Mob Sorcery 2 - Ch17

Chapter 17

Far more enforcers than just Fia stalked the halls tonight. The scene was a far cry from the empty corridors Vince had witnessed on his prior visits. Wolfgirls wandered the halls and leaned against open doorways while nursing drinks. Every enforcer in the Lionetti Family had to have turned out tonight.

And then some. Vince couldn’t imagine there were this many enforcers in Alessia’s employ. She’d go bankrupt given how small their territory was.

“Fia, this your new squeeze?” one of the wolves called out as they passed. She wore the usual fashionable clothing of the enforcers, but appeared less rough. If she wore Nina’s office wear then she’d fit right into any company in the city.

“No. He’s a colleague, Andrea,” Fia said.

Andrea smirked. “I have colleagues, Fia. You enforcers have guys you fuck, and fuck hard.” Then her eyes widened as she finally looked at Vince. “Oh. Oh, shit! You’re the guy from the news last week. The dragon guy. Uh…”

Shoving her “friend” aside, Fia kept walking. Laughter escaped the room that Andrea had been leaning out from.

“Don’t mind the office bunnies,” Fia muttered. “A lot of them turned up when they heard the news. Andrea can barely ruffle her own skirt with her wind magic, but she rocked up, intent on fighting something.”

“That the pack culture you talk about?” he asked.

She shot him a sidelong look as they rounded a corner. “Something like that. As an enforcer…” Sighing, Fia ran her hand over her face. “Alessia wants to expand the recruitment pool, so I really shouldn’t talk like this. But it’s different as an enforcer. Italian heritage is one thing. We’re also much closer. Sure, I like Andrea, but she works a 9 to 5.”

“And Liz? The bartender? She doesn’t work a 9 to 5?”

“That’s shiftwork, it’s…” She scowled at him. “You’re just trying to poke holes.”

“I’m not Italian either, Fia,” Vince pointed out.

“No, but if we fuck you enough, then we can make something Italian.” Fia’s eyes lidded. Then she coughed and looked away. “Uh, Pola will probably try.”

Nicki had definitely been onto something. On the other hand, Fia seemed unwilling to make the leap herself, in spite of how much the two of them flirted with each other.

With all the doors open, Vince realized this floor was full of offices. A mixture of old-fashioned ones with a single occupant and plenty of space, plus some open plan cubicles crammed into a single room. The “office bunnies,” as Fia called them, filled them out. Although Vince spotted a few enforcers mingling. Differentiating the two classes turned out to be easy.

Despite playing devil’s advocate against Fia, enforcers were different. The Lionetti enforcers held themselves differently, wore stylish but more street-friendly clothes, and showed different mannerisms. Plus, almost every one of them recognized Vince and greeted him as he passed. Also, they all possessed some sort of magic focus.

Finally, Fia reached the capo bar. The noise of heavy drinking and cheers emanated from it, as the door remained open. She ignored it and instead knocked on a door opposite the bar.

Pola opened it from the other side. “You can just come in, you know. Fuck’s sake, Fia. We don’t have some secret knock.”

“And then you’d claw my face off in surprise,” Fia said.

She walked in, gesturing for Vince to follow. The instant he crossed the threshold, he found himself wrapped in wolfgirl.

“Pola, this is serious,” Alessia snapped. “You can flirt later.”

The room matched the larger offices he spotted earlier. A single old-fashioned executive desk dominated one side of the room, while an L-shaped leather couch and coffee table filled out the other. Cabinets full of documents lined the walls. Vince wondered if anyone actually used the paper documents, or if they were relics of a bygone era.

Alessia sat behind the desk, her face lit up by the double monitors atop it. Pola was the only other occupant and was busy trying to mold the contours of her body to Vince’s. Meanwhile, Fia plopped down on the couch and poured whisky into two spare glasses. A bottle had been left out, along with a glass already half-drunk. Alessia nursed her own container of the amber liquid.

“But I want to flirt now,” Pola whined. “Once we’re in the bar, everyone else will be all over him. I’m not letting the others drag him off to the VIP room or make me watch while they all...” Her face reddened as she no doubt imagined something that absolutely wasn’t going to happen.

Or at least, that Vince wouldn’t let happen if he kept his wits about him. He’d been serious when he told Nina “no orgies.”

“I don’t think that’s happening,” Vince said.

“What, you don’t want your crotch covered in vomit when Vanna tries to suck your cock, blackout drunk after slamming back a dozen negronis?” Fia asked, running her own drink beneath her nostrils and humming happily.

