Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Queen of Hearts, Dead Man's Hand, Double or Nothing

by Kristen Painter

  She hoped that’s exactly how it went down. The idea of being drained completely was…not good. Gage wouldn’t let it get to that point, but how long would he let it go? He knew what her limits were, didn’t he? Listening to her heartbeat should clue him in to how she was doing. She hoped. What if he didn’t cut Caleb off in time? What if…no. She had to stop thinking like that. As much as she loved him, because she did still love him, she had to also be able to trust him again or there was no point in attempting to fix things.

  The car sighed to a stop, and the doors slid open. Gage held her hand tightly as the crew exited. Eyes followed them, and when she glanced back, it seemed that the passengers remaining on the car had all let out a breath.

  No wonder the GCC wanted its own method of transportation.

  They walked a few blocks into a beautiful, brownstone neighborhood lined with mature trees and expensive cars. Most of the homes had lights on, including the one they were approaching.

  She glanced up at the gorgeous old home. “Are you sure there’s no one here?”

  Gage nodded. “Adrian did some recon before he came over. The house has been empty for years. It’s one of three that Blackwell owns, but he never uses this one.”

  “Maybe the guilt is too much.”

  “Nice thought, but I doubt the man has ever felt that emotion.”

  The group came to halt on the sidewalk, and Adrian jogged up the steps. He slipped some tools from his pocket and went to work on the lock. Half a minute later, the door was open. He tipped his head toward the inside, a sign for the others to follow.

  Kord came in last and shut the door.

  Adrian was already working on the alarm. He snipped a wire, then twisted it onto another one. The alarm gave a double beep, then the light panel flashed off. He faced the group. “Done. According to the blueprints, stairs to the basement are in the back.”

  Gage led the way. The house’s pretty exterior was just a show. Inside, the wood floors needed refinishing, and the walls were dingy. The house was unfurnished except for a floor lamp here or there, all on timers, and sheer curtains that allowed light in but kept prying eyes from seeing anything.

  There were two doors in the kitchen, a good-sized space but one still plagued by the avocado green of the seventies. She hung close to Gage as he opened the door on the inside wall. A musty, earthy smell wafted into the room. Rough wood stairs led down into the dark.

  He slid his hand up the side of the wall and flicked the switch. It turned on a single, cobweb-covered bulb dangling from a cord at the bottom of the steps. The landing was a small pad of concrete, but the rest of the basement had a packed dirt floor.

  Minka peered in. “That’s not creepy at all.”

  Gage turned to her. “Let us go first.”

  Sergei was halfway down before she could answer. He paused to nod. “We dig him up. Then you come.”

  Kord followed with Adrian behind him.

  She shooed Gage toward the door. “Go ahead. The quicker you find him, the quicker we can get out of here.”

  “True. You okay?”

  “I’m still here, aren’t I? Go.”

  “You can still back out if you want to. Won’t change anything about what I feel for you. My love is not conditional on the life of my brother.”

  She nodded, a strange heat in her eyes. “I know. Thank you. I’m still in.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze, swallowed hard then went after the others.

  The kitchen seemed cavernous with the sudden lack of testosterone. She waited, listening to the muted voices of the men below. Curiosity got the best of her. She inched down a few steps, then sat on one and looked through the railing.

  The basement ran the length of the house, or appeared to, being both long and narrow. There were no other lights but the one dangling bulb, but the men had brought flashlights. She went down one more step so she could stick her head through the railing and see to the back of the space where the men were. Gage, Sergei and Adrian were walking the length of the basement slowly with a—her mouth fell open. She blinked to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was.

  They were following a massive wolf.

  She hissed at Gage to get his attention. As soon as he looked at her, she pointed furiously at the animal. “Kord?”

  “Yes,” he answered her, telling her what she already knew.

  The wolf looked at Gage. Sweet little Red Riding Hood, Kord was enormous in that form.

  Gage seemed to understand his question. “You caught Minka off guard.”

  The wolf gazed up at Minka, let out a soft woof and went back to sniffing the ground.

