Page 69 of The Vampire Kingpin

“Alright,” I told him. “I’ll bite. What money?”

He glanced from me to Lark.

“Don’t worry about the bitch,” I told him. “I can handle her. And if she’s got my lair in the middle of some shit, I wanna know.”

Behind me, Lark made a small sound of disbelief, like she really thought I’d sell her out to Troll. The woman still didn’t trust me. But I suppose I deserved that, because I hadn’t trusted her fully, either.

Troll didn’t seem completely convinced, so I encouraged him with a jab of my dagger. “Talk or I’ll forget why I didn’t stake you as soon as you dropped out of the shadows.”

“A syndicate out West. Some dude is jonesing for her.”

“Let me guess—his last name is Darkman?”

Troll jerked a shoulder.

“That’s what I thought,” I said.

“You knew?” Lark whispered.

“A guess,” I returned. “Your parents bought it in Vegas, the Darkmans’ town, right? Go on,” I told Troll. “So there’s a hit on Lark?”

He shook his head, clearly exhausted. “Not a hit. They want her alive. The heir—Jared.”

I nodded, starting to get the picture. Jared Darkman wanted Lark as his plaything, and apparently, she’d objected.

“He’s here in the city?”

Troll’s chest jerked. He tried to straighten but couldn’t manage it. “That’s all I’m sayin’ for now. But you need me, understand? They’ll only talk to me.”

“He’s here,” Lark muttered.

I grunted agreement. She’d escaped Jared once. He’d want to make sure it didn’t happen a second time.

I studied Troll. “He’s the one who split your lip?” I asked Lark.

“Yeah.”

“And he’s also the reason why you were sleeping outside the lair.”

It wasn’t a question, but Troll’s start of surprise told me I was right.

“Yeah,” she said lowly. She was right behind me now.

Troll shifted from one foot to the other. “You gonna believe that bitch over me?”

Darkness edged my vision. My knuckles whitened on the dagger.

Lark touched my back. “Hey. I’m outta there now.”

I shook her off to get in Troll’s face. “You treated her like shit,” I said, my voice harsh with fury, “when you had her in your lair. And now you think you can come into my lair and smack her around? A woman under my protection?”

He raised his hands, palms out. “I’m sorry, bro. I didn’t know.”

“I’m not your goddamned brother, and you did know. You were Grimclaw’s fucking lieutenant. And you’re the same lying piece of shit as he is.”

My hand flashed forward and for the second time that night, I staked a member of Grimclaw’s lair. He arched his back, his agonized groan filling the small cell, and scrabbled desperately at the dagger. His stunned gaze met mine.

“You…need me.”