Page 6 of Captured Desires

A few hours later, Pearl's sleep was broken by a sudden chill that dropped the temperature of the room. The scent of damp earth and something metallic filled the air, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

She reached instinctively for her guns, pointing them at the shadowy figures filling her room. Adrenaline chased the cobwebs from her brain as she recognized the man standing at the foot of her bed, arms crossed and a sardonic smile playing about his lips.

"Evening, Pearl. Thought we'd pick up that conversation from earlier." Maverick's voice was a lazy drawl, but his eyes glittered with predatory intent in the moonlight seeping through the curtains.

Pearl kept her revolvers trained on him, gaze flicking to the others behind. There were three of them, hard-eyed and coiled with menace. The silver bullets wouldn’t be enough to stop all of them, but it might slow them down while she reached for her stakes. "How the hell did you get in here?"

Maverick's grin widened, flashing a glimpse of too-sharp canines. "I have my ways. Vampiric perks, you might say."

A chill skittered down Pearl's spine that had nothing to do with the night air. She jutted her chin toward the door, still closed and locked tight. "Let me guess. Turned to mist and slipped right under?"

He inclined his head, dark hair falling across his brow. "Can’t fool a Pinkerton.”

"Get out," she demanded, her voice unwavering despite the fear coiling in her chest.

“I've considered your offer. Might be willing to hear you out, if you can convince me it's worth my while and that you can be trusted."

Pearl snorted, not lowering her guns an inch. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Simple. Help me and my gang out with a few jobs. Nothing illegal, I assure you." He spread his hands, as if that made it perfectly reasonable.

The room seemed to close in around Pearl, the weight of her decision pressing down on her shoulders. She exhaled slowly, her mind racing as she weighed the odds and considered the potential consequences. Could she trust a vampire? And if she agreed, would it bring her closer to completing her mission or was she damning herself in the process?

"Not a chance." Pearl's finger tightened imperceptibly on the trigger. Like hell was she going to be strong-armed into doing an outlaw's bidding, even one with a handsome face and the allure of the forbidden clinging to him like a second skin.

Maverick stepped closer, movements fluid and graceful. Predatory. Pearl's heart thudded traitorously against her rib cage as he leaned in, his cool breath ghosting across her cheek.

"No? Pity. And here I thought we might come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Pearl gritted her teeth, fighting the inexplicable pull that seemed to spark between them. There was more to Maverick than met the eye, and if she played this right, she might just convince him to come back with her.

“Are you sure this is how you want to end things?” he said.

They outnumbered her. She’d have a hard time surviving just one vampire, but four of them was suicide.

"No," she bit out, slowly lowering her revolvers, but keeping them in hand. "The Pinkertons need a vampire for what’s coming up."

His lips quirked, eyes dancing with amusement and something sharper. Darker. "What’s coming up?"

“You get that information when you come back to headquarters with me.”

As Pearl stared into his too-blue gaze, she couldn't shake the feeling she'd just made a deal with the devil. But if it got her closer to completing her mission, she'd dance with the devil himself. In the shadows, she sensed as much as saw Maverick's smile widen, a flash of fang in the dark.

Pearl shifted uneasily, the weight of her revolvers a cold comfort against the prickling sensation at her nape. Maverick's gaze seemed to pierce right through her, unsettling in its intensity. She'd tangled with outlaws and renegades aplenty, but something about this vampire set her on edge in a way she couldn't quite define.

"Meet me at the old mine, just west of town," Maverick drawled, his voice a smooth, dark rumble. "Sundown tomorrow. Come alone."

A flicker of unease threaded through her, but Pearl forced it down. This was her only chance to get Maverick to come peacefully. She'd be a fool to waste it, even if every instinct screamed at her to run.

"I'll be there," she said, the words tasting like ashes on her tongue.

Maverick inclined his head, a king granting a favor. Then, between one blink and the next, he and his friends vanished, melting into the shadows as if they’d never been there. Only the faint scent of smoke and spice lingered, a ghost of his presence. Pearl released a shaky breath as the tension slowly bled from her frame.

Sleep proved elusive the rest of the night, her mind churning with questions and possibilities. By the time dawn crept over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of fire and gold, Pearl was already up and dressed, her saddlebags packed. She'd need every advantage she could get if she was going to pull this off.

***

THE DAY CRAWLED BYwith agonizing slowness, each minute feeling like an eternity. Pearl used the time to scout the town, committing the layout to memory and noting potential escape routes. Just in case. As the sun began its inexorable descent, she mounted up and rode out, the old mine looming like a specter in the distance.

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