Page 7 of Captured Desires

Pearl dismounted at the entrance. The air felt different out here, charged with an energy that raised the fine hairs on her arms. She was being watched. She could feel it in her bones. She walked into the mine shaft, pausing to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. It was empty save for a few crates and a mining cart on a set of tracks that led deeper into the mine.

“Hello?” she called. It was a perfect place for a nest of vampires to hide out. As she moved farther down into the mine, the light of the fading sun disappeared. She couldn’t see a foot in front of her.

Now what?

Suddenly four lanterns lit at the same time, and Pearl whirled, hand flying to her stakes. Maverick materialized from the deepening shadows, a ghost made flesh. Behind him, three figures emerged, solidifying into the same vampires from the boardinghouse, their eyes glinting with a predatory light.

"Pearl Thompkins." Maverick spread his hands, a showman presenting his troupe. "Meet the gang. That’s Clyde, Esmerelda, and Harlan." He pointed to each one and then hung up his lantern on a hook installed in the mine shaft’s wall.

Clyde smirked, lips curling to reveal a hint of fang. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"I don't like this, Mav," Harlan growled. "We can't trust her."

Maverick's eyes cut to him, sharp as flint. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Harley."

The use of the nickname seemed to defuse some of the tension, but Pearl could still feel it simmering beneath the surface. Harlan subsided with a scowl, but the challenge in his gaze remained. Pearl got the distinct impression that he was used to being the one giving orders, not taking them.

Esmerelda merely smiled mockingly at her.

"Pearl here is going to help us with a little problem we've been having,” Maverick said. “A nest of vampire hunters sticking their noses where they don't belong."

“Another one?” Esmerelda asked.

Harlan scoffed. "We should just slaughter them and be done with it."

"And bring the full force of the Guild down on our heads?" Maverick shook his head. "Use your head for once, Harley. We need a scalpel, not a sledgehammer."

The two vampires locked stares, a silent battle of wills. After a long moment, Harlan looked away, jaw clenched. Maverick's lips twitched, a ghost of a smile, before he turned his attention back to Pearl.

"This is where you come in, darlin'. I need you to convince those hunters to move along, peaceful-like."

Pearl arched a brow. "And if they don't?"

Maverick's smile widened, sharp and full of teeth. "Well now, that's when things get interesting."

“The Pinkertons are prepared to offer you full immunity—” Pearl stopped when Maverick held up a hand.

“Prove yourself first with the vampire hunters. Then we’ll talk.”

She resisted the urge to grind her teeth. Maverick spent the next few hours giving her a tour of the mine shafts. She didn’t see any of their coffins, but she didn’t expect to be trusted with that information right away.

As she watched, Maverick move among his gang, dispensing orders and reassurances. He had a way about him, a natural charisma that made him the obvious choice for the leader of this gang. It was a far cry from the ruthless outlaw she'd expected.

As they walked deeper into the mine, Esmerelda approached them. She gave Pearl a suspicious look. “Can I talk to you alone, Mav?”

“Talk in front of her. We’ve got to know if we can trust her.”

Pearl bristled. “I’m a Pinkerton.”

“Exactly,” Maverick said.

“We're running low on blood. The last batch we got from the butcher was tainted."

Blood from a butcher? Not a human? That was interesting.

Maverick frowned. "Tainted how?"

"It was like it had been mixed with something. I just took a sip because it smelled off, and it made me powerful sick."

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