He frowned. Not at Fia’s hypocrisy or lewdness, but the mention of Vanna. “I thought Vanna was arrested?”

“The police released all of the enforcers they arrested tonight,” Alessia said. “Vanna was one of them, but she arrived not long ago. I’m not sure if they’re responding to the political pressure I’ve applied or something else.”

“I might have the answer to that. Ronin gave me an update,” Vince said.

Alessia’s ears perked up. “I certainly would appreciate an inside line on the police force. But sit, enjoy a drink, and rest. I’m sorry that I made you go out so soon after… earlier.” She grimaced. “It’s been a disaster of a night. You can worry about sexual advances later.”

Alessia glared at her sister, and Pola slowly unwrapped her body from Vince’s.

“And to be clear, you don’t have to stay,” Alessia added, her eyes uncertain. “Once we debrief about tonight’s events, you can leave and—”

“It’s fine, Alessia.” He looked her in the eye as he dropped onto the couch next to Fia. “I’m exhausted, but all the more reason to enjoy some drinks. I’ll be pretty useless for a week, unfortunately. Pushed myself too hard.”

Alessia bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not exactly the news I wanted to hear, but I suppose I deserve it after the mistakes I’ve made.”

The other two wolfgirls settled in beside Vince. Pola’s hand wandered, but Fia batted it away. His glass of whisky made its way into his hand, although he sniffed it and tried not to gag.

Pola giggled, while Fia scowled.

“We have ice,” Pola said.

Vince didn’t need to look at Fia to see the expression of horror on her face. The bottle looked expensive. Not to mention that the glass cylindrical bottle had gold lettering on it that said “20.”

“How many weeks of rent can I pay with this bottle?” he asked.

“2-3 months,” Alessia said, without even looking away from her computer.

Even Fia choked on her sip. “Fucking what, Alessia? I know we’re celebrating, but this is the genuinely good stuff?”

“I thought you prided yourself on tasting good whisky, Fia?” the mafia boss teased. “But, yes, I figured you deserved something special, so I pulled one of the rarer bottles from the collection. I only have another five.”

Only another five. What a world Alessia lived in.

“Um, I’ll have a little water with it,” Vince mumbled.

Pola seemed completely unfazed by the insane expense of the whisky in their hands. Instead, she poked about in a minifridge in the corner. Whoever usually used this office must be fairly important. She returned with ice and a carafe of water. After dumping the cubes of ice in her own glass, she handed the water to Fia, who was attempting to incinerate her superior with her eyes.

“I am not letting you drink another drop of this,” Fia said, voice ice cold.

“Whatever,” Pola said.

With a little water added to both of their glasses, he and Fia enjoyed it. Or Vince tried. He tasted a lot more than wood and fire, but needed a lot more time to acclimate to whisky. At least he didn’t gag.

After a few final taps on her keyboard, Alessia finished her work. The light of her monitors vanished and she faced the trio on the couches. Notably, she didn’t join them.

“Before we talk politics, updates,” Alessia said. “Fia?”

“The teleport beacon Vince left behind worked like a charm. A few lions had slunk back into the drug lab, but we chased them out,” Fia said. “It’s ours. The tower is on lockdown again. All our turf is secure, despite the attempt by the blackshirts to fuck with us and let Kaziern steal it back. It’s a grim night, but probably our best in years. At least the girls died for a reason.”

Alessia’s expression darkened, while Pola glared into her drink.

Vince cleared his throat and they returned to normal. “The depot’s clear. But not for the reasons you might think. Somebody else kept Kaziern out.”

Three sets of eyes looked at him and the accompanying wolf ears pricked up. He felt Pola’s tail rub against his back as it shot up.

“Somebody else?” Alessia asked carefully. “Who let us claim it from them? Not Immanuel, then? Or did you make a deal with your former employer?”

The way she stressed “former” bothered Vince. Nina had warned Vince that he’d find it hard to choose sides.

Although he found it less bothersome now. Between the threats from the Yakuza and his own closeness with the Lionettis themselves, the problem was less with working with Alessia and more the attitude. He might need to organize a private chat with her once he recovered from tonight. Set a tone that he should have when they met about Juliet at the Sommet.

“No,” he said. “The Yakuza were there.”

Pola snorted and took a deep gulp of her ice-cold whisky. “The fucking Yakuza? Wow. No wonder you were able to chase them away. Bunch of bottom-feeders trying to steal territory from us.”

Whereas Fia and Alessia frowned.

