Stronger Together chapter 104 (Patreon)

The car pulled up on the docks of Lake Michigan and I had to hide a  gleeful smile. This place was...amazing. As I climbed out, I took in the  rotting wood and smelled the dampness in the air. The tavern I was  meeting them at was called the Crying Limey, and I was able to pick it  out immediately. The beat up looking old dockside haunt was situated  under the shadow of a few nearby warehouses, giving it a literally shady  appearance. As I drew closer, the smell of smoke and cheap booze flowed  from inside and I felt myself start anticipating an adventure.

Barb  and Morgan were waiting next to the building, Barb looking calm and  professional dressed in a black skirt and a pretty blue top, and Morgan  looking like a pirate wench in a flowing peasant skirt and a much too  tight corset with a ridiculously plunging neckline. Morgan had clearly  decided to have some fun with this. I must have been playing it much  less cool than I'd thought because even Barb's poker face was  threatening to crack with the smirk playing along her lips. I rolled my  eyes at my girlfriend "Hey you two, you look great. Not that I mind the  quality time but is there a reason you two needed me? I doubt anyone  here can stop you from getting something you want."

Barb  actually did smirk this time "True. The thing is we're here to build  ourselves connections and curb stomping everyone wouldn't be efficient.  We're both hot enough anyone here is going to be paying more attention  to trying to get in our pants than what we say, and while we could kick  their asses, we'd end up hurting their pride. Meanwhile if you roll up  in here with a girl under each arm and crush the first guy to make a  move it'll just establish your rep. Sexism is pretty damn inconvenient  but we work with what we have."

I  frowned at that. Morgan was a life force eating vampire and the former  apprentice and companion of the worlds most notorious serial killer, and  Barb was a martial arts genius trained by fucking Batman himself. The  idea that they needed me to ride in here and play boyfriend to get  things done was...annoying. Luckily I didn't have to worry too much  about that frustration since I was about to kick some ass. I turned to  Barb to get a clearer picture of the situation "So I assume we're here  for a specific reason? You mentioned a lead in your text." If I was  going to be asking questions it would be good to know who about.

Barb  smiled approvingly "Dalton Carroway. He supplies all the local  smugglers and drug runners with their boats. He has an insane amount of  connections and the ships he finds are always totally off grid. This  would be a great in for us with the local underbelly not to mention he  probably has something a bit older for us to use given his knack for  finding untraceable ships. Plenty of these under the radar vessels will  probably have been made before such things were tracked." Her voice was  calm and collected, the image of an analytical mind. It was insanely  hot.

Taking a  deep breath I threw my arms around the two girls shoulders and Barb  pushed the door open, all three of us stepping inside. In the movies  when you step into a seedy tavern or dive bar everyone turns to look at  you like you don't belong there, trying to intimidate with their glares.  In real life most of the people in a place like that didn't care that  someone had come in, sure we got plenty of stares too, but that was  mostly people trying to get an eyeful of busty little Morgan in her  corset. I admit that with a gorgeous girl under each arm I certainly  felt pretty badass, and I strolled up to the bar casually, a cocky smirk  on my face.

This  plan only worked if someone either wanted the girls or was annoyed  enough by me to jump me so I could put them in their place. We sauntered  over to the bar, luckily this wasn't the kind of place where people  carded. I smiled up at the giant bartender. He was on older man with a  shaved head and a scar through one eye. His eyeball had turned milky  from the injury and along with being about as tall as Harry he had broad  shoulders and wore a leather vest over a white wife beater. He was  cleaning a glass with surprisingly clean rag when we came up and his one  good eye fixed on us intently. I put on my best cocky douche bag  voice."Hey there, we're here to celebrate. Give us your best bottle of  rum."

He  looked at me with a bored expression on his craggy face. "Listen mate,  good on you for having the stones to bring your birds down to the rough  part of town. Now you've had your fun why don't you get out of here  before some damn fool decides to make you insides outsides all over my  nice floor and do worse to your girls." I considered asking about  Carroway, but Barb had been clear we needed to establish my rep first.  So I just leveled my stare at the bartender and reached into my wallet.

I  made sure to flip through for a while, letting everyone see all the  hundreds I kept on me. Once I'd given them a show I pulled one out and  passed it to him. "Keep the change." I saw him debate arguing or telling  me to fuck off but in the end he didn't care that much and what  happened to me wasn't really his problem. He just sighed and reached  under the bar, pulling out a very old looking glass bottle. The label  was pure black with a symbol in gold leaf and nothing else, the dark  parts of it cracked and peeling at the edges. He handed it over and then  proceeded to ignore out existence completely.

