First Drop of Crimson

Either way, there was no possibility Spade could let him live. Even after Denise got the brands off, Web might still pursue her in the hope that her blood was still somehow a drug. And if Web was successful in taking Denise and then realized her blood was normal…he’d have no reason to let her live.

A wooden hunk snapped off the table in front of him. Spade glanced down, realizing he’d unconsciously gripped the edge until it broke.

“Apologies,” he said, though he couldn’t care less about the table. “Did Web leave a number for me to ring him at?”

“He did,” Mencheres replied. “You’re going to call him?”

“Yes I am. Right now.”

Mencheres raised his shoulder in an elegant half shrug, then punched a series of numbers into his mobile, holding it out to Spade when he was finished. At the second ring, Web’s voice flowed over the line.

“Have you relayed my message to Spade?”

“He has,” Spade said tightly. “What sort of trade do you propose?”

Web let out a false, pleasant laugh. “Spade, I must say, you surprise me. Killing my associate in Vegas. Murdering my guards. Stealing my property, all to take the source of my business from me—when you already had a source. If I’d realized you were so unscrupulous, greedy, and enterprising, I might have gotten to know you before this.”

“I’m also impatient,” Spade stated in a cold voice, “so get to your offer for a trade.”

“Give me the girl, and you can have the knife. You’ll still own half of the Red Dragon trade through Nathanial, which should be more than enough for you.”

Spade swallowed back the murderous rage that made him want to list all the terrible ways he was going to kill Web into the other line. Instead, he forced his voice to remain cold and steady.

“I rather like the girl. What about trading Nathanial for the knife instead?”

Web laughed. “Because without the knife, Nathanial is a liability, as you must know by now. I don’t know how the girl came by her marks, but Nathanial’s demon, should he ever return, will seek him out with all the vengeance of hell. And we both know the girl’s worth more than Nathanial. I’m being generous allowing you to keep what you stole from me, but if you don’t give me something in return…well, I’ll have nothing to lose by pursuing you all over the earth, will I?”

Spade was silent for a long moment, staring at Denise, who knew enough from hearing his side of the conversation for her to look sick.

“Fine,” he said, holding out a hand when Denise gasped. “Where do you want to meet?”

“Right here in Monaco, of course,” Web replied at once. “The Fontvieille pier. I’m sure you’ll remember where it is.”

The pier Web had under surveillance. Spade’s jaw clenched. He would be walking into a trap where Web had home court advantage. His gaze flicked to Mencheres. But I have a trap of my own.

“Fine, then. Tomorrow at midnight.”

“Looking forward to it,” Web said lightly. “Oh, but you must understand that if I hear Mencheres is anywhere near Monaco, I’m going to assume you intend to double-cross me and our trade is off. And the hunt is on.”

“You can’t expect me to show up without protection,” Spade snapped. “Come now. I’m a businessman, not a stupid one.”

Web made a noise of exaggerated patience. “Fine. Bring your little firestarter friend, if it makes you feel better—though she had some trouble with that the other day, didn’t she? Maybe the tales I’ve heard about her powers were exaggerated.”

“Crispin would never allow his wife to go without him. You must know that, so your offer to have Cat come isn’t real,” Spade said, his tone hardening. “In that case, I assume your offer to trade the girl for the knife isn’t real, either, so we have nothing else to say. Hunt me as much as you like.”

“Wait!” Web shouted, just as Spade was about to snap his mobile shut. “Fine, bring the bounty hunter, too,” Web said, sounding put out. “But only the two of them and the girl, or I’ll think the worst.”

Web must have a large amount of force at the ready, to agree so readily to both Cat and Crispin coming with him.

“A driver and Nathanial, too,” Spade stated. “Else how will I know you’ve brought the right knife and not something you picked up at a hunting outfitter?”

Web let out another low laugh. “Smart and ruthless. We might have a very beneficial partnership ahead of us. Oh, and your driver has to be human. Can’t let you sneak in another strong vampire, can I?”

Clever bastard. “Until tomorrow night.”

He clicked the mobile shut, silently looking at the faces around the table. Everyone but Denise had heard the other end of the conversation. Mencheres looked grim.

“Why would you agree for me not to come, Spade? You know he intends to kill you, and he’ll know if I’m near. Web has spies all over Monaco.”

Spade stared at Mencheres. Then slowly, his gaze swung to Cat, the former half-breed who was now the only vampire in existence who derived sustenance from drinking nosferatu blood instead of human.

“Because your power will be there, Mencheres, even if you won’t be.”

Chapter Thirty-three

The SUV pulled into Fontvieille harbor, stacks of glamorous hotels behind them and luxury boats in front. The lights along the harbor were dark, however, the only consideration to the many hotel windows that would have a view of the parking lot. Since Denise could hardly see and she was down here, the cloak of darkness would be sufficient for concealing whatever would take place in the next few minutes from any high-rise onlookers.

Spade glanced back at her from his place in the passenger seat. He said nothing, but his face spoke volumes. Denise forced herself to smile. Spade shouldn’t spend any of his energy worrying about her. He, Bones, and Cat had enough to deal with trying to stay alive tonight.

And once again, she’d be sequestered safely while that was happening. Denise was so sick of being the person her loved ones fought for, instead of facing the danger herself. If she could have traded places with Spade, Cat, or Bones, she would have done it in a heartbeat. But of course, none of them would let her.

That will change, Denise promised herself. She knew the world she was committing herself to, so she’d learn the best way to live in it. It meant toughening up, but she was ready. In fact, though she hadn’t told Spade, she wasn’t ruling out becoming a vampire one day. Drinking Spade’s blood on a regular basis would be her trial run. She wasn’t the same person she’d been before, willing to wait on the sidelines. Or in the basement.

But first they all had to survive tonight.

Denise glanced at Cat. Her friend looked rattled, not that Denise blamed her. All their hopes for victory hinged on an ability Cat didn’t fully know how to operate. Bones and Spade were confident that when the moment came, she would rise to it. Denise both feared and envied Cat for that awesome responsibility. When had Denise ever been the person trusted to lay it all on the line for those depending on her?

“All right,” Spade said quietly. “Let’s do this.”

Oliver, the human driver for this event, stayed behind the wheel, keeping the SUV running, but Denise, Spade, Cat, Bones, and Nathanial got out. Denise looked around, not sensing the other vampires that she knew were there. Web’s people. They were probably hidden behind every shadow.

The spot on Denise’s palm itched even though the small wound healed after Spade rubbed his blood over it. Nothing was visible on the outside, but inside her palm was a minuscule transmitter capsule. Nathanial had one implanted in the same place, too. Just in case we’re separated, so Mencheres can track you, Spade had said.

Denise knew the harsher reason behind the trans mitter, even though Spade didn’t say it. In case Web wins and the rest of us are killed. Web wouldn’t kill her or Nathanial; they were too