  Sergei’s words about shifter blood came back to her. Of course. Kord was a werewolf.

  “He’s trying to sniff out where Caleb might be,” Gage added. Then he shot her a look. “Nice job staying upstairs, by the way.”

  Before she could respond, Kord started growling and pawing the ground.

  “Here we go,” Gage said.

  The other men whipped out the shovels and started digging. Kord trotted back to the dark recesses of the basement, disappearing into the shadows. He walked out a minute later, looking exactly like he had the first time she’d met him. Two-legged.

  He smiled at her. “Sorry if I freaked you out. Did you not sense I was a shifter?”

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t that you’re a shifter. Sergei mentioned that. I’ve just never seen a wolf your size before.”

  He nodded. “One of my great-great-grandfathers was a hellhound. We’ve been a little on the large size ever since.”

  “I’d say.”

  Kord grabbed a shovel and joined the other men in the digging.

  And dig they did, throwing dirt into the back of the space while the hole grew wider and deeper. Jackets were shed. T-shirts sweated through. And still the digging continued.

  The men were shoulder deep, and not a sign of anything other than dirt. Her heart ached for Gage. The longing on his face was plain. Every time he glanced at her, she smiled, not wanting him to see any discouragement in her expression.

  She thought back to Blackwell’s confession. There was no way he’d lied that second time. Was there? She started to doubt her own abilities. What if she’d lost her touch? What if dusting two people so close together made things go wonky? What if—

  The solid clunk of a shovel hitting something unyielding rang through the space.

  They’d found Caleb.

  In a matter of minutes, Gage and the other Collectors had the outline of a rough-hewn coffin cleared away. The top had long narrow cuts in it, maybe from the shovels chiseling away at it. He held a hand out for them to stop. “That’s good enough. We only need to get the top off.”

  “What are those?” Minka pointed at the cuts.

  Gage bent and ran his fingers over them, realizing a second later what they were. “Marks Caleb made trying to dig his way out.”

  She covered her mouth in horror.

  Rage at Blackwell slammed into Gage with such force that his vision wavered for a moment, then he got control of himself. Caleb needed him. Minka needed him. “Let’s get everything set up before we open it.”

  Sergei grabbed a crowbar from one of the bags, then pointed at Kord. “We stand at the front. Hold him down after he wakes.”

  Kord moved into position.

  “Where do you want me?” Adrian asked.

  Gage answered him. “At my side. If something unexpected happens, I have to get Minka out of here. If he’s too much for Sergei and Kord to hold, you’re the last line of defense.”

  Adrian nodded. “He won’t get through me.”

  “It won’t come to that,” Kord said.

  “No, it won’t.” Gage looked at Minka as he spoke. “It’s all going to go smoothly.”

  She nodded but said nothing.

  Gage could almost smell the fear coming off her, so the fact that she was still standing there was astonishing, but that was the woman he loved. Five feet
, four inches of backbone and courage.

  Sergei jammed the crowbar under the coffin’s lid. Gage held his hand up. “Wait.” Sergei straightened and pulled the crowbar out. Gage looked at Minka. She deserved one last out. “You don’t have to do this.”

  She walked down the rest of the stairs. “Yes, I do.” She managed a smile. “Tell me step by step what’s going to happen.”

  Gage berated himself for not doing that already. “Sergei and Kord will get the lid off the coffin.” He looked at Sergei. “You should take it from here. I’ve never done this before.”

  Sergei leaned the crowbar on his shoulder. “Once lid is off, we need your blood. Small cut to wrist, then you drip blood in Caleb’s mouth. He will start to awaken.” Sergei’s gaze flicked to Gage for a moment before he continued. “Most likely, he will bite then.”

  “And it will hurt.” She said the words in such a monotone way, Gage wondered if she was really that calm or on the verge of losing it. Then her mouth bent into a resigned half smile, and she nodded. “I can deal with pain. What next?”