Morgan  grabbed the bottle gleefully and we made our way over to a booth. Barb  climbed in first, with me following behind and sliding into my lap. Barb  looked at us both wryly but rolled her eyes. I popped the cork on the  rum bottle and took a pull. The spicy sweetness was mesmerizing and I  could taste a depth of flavor in it I'd never had before, in rum or  anything else. I must have made a satisfied noise because Morgan snagged  the bottle and took her own swig. Barb looked ready to grab the thing  and take her own swallow but before she could Morgan grabbed her by the  hair and pulled her into a deep kiss.

Watching  a busty succubus make out with my girlfriend on my lap as the traded  delicious rum was admittedly one of the best experiences of my life so  far. This whole adventure was very pirates of the carribean and I just  loved it. Of course I hadn't noticed why Morgan had decided to initiate  that kiss. I saw a shadow fall over the kissing girls. Morgan must have  noticed some thugs staring and decided that a bit of bait would make my  job easier. I wasn't going to disagree, especially since I got to watch  the show. Sadly I had to tear my eyes away from that masterpiece to deal  with these idiots, and I was going to bring somebody some pain to  compensate.

Three men stood at  the end of the table. The one in the middle was the smallest, purple  hair in a faux hawk and a brushy purple mustache. He had on a black  shirt with the sleeves torn off and safety pins stuck all through it.  The big scary looking men behind him were just wearing jeans and band  t-shirts. He leered down at us "Well, look at this boys. Our little  friend is such a disappointment to his lady friends they have to  entertain each other. That's just a damn shame, that is. Why don't you  let old Charles here show you how a real man takes care of little  beauties like you." Much like the bartender his voice carried a thick  english accent, more rough and tumble than upper crust.

He  reached out grinning to cop a feel of Morgan's bountiful cleavage. Even  if Morgan wasn't my girlfriend she was my roommate and she was with me  tonight. I reached out and grabbed his wrist. Between klurkor training  daily and the soulfire enhancement refining my body a bit every time I  did said training I was as strong as a man twice my size. I pressed my  thumb on the spur of bone on his wrist and pushed up, twisting his arm  hard enough that it would have broken if he stayed still.  Charles knew  enough to make sure that didn't happen, but sadly for him that was  easier said than done.

In  order to avoid breaking his arm the weaselly brit rolled his shoulders  and twisted. He ended up on his knees with his back to me and his arm at  a very awkward angle. I smiled coldly down at the man who was gesturing  wildly at his friends to keep them from trying to help given the  situation he found himself in. "See, that was rude. I'm down here  looking for someone so I don't know if I have time to really hurt you,  but I guess it depends on whether I find him. Dalton Carroway, I have  business with him. Is he here?"

Whoever  or whatever Dalton Carroway was he must have been scary as hell,  because Charles's bright red face, made that way by the extreme pain and  humiliation he was feeling, suddenly drained of blood. I've never seen  someone pale quite that hard before, it was impressive. The man's eyes  widened. "Oh, you're one of Mr. Carroway's guests. So sorry mate, only  right for you to put me in my place. We don't need to mention this to  Mr. Carroway do we? He's having once of his floating poker games, high  stakes too, I can go announce you if you feel like letting me free,  sir."

The  immediate change in tone and demeanor was both slightly worrying and  incredibly convenient. Especially since to everyone who couldn't hear it  looked like I just subdued the guy all by myself with a few words. I  released his hand, and he jerked his arm against his side with a hiss,  rubbing the spot I'd been holding as he scrambled to his feet. He gave a  hasty bow and retreated, heading for the back room with his mooks hot  on his heels. Morgan had been kissing Barb for a while now, swirling rum  around on her tongue. My redhead seemed to be enjoying it from the  sounds she made, but the short stack vampire pulled back leaving her  flushed with her breath heaving.

Morgan  had clearly been able to tell these guys were here for trouble and  wanted to both put on a show to make sure they came over and distract  Barb. My girlfriend was definitely the kind of person who could play a  role, but she also hated feeling weak or coddled. She might have been  more snappish than her role would suggest so Morgan had been smart to  distract her. Once they were out of ear shot though I turned to look at  the girls. Ok you wanted an in and we have one, poker is a great way to  build connections, I only have a few hundred on me though, so cough up  your cash ladies."

It took a second  for Barb's eyes to unglaze. Morgan hadn't been feeding on her but she  was obviously a damn good kisser. Though the rum might have been  responsible for some of that flush. She reached into sock to pull out a  few crumpled hundreds. Morgan reached into her generous cleavage and  pulled out a small wad of bills and they both handed them to me. I  grinned at the windfall and thanked them both. "This should be plenty.  Watch and learn girls. You want to make your bones in a poker game  there's one easy way. You beat every person there."