronted him one night and got sent flying across the store. No clue what spell was in use, which is strange as hell.”

Fia narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. Unless they’re illusioned or using a tool.”

“What?” Vince asked.

“Tools act instantly. No fancy spellwork.”

“Not that. The illusion.” He glanced at Nicki, whose pupils still looked like hearts.

Fia noticed. “We shared photos yesterday. Cute eyes, though.”

“Thanks,” Nicki mumbled.

“Anyway, an illusion can hide spellcasting if it affects the body. I bet Nicki can cast something without giving away what she’s up to.”

Frowning, Nicki focused on her drink. After a few seconds it levitated. Unlike the last time Vince had seen her use magic, her eyes remained unchanged, blue heart pupils firmly visible.

“Right,” he said slowly. “That might explain why the cops didn’t recognize him. Except…”

“Almost all surveillance cameras and CCTV are enchanted to see through illusions.” Fia waved her half-eaten cheeseburger in the air. “That’s why transformatives have become more popular, especially now they won’t make you impotent”

“They’ll what?” Nicki’s wings flared outward.

Fia and Vince grinned. By the counter, Ronin began to return to them.

“You didn’t know? One of the old side-effects of dodgy transformations was impotence,” Fia explained.

“Alongside baldness, heart attacks, strokes, seizures, premature ejaculation, and growing fur,” Ronin drawled as he sat next to them. “Don’t worry, Nicki. The number of ER presentations related to transformatives has fallen drastically this year, now they’ve replaced the injectables with elixirs. They’re still in a grey area of legality, thanks to federal laws, but they’re safer now.”

“Safer, huh?” Nicki sighed.

Ronin dug into his massive burger, which dripped sauce all over its packaging. “Anyway, I checked out the tape. I’m guessing you’re thinking the same thing I am?”

“Either an illusion or powerful magic tool,” Fia said. “Can’t be a transformative, as they don’t hide spellcasting.”

“Yup. I’ll need to check the system for the case notes, but I know the detective investigating the case. If he’s not doing anything, it’s not because of laziness. It’s because he doesn’t have a good lead.”

“You sure? What if it’s a corpo enforcer going undercover?” Vince asked.

“Then he’d be investigating extra hard,” Ronin said drily. “It’d be one hell of a feather in his cap to reel in one of Houou’s foxes or the Yakuza. Making an example of the conglomerates is half the reason the Enforcer Division exists. Battles like the one on Friday night aren’t worth their time, but enforcers beating up civvies? That’s their bread and butter.”

Vince should have guessed as much. Although the fact Juliet remained free left him less certain than his friend.

After all, she’d blown up a restaurant and frequently flaunted the law. If a detective never brought her in for her crimes, why wouldn’t Houou be just as immune?

“Can’t say I have your faith,” Fia said between bites. “Anyway, namedropping Houou makes me think you’re confident it’s an illusion.”

“I didn’t see any tools on the guy in the tape.” Ronin frowned. “Could be something hidden under his clothes, but he definitely hit Daryl hard with a telekinetic blast. That’s fox magic. Especially a blast strong enough to shatter bone. A tool that good would cost tens of thousands, and I can’t imagine any fox willing to sell one. Houou only sells to immortals, after all.”

“So you’re looking for some douchebag fox getting his dick wet with fast food workers, while using an illusion to keep himself from being outed?” Nicki asked. “Isn’t that, like, super bad PR for Houou if he’s caught? This isn’t some big brawl on the news. He’s basically a rapist.”

Once again, the doggirls looked over in response to the “interesting” words being thrown about. This time, they seemed a little more alarmed and began to collect their trash. A mother of a nearby family shot Nicki a dirty look.

“Houou would be forced to fire him on the spot,” Ronin said. “Felonies don’t look good on a corporate enforcers rap sheet, especially if they’re not related to their job. All the pressure at the moment only makes matters worse. Hence why I want to look into this. Might be a frame-up. The Yakuza could be causing shit.”

Vince nodded. “I’ll leave this to you, then. But hit me up if you want some muscle around. If it’s related to the Yakuza or Houou, it might be relevant to my current work.”

“Don’t get yourself killed,” Fia warned. “This is Houou’s turf, even if the… cops keep a tight lid on things.” She’d almost said blackshirts, but had stopped herself.

Lunch went well, despite Fia’s disdain for the food. Nicki perked up once the discussion shifted away from illusions. Vince kept himself topped up with caffeine, even if it was atrocious and earned him surly looks from the wolfgirl present.

As the hour closed on one, they cleaned up and stood.

Vince’s mind wandered to his next destination and Fia caught on.

“What are you doing now? I doubt you dragged your taxi out here just for this,” she asked.

“Well, we already went somewhere else,” Nicki said. “But yeah, where next, Vince?”

“Uh…” He frowned as he abruptly realized a connection to their earlier conversation. “Ronin, you said that foxes only sell to immortals. But I know one who sells to anyone. Maybe we shouldn’t close out the magic tool angle.”

Ally’s store was a stone’s throw away and he wanted to top up on infusions anyway. Hell, maybe he could even find some fancy magic tools to help him, now that he had a huge pay packet on the way.

“Seriously? You sure she’s a fox?” Ronin asked.

Nicki snorted. “Well, she made for a fucking hot harpy the other day, but the tails looked convincing when she dropped the glamour.”

“Oh? A fox selling magic tools?” Fia froze. “Wait, you’re not talking about the Yakuza supplier nearby, right?”

“Houou hates her, but I don’t think that makes her Yakuza by default,” Vince said.

The four of them stepped outside as they spoke. A dense crowd bustled across the intersection and Vince led his group across it before the lights changed.

Fia stopped them short of the laneway he walked toward. “Maybe. But if Houou has something against her, it’s for good reason. I’ve heard those rumors myself.”

“Everyone has. A random pharmacist knew of them, but didn’t trust them.”

Ronin nodded. “This is Houou’s turf, even if Immanuel is breathing down their neck here. If a fox is refusing to join up, I bet Houou would be fucking pissed. Especially if she’s selling to humans and demihumans.”

“You’re more trusting than I expected,” Fia said.

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be hanging with you and Vince.” Ronin’s eyes hardened, and the wolf winced. “Anyway, if Vince trusts the store, it might have some decent stuff. That cane of yours is new. You get it there?”

Vince nodded and automatically gripped his new magic focus.

As they’d decided on a destination, they trooped up the laneway. Just like last week, lines formed outside almost every store.

Vince spotted a few familiar faces around them, including a handful of Lionetti enforcers that gasped at Fia and ran off after walking out of a store. One that sold magical “toys” and enhancements, if he was right. The doggirls from earlier lined up outside the succubus’s store.

But, as always, one store lacked any lines. Ally’s. Time for Vince to brighten up her day.

- - - - -

Commentary: Nicki's still a bit short on self-esteem. Poor girl.

The Daryl thread is one that was established very early, and I expect many people have forgotten about it. It's been pushed back a couple of times as I focused on other things. I might sneak in a reminder earlier in the book for the Amazon release. Especially as it's becoming plot-relevant.

Also, scenes with so many characters talking with each other are always complicated. It results in lots of dialogue and can be hard to balance.