Page 75 of Forbidden Devotion
“Do you even know how much they’re asking?” Sinclair prodded.
This time, Gutter took the bait. “How much?”
“A million dollars. How many of you are there? Three? Shouldn’t you get a third, then? That’s a lot of money.”
“There’s six,” Gutter grumbled.
Boy, this guy was dumb. He’d let useful intel slip and didn’t realize it. Six humans against one living vampire. Not the best odds, but not the worst either. Sinclair stood a good chance against them if he could get the upper hand quickly.
He did the math. “Then you should get one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars.” Sinclair whistled. “That’s a load of money.”
Gutter scowled.
So far, so good. “Unless you already agreed to less, that is?” Sinclair studied the man’s face. “Oh. You did, didn’t you? Pity.”
“I said shut up.” Gutter pointed the gun right between Sinclair’s eyes.
Okay, that wasn’t good. Time to back off. “If you shoot me, no one is going to get anything. My father won’t pay a ransom for a dead vampire,” Sinclair pointed out as calmly as he could manage.
Gutter lowered the gun.
Sinclair took a deep breath. “Listen, this is your chance to renegotiate. The deal’s not done yet, and the stakes are still high. They don’t know you’ve learned how much they stand to make.” Sinclair spoke slowly so that Gutter could follow his logic. “You can ask for your fair share. Or more even. Whatever floats your boat.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Shit. What could he say that Gutter would believe? “I’m hungry,” he blurted out. “I’m hungry, and I thought if I did something nice for you, maybe you’d get me a sandwich or something. I haven’t eaten all night. What d’ya say?” Sinclair batted his eyelashes. Couldn’t hurt. He knew he was pretty. “Crackers?”
“You thought wrong. I don’t care if you’re hungry.”
Sinclair’s gambit had worked, though. He wasn’t the least bit hungry, but Gutter was now distracted and quite possibly angry at his coconspirators for shorting him his cut. If he could turn them against each other, he’d have a better chance of making it out of here alive. His talent with words would serve him now.
“They’re going to kill you. This is a funeral home. Easy to hide a body. They’ll get their money and kill you anyway.” The corner of Gutter’s lips curled up in a nasty half smile. “Good riddance.”
Of course. This was a morgue. That explained the weird center light over his table. And those weren’t surgical tools; they were embalming tools. An embalming table. Dread spread from his gut to his throat, which turned dry. So the double doors he’d spotted probably weren’t an exit. More likely, they led to a viewing room.
This was no time to be distracted. Back to the plan.
Gutter’s mind was elsewhere, and he was hardly paying attention to him at all. Sinclair took the chance and attempted to slip one wrist out of its binding.
It worked. A rush of excitement had his heart banging against his ribs. Carefully he slipped his wrist back in. He’d be able to get out if he was left alone long enough to untie the other knots. He could probably slip his other wrist out. It felt loose enough, but it was in Gutter’s line of sight, so he’d better not take the risk.
“You should convince them not to kill me,” he said.
“Why would I do that?” Gutter growled.
“My family will retaliate. They’re powerful, and they possess unlimited resources. If I’m harmed or killed, they’ll track you down. You’ll be lucky if they kill you. There are worse things than death.” Sinclair doubled down. “If you persuade them not to kill me, you could take your share of one million dollars and flee.”
Sinclair was ready to push further while Gutter considered it, but Russel and Hank were arguing over something down the hall. Their voices crept closer. Damnit.
Gutter peered out of the doorway.
“Get back in there, you idiot!” Russel yelled. “I told you, eyes on that monster at all times. Don’t be stupid.”
Gutter looked pissed, but he turned back to Sinclair obediently enough.
Sinclair gave him a look that said, “See how they treat you? What did I tell you?”
Gutter sneered as Russel and Hank entered the room.
