Diamonds Down & Dirty

By Laura Harner

For Odd Squad enforcer vampire Nico Sanzio da Urbino, the world has narrowed down to one question: which one of his two ancient benefactors controls the local Master—and therefore must be destroyed? Handicapped by an inflexible order-to-kill the Alpha, time is running out if he is to find a way to leverage a stay of execution for his soul mate.

For Alpha Jet Gorman, the question of cui bono from the Revelation of the preternatural world is easily answered: Henri du Champ. Through enough murders, mayhem, and machinations to make a mob boss proud, the Master Vampire of the city now commands a vast criminal network and must be stopped before he launches himself into the political—and vampire—stratosphere. Killing him won’t make their problems go away, but Jet’s certain that removing the alligator closest to the boat will give Nico room to find the answer he seeks.

Unable to risk being seen together, lest someone wonder why Jet is still alive, the two men work to unravel the decades-old plot. They will see that justice is done—even if they die trying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Harner
• Release date: Feb 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781941841129

Laura Harner

Laura lives on waterfront property in Arizona because she's always wanted to be an oxymoron. She once enjoyed hobbies such as gardening and travel—now the characters in her head compel her to tell their stories, so she writes. (It doesn't actually help quiet the voices—but it keeps the folks in the white jackets at bay.)She shares her home with an ever-revolving cast of characters—some of whom are actually real—and is living her dream of building her own version of the Willow Springs Ranch.With over fifty published novels and novellas, Laura is an international bestselling author of erotic romances, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and Highland romances. Her books can be found at all major online retailers.Connect with her online at:http://lauraharner.com

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Copyright

Diamonds Down & Dirty: Ace of Diamonds Five is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by Laura Harner

Cover Art by Laura Harner

Formatting by Author.Services

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Hot Corner Press.

ISBN: 978-1-941841-12-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Contact the publisher for further information: [e-mail]

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my Pulp Friction family: Havan Fellows, Lee Brazil, Will Parkinson, and Tom Webb—I count on you more than you know. I never could have survived without you all by my side.

Thank you to my wonderful readers—you give me the courage to keep trying.

Contents

Copyright

Acknowledgements

Diamonds Down and Dirty

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

About the Author

About PF 2015

Other PF 2015 Titles Available

Diamonds Down and Dirty

For Odd Squad enforcer vampire Nico Sanzio da Urbino, the world has narrowed down to one question: which one of his two ancient benefactors controls the local Master—and therefore must be destroyed? Handicapped by an inflexible order-to-kill the Alpha, time is running out if he is to find a way to leverage a stay of execution for his soul mate.

For Alpha Jet Gorman, the question of cui bono from the Revelation of the preternatural world is easily answered: Henri du Champ. Through enough murders, mayhem, and machinations to make a mob boss proud, the Master Vampire of the city now commands a vast criminal network and must be stopped before he launches himself into the political—and vampire—stratosphere. Killing him won’t make their problems go away, but Jet’s certain that removing the alligator closest to the boat will give Nico room to find the answer he seeks.

Unable to risk being seen together, lest someone wonder why Jet is still alive, the two men work to unravel the decades-old plot. They will see that justice is done—even if they die trying.

Chapter One

Dirt shifted beneath his claws as Jet raced through the familiar woods at the southern end of the parish—far enough outside their packlands to see if the new territory would result in a different sort of hunting trip. Brambles and grasses whipped at his muzzle, but did nothing to diminish his joy in running free for a few hours of hunting. Neither did knowing he was deliberately ignoring his to-do list. With a week until the first full moon of the new year…and the last full moon before Mardi Gras, there were plenty of things Jet Gorman should be doing, but as the Alpha for the New Orleans pack, it was his responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety.

At least that was the story he was sticking to—since it got him outside. Even if it did mean he was running side-by-side with his friend Sam Garrett as they trailed a dozen feet behind the freshly-turned werewolf, Charles Edward Beacham.

The third…please don’t forget the third. And never call me Chuck.

Glancing to his left, he caught Sam’s gaze and shared the memory of the new wolf’s self-introduction and received a huffed bark of laughter in response.

Old Chucky-poo was going to have a quick lesson in werewolf society come the full moon and he could make bank it wouldn’t be anything like a Baton Rouge dance cotillion. If he lived that long. Because no matter how Jet looked at the situation, something about this man’s story of an unprovoked attack and subsequent lycanthrope infection didn’t add up. Which meant he and Sam were most likely heading into a trap—but they were going eyes-wide-open. If an ambush came, Chuck-the-third might not be the only casualty, but he sure as hell would be the first to go down.

The air was chilled, the wind calm, leaving a light marine layer that made the waxing moon appear blurry as it rose. Ahead, Chuck’s heart rate picked up, and the blasé attitude with which he’d started the evening melted away as he caught his first real scent of prey.

He’s on. Sam raced to pull even with the pale yellow and white wolf. Jet moved to flank the right rear, his every sense on high alert as he tried to breathe beyond the blood and fur of the hare Beacham chased.

Despite Jet’s doubts about the origin of the man’s infection, the physiological reactions of a werewolf’s first hunt couldn’t be faked. Regardless of whether they were moving into an ambush, the direction of their pursuit was primarily dictated by the path of the prey. When the hare bolted over a fallen log, Sam hooked a sharp left and herded it back toward Beacham, whose heart rate now thundered almost as fast as the frightened animal he hunted. From the moment the chase started, the overpowering need to kill, to consume, took precedence, and the newly made werewolf dove deeper into the heavy foliage at the outer border of the hunting grounds.

With a low growl, the new wolf put on a sudden burst of speed, cutting off the hare’s final escape. He caught the fragile neck between his jaws and snapped, finally bringing the race to an end. Beacham dropped to the ground, issuing a warning snarl, signaling this was his reward for a chase well-led. Sharing was never an option for the new weres.

Shifting their attention away from the newest pack member, Sam and Jet raised their muzzles in the air, sniffing for any sign of the presence of other predators. An awareness of something out of place prickled at Jet’s consciousness.

"Do you smell that?" Sam asked, using mindspeak to keep their words private.

"Definitely dead. Not vampire or werewolf." Jet replied in the same manner,