Page 24 of The Vampire Kingpin (The Vampire Syndicate #7)

My back teeth clamped together at that ‘little girl.’ “Fuck you,” I said and shot past him, intentionally jostling his hurt arm.

“ Bitch .” He stalked after me.

I danced around the table, trying to keep it between us. “You must think I’m an idiot. Whatever I do, you’ll sell me to Darkman. At least this way, I don’t have let you stick your dick in me.”

He snarled and lurched sideways, forcing me into another corner.

I tried to slip past him, but he had me blocked in now. My heart sank.

It was clear I was on my own, that no one was going to rescue me. What had I expected? Spider could’ve decided to leave me down here for a couple of days to stew.

And I couldn’t evade Troll much longer. It was either fight or be raped.

And to be real, I wasn’t much of a fighter. I could hold my own, but my family was all about the hustle. You got in a bad spot, you talked your way out. You didn’t fight your way out.

Troll leaned in. “Darkman knows about Spider. He has someone on the inside feeding him intel about you. He’s been waiting for you to leave the Cavern, but Spider’s kept you locked down. So he contacted Grimclaw, worked out a deal.”

My mouth dried. “No. You’re lying! Spider’s crew wouldn’t sell him out like that.”

“He offered one million to start. Grimclaw made him raise it.”

He offered the information like that made Grim some kind of saint or something. For enough money, Grimclaw would sell his own mother out.

I sneered. “Guess he was kicking himself for only taking Spider for that twenty-five thou he owed as tribute?—”

Troll’s hand shot out, plucking the dagger from my hand.

In the next instant, he had me pinned to the wall as he threw my blade to the floor.

“You’ll do everything I ask, and you’ll do it with a fucking smile.

” He rocked his hips against my stomach, making sure I felt his erection.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll let Darkman and his enforcers into the Cavern. ”

I swallowed sickly. I’d done this. I’d brought Darkman down on Spider and his people.

I lifted my chin. “Go ahead. See if I care.”

“You wanna test me? If you don’t care about these people, then why were you sitting there looking like you’d lost your last friend? And why’d you save Velma out there? I owe you for that, by the way.”

He reared back like a cobra, his upper body curved, and backhanded me across the face.

Stars exploded behind my eyes. I swallowed a moan and brought my hand to my cheek.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe, and it felt like he’d split my lip open.

I dragged in a breath and worked my jaw back in forth, sucking the blood from my lip.

Troll’s eyes sparkled with an unholy blue light, his vampire getting off on seeing me bleed.

“Darkman’s gonna get his new toy one way or the other,” he told me. “But it’s your choice. Are you gonna cooperate with me or d’you want to see him kill all your new friends first?”

My heart folded in on itself. Troll was a dickhead, but he was right. I had a choice here.

I’d done this. It was up to me to make it right.

“Chill, would you?” I said as calmly as I could. “I mean, d’you really think I’d choose them over me? Spider’s paying me to fuck him. I made my own bargain with him.”

Troll’s eyelids flickered.

“What? You think I’d still be here if I wasn’t getting something out of it?”

He needed to see me as a complete mercenary, out only for herself. Someone who’d sell her soul if the price was right. If I couldn’t save myself, at least I’d save Spider and his lair.

“Work with me,” I urged. The words felt oddly shaped in my mouth, like they were being spoken by someone else. “We can both win here. The Darkmans are billionaires. Two million is nothing to them.”

Troll considered me, and I had a flash of hope. Maybe I was getting through to him?

“I’ll take it under consideration.” He pushed me toward the cot. “But first, get on that bed and prove how much you want to work with me.”

My stomach knotted. I lowered myself to the mattress’s edge, mind blank.

Troll pulled out his own switchblade. “Pants off, little girl.”

I fumbled with the top button of my jeans.

Survive. Focus on that. Survive so that someday, you can stake this sonuvabitch.

I reached for my zipper…and stilled as the door rattled, followed by the unmistakable sound of the bolt sliding.

Troll muttered a curse. He grabbed my shirt and said, “Say anything and whoever walks in that door is a dead fuck.”

Then, with a visible effort, he faded back into the shadows, faster than should’ve been possible with his injury. Before he disappeared, he pointed his index and middle fingers at first his eyes, then at me.

I’m watching you.

The door seemed to take an hour to swing open. I scrambled to my feet, hurriedly rebuttoning my jeans.

Spider filled the doorway. Relief whooshed through me, even when he halted, hands gripping the door frame, his eyes hooded, face carved out of hard, unforgiving stone.

He was angry. But I knew him well enough now to know he was disappointed, too. His mouth was turned down like he’d swallowed something sour.

But he’d come. He’d saved me, even if he didn’t know it. I gave him a smile that trembled at the edges, aware of Troll watching us from somewhere in the cell.

Spider finally spoke. “Can I trust you, Lark? That’s what I want to know.”

I recoiled, blinking rapidly. Inside, I died a little. That he felt he had to ask.