  Sergei shrugged. “He will drink until he is made whole then—”

  “No,” Gage interrupted. “That’s too much. Once he’s gained some strength, Minka’s done, and we start feeding him the bags.”

  Before Sergei could say anything else, Minka spoke. “Let’s do this. Waiting isn’t making it easier.”

  Gage nodded. If she was ready, so was he. “You heard her. Let’s go.”

  Sergei went back to work with the crowbar as Minka came to stand at Gage’s side. He took her hand and squeezed it. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

  “Thanks.” The little half smile appeared again for a few seconds, then it was gone, and her gaze returned to the coffin.

  The crack of splitting wood accompanied the coffin’s lid being pried loose. Sergei and Kord lifted it off. Sergei swore in Russian, and Kord shook his head.

  Gage’s gut clenched in sorrow. He couldn’t believe the body in the coffin was his baby brother. Caleb had been reduced to a skeleton covered in a taut layer of skin. Anyone who didn’t know better would think him merely a mummified human, but the curled lips revealed a set of fangs that said otherwise.

  A wave of nausea passed through Gage. “I’m going to kill Blackwell.”

  Minka dropped his hand to nudge him with her elbow. “Knife.”

  He looked at her.

  “Knife,” she repeated.

  Sergei pulled the one from his boot and tossed it to her, sinking it in the ground at her feet. She pulled it loose, wiped it on her jeans, then went to stand beside the coffin.

  Gage got as close to her as he could.

  She held the knife to her palm. Sergei and Kord put their hands on the bones of Caleb’s arms and shoulders. Gage put his hand on the small of her back. She took a breath. Then made the cut.

  She squeezed her hand into a fist over and over, causing the blood to drip from the small incision she’d made.

  The space was so quiet, each drop was audible as it fell on Caleb. He remained motionless. The blood stopped dripping.

  Minka made a small noise. “It healed.”

  The wound had closed up. She reopened it and fed more blood into Caleb.

  Bone cracked, and Caleb’s jaw widened.

  “It’s working,” she whispered.

  Sergei and Kord tensed. Gage’s nerves went haywire. But Minka held strong, reopening the cut a third time.

  Caleb’s muscles began to fill out, and the ashen gray of his skin began to fade. Life was returning to his body.

  “Brace yourself,” Gage muttered. “He’s coming around.”

  “I’m ready,” Minka answered.

  A strangled moan poured out of Caleb’s throat as his vocal cords became flesh again. He twitched with the new life flowing through him. Kord and Sergei braced themselves.

  Caleb’s face was finally becoming recognizable. His eyes were still white with film, so Gage wasn’t sure if his brother could see or hear yet at this stage. He leaned in. “Caleb, it’s Gage. Can you hear me?”

  As if in answer, Caleb snarled and jerked forward, fangs bared. He latched on to Minka’s arm and bit deep. She shrieked and winced but stood her ground.

  “Hold him, damn it,” Gage yelled.

  “We are,” Sergei yelled back. He and Kord pushed Caleb down, but it was clear Caleb was gaining strength. His hands grasped at Minka, trying to reach her. Trying to hang on to the chance that he might live again.

  “It’s the hunger,” Kord said. “It’s giving him strength he shouldn’t have.”

  Minka cringed. “Gage—”

  That was all he needed to hear. “Caleb, you’re done with her now.” He pried his brother’s jaws apart, freeing her.

  She held her arm to her chest as she retreated, but she didn’t go far, stopping near the backpack Gage had brought. She unzipped it, snagged one of the blood bags and tossed it to him. “Here.”

  He caught it and stuck it into Caleb’s searching hands.

  Caleb sank his fangs into the plastic and began to feed. Gage took the backpack from her and handed it over to Adrian. “Make sure he gets the rest of these.”

  “Will do.”

  Gage took Minka back to the steps and helped her sit. He crouched to see her eye to eye. “Are you okay? Let me see your arm.”

  “It’s fine.” She tipped her head back and took a long, deep breath before looking at him again. When she did, she was smiling. “And I’m good. Thank you.” She grabbed him, pulled him toward her and planted a hard kiss on his mouth.