“Alessia, didn’t you say that a bunch of strange Japanese foxes showed up for the conference,” Fia said.

“Yes. Vince, I’m assuming these Yakuza aren’t the pushovers my sister thinks they are,” Alessia said.

He shook his head. “Lots of non-humans, all in the typical suits. Two immortals leading them. A tengu and some strange unicorn woman who set my body on fire with her laugh. Not gonna lie. She scared the shit out of me. Gave me the sort of vibes that Quintus does, but more reserved.”

“A Qilin, or Kirin.” Alessia closed her eyes before taking a deep sip of her own whisky. “This is bad. We’re not dealing with mere Yakuza, then.”

“Uh, what?” Pola asked. “We just said—”

“There’s a difference,” the mafia don snapped. “You should know this, Pola, if you paid attention.”

Pola’s knuckles whitened and she stared at her lap.

Alessia sighed. “Sorry. Just… I’ve been suspicious ever since I learned that Japan was beginning to pump money into Aulfair and they were reaching out to me. Did they bring us up, Vince?”

“They explicitly said they wanted to work together, were doing this to oppose Houou, and threatened me if I went back to Immanuel,” he said flatly. “So, yeah, I’d say this was about you. They called me your dragon.”

“Nice nickname,” Fia muttered.

Silence fell after her comment as Alessia swirled the amber liquid in her glass. Vince took the opportunity to try to enjoy his own and ease into the couch without crushing Pola’s tail, only for her to lean against him.

“Do you know of the other name we call the Yakuza, Vince?” Alessia asked.

“You mean their front name, Knightsgate?” he clarified.

She nodded. “Yes. To be clear, they’re not the same. Knightsgate is the true organization. The equivalent of a conglomerate like Houou, and the Yakuza is closer to the Golden Path—the muscle that gets things done. Or at least, that’s what I hear. Knightsgate is part-myth, part-reality, after all. A government-backed organization from East Asia, primarily supported by Imperial Japan, that is responsible for keeping magical activity in check. Supposedly, it dates back over a millennium to the Heian era of Japan and the Song dynasties of China.”

Vince didn’t need to be explicitly told that Knightsgate was Old World. The explanation dripped with the idea.

An ancient, secretive organization that stretched across East Asia, dedicated to keeping magic in check, and probably preserving the masquerade? Knightsgate represented everything that Aulfair wasn’t.

No wonder the conglomerates of the city had fought it so viciously when they’d tried to break in.

“But Knightsgate was always here,” Vince said.

“In name, yes, but there’s a difference between the corporate entity and the magical one. Immanuel is both a financial institution and a magical one, after all. Most of its businesses have little to do with the demons that run amok here, especially outside Aulfair.” Alessia rose and walked around her desk. “We’re seeing a triple threat here. The Yakuza have increased in strength, Japan is taking direct interest in Aulfair while the US federal government spurns magic, and Knightsgate is flipping from corporate to magical.”

“Does this affect my job?”

She bit her lip. “Yes, and no. Most of this is political—”

“But the part that isn’t?” he pressed.

“You said it yourself. The Yakuza intervened to stop Houou. It’s common knowledge that there’s bad blood between the foxes that left Japan for our shores. Whatever other interests Knightsgate may have here, we know they want to destroy Houou. And that’s common cause with us.”

“Alessia, I’m no politician, but—” Fia tried to say.

“Then leave it to me.” Alessia’s tone brooked no argument.

Fia’s glass struck the tabletop with a thud, her whisky sloshing against the tall sides of her glass. “Fuck that. Everyone hates the Yakuza. They’re a bunch of assholes trying to shove their way into the city, overturn the rules, and force their way into the conglomerates. Except they’ll bring a ton of baggage. An enemy of an enemy isn’t always a friend.”

“Maybe.”

Vince stayed out of this. As far as he cared, Lionetti politics wasn’t his problem.

Ronin’s words rang in his head. This was about to turn into a corporate war. He needed to get a paycheck and avoid getting fined into the stone age.

“That’s everything I know about the Yakuza,” he interrupted, raising his voice in an attempt to cut off both wolves.

They bit their lips, as if aware this argument wasn’t for his ears. Alessia leaned against the front of her desk. Her tail swished back and forth, just above the floor.

“You said Ronin had an update?” she asked.

He gave her the short version of what Ronin told him.

“Well, that’s good and bad news. Good, because it will give Houou pause. Bad, because it means the police are a timebomb due to the political pressure.” Alessia ran a hand along her face. “I can’t imagine how Kochhar will react to this. Everyone will be against him and his major ally will be pressuring him to commit political suicide. Again, this isn’t your problem, but the job will—”

“It hasn’t changed,” Vince said, tone flat.

