King for a Day (The King Trilogy #2)(13)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Mack coughed. “Read the list. We don’t have much time.”

“Um…well, the first name on the list is Talia. She claims that King agreed to give her a youth serum in exchange for loaning her tracker for two weeks.” That was actually a deal that Mack put together while at the 10 Club party, so I was aware of it. “The next one is Vaughn. He says that King agreed to give…” I swallowed, “a young woman of unique abilities in exchange for an item of unknown power referred to as the Artifact.” My eyes snapped up from the paper. “Okay. Know any women of ‘unique’ abilities besides me?” I asked facetiously.

“That would want to become Vaughn’s next victim? No. But even if I did, Vaughn wants you. And he’ll be first in line if King’s property is confiscated.”

Dammit. These people were so warped, which reminded me that I still needed to find their infamous rules. Perhaps something in them could help me get out of this. If only King hadn’t kept me in the dark about all this stuff.

“Mack? Is it true that this “K” on my wrist means more than just being King’s property?”

Mack’s anguished face turned a sad shade of red. “What else is on the list?”

“Mack,” I warned, “don’t change subjects. My brother said it means that King claimed me as his…” I didn’t know what word to use, “wife or something?”

“Or something,” Mack said.

“Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything.” Mack winced again, followed by a groan. “I’m sorry. King ordered me not to say anything.”

“Why? And are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“You’ll have to ask him that. And no, I’ll be fine.”

If Mack wasn’t so injured, I might have belted him in the stomach for keeping this from me. However, part of me wasn’t surprised. Mack was extremely loyal to King. He’d do anything for the man.

You’d better remember that, Mia.

“Do you, at least, know why he picked me?” I asked.

“Mia, stop asking questions you know I can’t answer.” Mack glanced away and sighed; then I did the same.

Bottom line, Mack would never betray King. Not for me. Not for anyone. “Fine, but I’m warning you, if we fix this mess and find King, I’m not staying with him, Mack. You better not get in my way.”

He nodded quietly, not agreeing or disagreeing, but understanding what I was saying. “So, the list?”

I returned to the piece of paper in my hand. “A person by the name of Strong says that King has not delivered on a…” I had to read the words twice. “A hand?”

Mack groaned, but this time out of frustration. “Dammit. I forgot about that one. King mentioned the deal but told me he’d take care of it himself. This is the tenth one in two months.”

Crap. “Tenth hand? This is a regular request?”

“The people aren’t alive.”

I cringed. I knew that was supposed to make it better, but it didn’t for some reason. Probably because I imagined a rotting, boney hand. “Dead people’s hands. How lovely. And he wants dead hands because…?”

“Do you remember those powerbrokers you saw at the party?”

“How could I forget them?” I recalled seeing a large group of well-dressed people gathered around a congressman. That was when Mack had explained how each member of 10 Club—and there were many—had particular interests. Some wanted power, some were into women—rare, high-end women—some were into the occult, like King. The members all traded with each other to get things they wanted.

“A person’s hand,” Mack explained in a quiet voice, slightly above a whisper, “holds memories in the muscles. Generally, people are after particular hands that have written very particular things—secrets, letters, codes. Sometimes they use the hands to forge documents.”

“You’re serious?”

Mack nodded. “Yes. And I have no idea how King makes the hands work. I just pick them up.”

I blinked again. “You get the hands? From the bodies?”

“Mia.” He gave me an annoyed look as if trying to say, “Don’t mess with me.”

“Sorry. I know. I know.” It was just not the sort of thing I expected to hear, but thank goodness the hands were from already dead people.

“So what’s next?” I asked.

Mack looked like he was fighting some serious agony. “We have to get the serum for Talia and poison it. That needs to be done first. The serum is downstairs, and I’m sure there’s some poison in his arsenal, too.” Mack began pushing himself up, wincing and moaning. “I’ll go get the hand.”

I popped up from the couch. “You can’t leave. If you won’t go to a doctor, you at least need to rest.”

“I’ve been in worse shape.” He steadied himself on his feet. “Besides, you can’t go. It’s Vaughn’s hand they want.”

I covered my mouth. “Oh my God. You can’t be serious.”

He shot me a look.

He was serious! “You’re not going to try to go after Vaughn, are you?” Especially like this. It was a complete death wish.

“No. I’m going after that arm he lost. Vaughn is the sort of man who’d keep it, probably as a revenge memento.”

Ewww. I could actually see him doing that. He probably petted it and took it out for walks. The guy was seriously messed up. “Where would he put it?”

“I’ve heard from other members that he has a trophy case, a giant freezer.”

My heart cramped as the visual popped into my head. Vaughn—that f**king sick bastard—liked to collect people, mostly women, and then hurt them. He probably kept his favorites like some horrific game hunter would keep an animal’s head or antlers.

“I’m going to ask Miranda to get it for us.”

“Miranda?” I asked. “The psycho bitch King helped you get away from?”

He nodded yes.

Oh no. This just kept getting worse. Miranda was Mack’s previous “owner.”

“Why would psycho-bitch Miranda have access to Vaughn’s trophy freezer?” I asked. “And why in the world would you ask her for any favors?”

“Miranda is Vaughn’s wife.”

Holy crap. “And you used to be her ‘property’?” No wonder Mack hadn’t really flinched at sleeping with Anna. I was about to ask Mack if he had to…to…with…Vaughn, Miranda’s husband. Oh no. I can’t even think about it, let alone ask the question.