  He balanced on his knees to keep from falling forward. “Whoa, what was that for? Not that I’m complaining.”

  She shook her head. “Just because. Now go look after your brother so we can get him home.”

  “You’re sure?” She was oddly calm. Gage didn’t know what to make of it.

  “Yes.” She pushed at his shoulder. “One hundred percent.”

  Minka’s arm throbbed where Caleb had bitten her, and she felt a little lightheaded, but those things would pass. All her worries about Gage not knowing when to pull Caleb off had been for naught. Gage had put her first. Protected her without a second thought. He was a man of his word, and there was no reason not to trust him anymore. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Yes, he’d betrayed her, but how could she hold that against him any longer? He’d been caught between her and his brother. He’d done what he’d needed to do. And in that instance, he’d sided with Caleb. Didn’t mean she held any ill will toward Caleb.

  It just felt like she finally had all the pieces of the puzzle and they made a picture she understood.

  The men’s voices blended into one another. She shut them out and drifted off for a bit. When she woke, Sergei was standing near her on the concrete pad but talking to Gage.

  “She sleeps. You want me carry her?”

  “No, no,” she said. “I’m awake.” She stood, stretching her legs.

  Gage walked toward her, his brother’s arm looped over his shoulder. He stopped a few feet from her. “Minka, this is my brother, Caleb.”

  Caleb looked like a younger version of Gage. She imagined his gaunt appearance had more to do with his hibernation than his actual build. His color was good, no doubt due to the pints of blood he’d ingested, and they’d dressed him in track pants and a sweatshirt. He bowed his head as he leaned on Gage. “I owe you my life. And an apology. My brother tells me I treated you roughly. I am very sorry. I was not myself, as I’m sure was apparent.”

  “It was.” His voice still bore the cadence and accent of the year he’d been imprisoned. She smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet the real you, Caleb.”

  Gratitude filled his pale gaze. “I am forever in your debt.”

  “I might collect on that debt someday.” She broadened her grin. He might be a nearly two-hundred-year-old vampire, but next to Gage he looked like a kid, for crying out loud. “Welcome back. I was happy to help.”

  Gage bea
med. It was the only word she could think of. Being able to help give him his brother back was something she would always be grateful to have been a part of. In a way, restoring Caleb had restored them.

  Gage nodded, seemingly choked by emotion for a moment, then he cleared his throat. “You ready to go home?”

  She nodded. “Absolutely. And Caleb has a lot of settling in to do. Probably after a hot shower.”

  Caleb squinted. “A hot shower of what?”

  Gage laughed. “You have a lot to catch up on, brother.”

  Gage pulled Minka closer as twilight approached. She was still asleep, thanks to having completely switched over to his hours. He wound a strand of her hair around his finger and reveled in her warmth even as bittersweet reality set in. The two-week leave of absence she’d put in for was up tomorrow.

  He couldn’t lose her again. The thought pierced him like a dagger. Caleb would miss her, too. They’d become a family in these last two weeks. Minka was incredibly patient with Caleb, a quality he’d never seen her display toward anyone, and Caleb looked at her like she’d hung the moon.

  Having them both under his roof, with the threat of Blackwell gone…he’d never known one person could feel so much happiness.

  If she left…his chest constricted. He swallowed and stared up at the ceiling. That wasn’t a thought he wanted to complete. He had to do something. He slipped out of bed, grabbed his phone and padded down to his office. He sat in his desk chair and punched the speed dial.

  The phone connected and rang twice.

  “Da?”

  “Sergei, it’s Gage.”

  “It is early. You have trouble?”

  “No. Not exactly. I need a favor.” Gage paused. “What would it take for me to transfer back to the SCC?”

  Sergei grunted. “Is not possible. Not with what happened. Better you stay here.” Another grunt. “Why you want to leave?”

  “Minka’s leave of absence is up.”

  Sergei was quiet a moment. “If pixie wants to transfer to GCC, I sponsor her.”