Yeah, I was a hustler and a thief—I was used to being blamed when things went south. But damn it, this time, I’d been trying .

I liked these people. I’d never do anything to hurt them, and it was like a fist to the gut to have to defend myself.

Anger surged up in me, heating my face. For a few seconds, I forgot about Troll listening. “Fuck you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

I clenched my fists. “I saved Velma. That should be answer enough for you.”

Spider’s brow lowered. “Doesn’t mean I can trust you. You could be lying your ass off and still save someone.”

“Fine, you can’t trust me. I mean why should you? I’m just some thrall you’re paying for sex.”

He absorbed that, tight mouthed. “So it was all about the money?”

Wow. Talk about a body blow. That thing inside me that felt like it was dying curled in on itself defensively.

You know it was more. Nobody’s that good at faking it.

Belatedly, I recalled Troll was listening. I drew a deep breath and reminded myself that it didn’t matter what Spider thought of me. That what was at stake was bigger than either of us.

Troll had meant it when he’d said he’d let Darkman and his enforcers into the Cavern. For all I knew, they were somewhere nearby right now. I had to play this Troll’s way until I knew more.

So I met Spider’s eyes—and lied. The way I’d been taught. Not overselling it, just explaining.

“We had some fun, okay? But that’s all it was. You told me yourself it couldn’t be anything else.”

“And Grimclaw? Why’d you tell him you’d get money from me?”

“To get him off my back.” I slit my eyes at him. “What d’you care? It’s my money, right? What I do with it at the end of the thirty days is none of your damn business.”

Spider’s gaze turned inward. “So he threatened you with something.” His lids lifted as he worked it out. “What?”

I managed a nonchalant shrug. “Grim’s always threatening something. That’s why I’m outta here as soon as I work out my contract with you.”

He let out such a nasty growl that I jumped a little. “He told me you have a line on a lot of cash. What did he mean by that?”

I spread my hands. “How should I know? Ask him.”

“I did. But he kept changing his story. So now I’m asking you.”

I shook my head, fresh out of lies.

“Lark. I wanna help. At least tell me what’s going on—you owe me that much, don’t you?”

I moistened my lips. Luna help me, I wanted to agree.

But this wasn’t about me. This was about saving Spider from Jared, and even Troll, because any minute, Troll was going to be forced to drop out of the shadows, and then he’d attack.

I had to get Spider to leave, and suddenly, I knew exactly how to do it. He’d handed me the reason himself.

“Dude,” I said, sauntering toward him. “Get over yourself. I don’t owe you anything I’m your thrall, remember? Your prisoner.”

He went rigid, his brown eyes glittering with fury and hurt.

The hurt nearly did me in, but I drew a breath and plowed on. “I’ve been your good girl in bed, haven’t I? Did everything you asked. So why the third degree? If I wanna talk to my cousin, it’s none of your freaking business.”

His fingers gripped the doorjamb so tight the thick wood groaned. “I trusted you.”

“Did you?” I was close enough to touch him now, and the urge to do so was so strong, I crossed my arms over my chest to stop myself from following through.

Not an angry pose, a protective pose, with my hands fisted and tucked under my upper arms. “You wouldn’t even let me leave the Cavern until I begged you.

You have people watching me all the time.

If that’s trust, I’d like to see what not trusting me looks like. ”

A muscle jumped in Spider’s cheek. “That’s called protection, dammit. You admitted yourself you’re hiding from someone.”

He’d been protecting me?

For a heartbeat, I just stared at him. Then I shook my head.

Not that I didn’t believe him. But I was still caught up in selling the lie because he couldn’t get involved in this.

Spider grabbed my upper arms. I thought he was going to shake me, then his nostrils flared. “Who hit you?”

My mouth opened and shut.

“Tell me, dammit. Unless—” He tensed. “Was it one of my people? Because?—”

“No!” Too late, I realized I should’ve lied. I couldn’t accuse Troll, after all. But I couldn’t bring myself to finger an innocent person. “It was during the fight,” I hurried to say. “I fell, remember?”

He bit out a curse. “The truth, Lark.”

I pressed my mouth together, shaking my head.

He growled. Then to my shock, he enfolded me in a hug, my unhurt cheek against his chest. “Okay, forget that for now. Who’s after you, baby? Let me help you.” His voice softened. “You can trust me. I’m on your side.”

I dragged in a deep breath. I never wanted to forget how Spider smelled.

Then I pushed at his chest. “I told you, this is business. So if you want to fuck, at least get me out of here so we can do it on a clean mattress.”

“Business?” He recoiled and released me. For an endless moment, we just stared at each other.

This was it. The end.

Inside, my heart pounded and thrashed like it wanted to leap out of my chest and beg him not to believe me, that it was one big lie. I pressed the heel of my hand against my breastbone, willing my headstrong heart—and my mouth—to stay silent.

He broke the stand-off first. “You don’t mean that,” he said with a pointed look at the hand I had against my chest.

I let my arm fall back to my side, my voice hardening. “Yeah. I do.”