Alessia winced and her ears flattened. “Right. Um, we’ll talk about work another day. I think it is genuinely time to renegotiate the contract. Along with determining your bonus for tonight.”

“Or start a new job,” Fia drawled. “One that involves taking Pola out on weekly dates?”

“Hey, I can get those dates without Vince being paid,” Pola whined.

Her hand rubbed along his crotch as if to emphasize her point.

He almost wanted to bat her away, but decided to enjoy the attention.

There was one final point to raise. “That bonus. Juliet said she was done, but I’m not so sure. She’s a vindictive bitch. I guarantee she’ll be back.”

What he left out was that the most likely target was him. Juliet would surely be on the hunt for a contract to assassinate Vince, rather than her original targets.

But Alessia took the bait. “I know. Juliet Forest has an almost impeccable record, and this hurts her reputation immensely. I’m surprised that you drove her off at all.” Her eyes dwelled on the hole in his shirt.

“It hurt,” he said drily.

“I guessed.”

“The good news is that I have a contact that wants her dead, so I’m trying to work out her weaknesses. Hopefully another encounter goes better.”

Fia’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Info like that costs a fortune. I checked with one of my contacts and basically got told to give up on Juliet. The price wasn’t the only issue, but she’s laid a nasty trail of false info.”

“I’m working with a succubus—” Vince began to say.

Alessia and Pola growled as one, then coughed to hide their reaction.

Whereas Fia grinned. “Oh? I recall some stories about a certain succubus in your past.”

“The same one,” he admitted. “She changes her name constantly and has a history with Juliet, so I’m getting a sweetheart deal. It’s why I knew her chest size.”

“That explains a lot,” Fia said. Then she blinked. “Wait, changes her name… Are you telling me that the succubus who took your virginity is Charity, the Immanuel pusher on southside?”

“She hasn’t gone by Charity for over a year. Her name’s Salome as of this week.”

“Virginity?” Alessia asked.

“I never said that,” Vince corrected.

“Damn well implied it,” Fia muttered, then raised her voice. “Well, you’re well connected. I remember going to her club when I was dumb teen and getting yanked out by her. The orgies are for adults, she said.”

Sounded a lot like Salome. She ensured plenty of crazy shit happened, but stayed on the right side of the law in her own way.

Shaking her head, Alessia returned to her chair. The monitors switched back on with a tap of a key.

Vince almost took that as a dismissal.

She did speak up, though. “I think that’s enough serious talk for tonight. We’ll handle the protection of our territory while the police are sweeping the district for the next few days, so focus on recovering. Once you’re better, we can talk about what the job means, the Yakuza involvement, and Juliet. Stay in touch with Fia, Vince.”

“That won’t be a problem,” he said, downing the last of his whisky. He’d drunk most of it by now.

The last mouthful hit hard, though. It had been a fair bit bigger than most.

Fia snorted at the face he made. “Got that right. Although…” She gave Pola a sidelong look.

Said wolf had already wrapped herself around Vince, one hand running along his thigh. “Vinvin—”

Alessia looked up at the nickname, bewilderment in her eyes.

“I said to call me Vince,” he grunted.

“But I want to have a name nobody else calls you,” Pola whined.

Fia grinned as she left the room.

While Vince followed her, Pola deftly avoiding his feet as she attempted to merge with him, he wondered how long he’d be around the other wolfgirl.

Something told him that he wouldn’t make it back to Nina tonight.

- - - - -

Commentary: More politics and scene-setting. In the actual book release, I'm likely going to push the Ally PoV scene back a couple of chapters, so that you're not already completely spoiled on the Yakuza stuff being explained here. Also, it will be less jarring if I find a natural time to do it in the book itself, given the story immediately resumes with Nicki and Vince. It's common for serials to change nothing when they publish a book on Amazon, but that seems silly to me.

Also, Pola will be very clingy for a bit. Vince will also be thinking with his dick a bit, although that's part of his character. It's been noted that all of my characters fall into a similar archetype (helped by the fact Stephanie voices them all in audio), but there are differences. Nick is cynical, jaded, and asocial. Nathan's paranoid, driven, and more than a little traumatized. Rys is amoral and egotistical, but very patient. Vince is younger, more hotheaded without being a douche (i.e. the actual definition of hotheaded), and gets caught up in the flow.

He does finally push back against Alessia and her pennypinching, though.