Page 60 of The Vampire Kingpin
Zayne pulled her around the corner.
Grimclaw licked his lips. Even aside from his burnt-skin odor, the man smelled rank, and he looked worse. “Look, you can have in on this if you want. Lark’s got a line on a buttload of cash.”
I poked him with the blade. “Explain.”
Greed sharpened his face. “What’s it worth to you?”
“Bloody Hades,” I said in disgust. The man was the worst sort of rat. “She’s your goddamn cousin.”
His eyelids flickered. “Or we can split the cash. No problemo. I owe you anyhow.”
My fingers tightened on the dagger’s handle. I wanted to end Grimclaw so bad I could taste it. “What cash?”
He considered me, then his face closed up. “I need some assurances first.”
“You don’t get to ask for assurances, punk.” I unbuttoned the coat of his beige leisure suit and tore a hole in his ratty white shirt with my dagger, baring his chest to me. “The three of you were having a convo and I wanna know what about.”
He worked his jaw from side to side. “Benjamins,” he spat at me. “That’s what she always wants. I bet she took you for a few grand, right?”
More like twenty-five grand.
“Thought so,” he said with a knowing, man-to-man smile that made me want to slice his lips off his face. “Well, you must not have coughed up enough because she wanted to know what we’d pay for the code to your lair.”
I stilled. Lark wouldn’t.
But how did Grimclaw know she had the code? Unless he’d been in the shadows watching when I’d shown it to her…
“Huh.” He eyed me pityingly. “You think she should be loyal to you ’cause you stuck your magic dick in her? She’s out for herself, dude. Always has been. Always will be. For enough money, she’ll do anything, including let us pick you all off while you’re still half awake.”
What if he was telling the truth?
He’s not. Lark wouldn’t do that.
“Like fuck she would.” That was Velma from her seat on the ground where Jacko was examining her wound.
Grimclaw shot her a glance and flinched. He tried to hide it, but I saw and so did Velma, judging by her rusty chuckle.
“Lark’s no angel,” my friend added. “We dug up enough on her to know that. But doing us like that isn’t her style—she’s not the violent sort. Besides, she’s happy with us. Anybody can see that.”
“That’s what she wants you to think,” Grimclaw retorted.
I dug my dagger into his solar plexus. The silver seared another hole in his skin, and he whined in pain. I left it there another few seconds, then eased off on the pressure without removing it completely.
“I’m not interested in your opinion of your cousin,” I told him. “Although if that’s what you think of her, no wonder she wants out of your lair.”
His face set. “Yeah? Well, stop poking me with that blade or I’m not tellin’ you nothing. And I want a guarantee I walk free.”
“A guarantee? Sure, you got it.” I said without saying what I’d guaranteed, which was nada. “Now talk.”
“The dagger,” he reminded me tightly, and I pulled it back an inch, keeping it pointed at his chest.
“So which is it?” I prompted. “The woman needs cash so bad she’s gonna sell out my entire lair? Or she’s got a buttload of cash?”
His eyelids flickered. Yeah, the punk was definitely playing me.
“She has money,” he said, his lower lip sticking out like toddler’s. “Somewhere. I know she does. Her parents were loaded. So where is it now? I figure you can make her tell us.”
“Do you?” I said softly.
