Free Dark Sins and Desert Sands by Stephanie Draven Page A

Ray swallowed the pills down with a big swig of liquor in the vain hope that it would at least take some of the edge off the agony.
    “Thanks for following Layla to the Luxor,” Ray said to Missy. “Now get the hell out of here.”
    “It’s Layla now, is it?” The teenaged hooker whistled. “Do you really think you should be taking the booze and the pills together? Maybe you should stop using your powers so much. It’s like, you know, maybe you’re burning your brain out.”
    Maybe. Or maybe Layla was killing him. It wasn’t just that her mind was different than anyone else’s. It was that controlling her was a struggle every time…as if she had powers of her own. “I’ve got no choice,” Ray decided. “She’s the only one who can help me clear my name.”
    Missy shrugged. “Did you ever think about maybe just taking her to lunch and asking her some questions like a normal person would?” He shot Missy a look and it actually shut her up for at least one whole minute before she added, “You still need me to spy on her?”
    It’d probably be smarter for him to get out of town, but now that Layla had called the police, time was running out. He’d try to get to her, at least one more time. “Yeah. Go to her office. Make an appointment or whatever. She counsels troubled youth, and you definitely fit the bill.”
    “You’re a real ass, Ray,” Missy said, but he knew she’d do what he asked.
     
    The war god found the atmosphere of Layla’s office to be utterly detestable. The sterility of the place was marred by burning candles and vibrant pots of flowers. As water bubbled over a faux rock garden, the war god tried not to scowl. Seth couldn’t abide the shabby-looking young man with paint on his fingers sitting in the waiting room next to a girl who looked like a streetwalker. It didn’t better his mood to see that Layla’s choice in associates hadn’t improved.
    As the two teenagers flirted with one another in the waiting room, Seth furtively glanced down at the folders on the receptionist’s desk, looking for names. Carson Tremblay. Artemisia Sloan. No one he shouldknow or care about. Instead, he centered his attention on the receptionist, whose lush curves annoyed him. The sign on her desk said that her name was Isabel.
    Her pupils widened as if she took pleasure in just the sight of him. “I was just gonna tell the kids over there,” she said. “Dr. Bahset isn’t seeing patients today. She’s having a rough week.”
    “I’m afraid it’s about to get rougher,” the god said, flipping open his wallet. “I’m Seth Carey. I work for the U.S. government.”
    “¡Qué interesante!” Isabel smirked, standing up to get a look at his identification. “Scorpion Group? Like Navy SEALS?”
    As she drew close, Seth was disturbed by the scent of her, so feminine and fertile. He was even more disturbed that he’d come here himself, in his mortal guise. Normally, he had minions to do these kinds of things, but this matter with Layla was very personal. “Scorpion Group is a defense contracting firm. We work in counterterrorism alongside the Department of Homeland Security.”
    Isabel looked less impressed than she ought to have been. When she brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, a red bracelet fluttered down to her elbow like a butterfly in flight. He noticed that her blouse was patterned like snakeskin, and fell open to expose the tops of her breasts. He shouldn’t have noticed either of these things, but there was something potent about her. Something powerful. Something not entirely…mortal.
    He knew most of the old gods, but Isabel was a stranger to him. Could it be? Had Layla somehow acquired herself a divine companion? Shaking off hiscuriosity, he assured himself that it was of no consequence. Las Vegas was filled with cast-off deities of bygone eras; he ought not ascribe too much significance to Isabel, so he continued the ruse. “Dr. Bahset may be in danger, ma’am. That’s why