King for a Day (The King Trilogy #2)(40)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“Then you know she is not as beautiful as Simone. Or as faithful.” He scratched his scabby head and mumbled something about Jamie leaving. “No one will ever be as beautiful as my Simone. No one. They are all so undeserving of their healthy skins. Don’t you think?”

I cringed on the inside. The man was sick. Horribly, irrevocably sick.

I nodded slowly and tried to casually sweep away the sweat building on my brow.

“But I make sure that Simone still gets to play,” he said.

Oh no. I wondered if his obsession with flaying women wasn’t something more. Something more heinous than I could ever imagine. But I had to know as much as I could. Because his obsession was his weakness, and a person’s weakness could be exploited. 10 Club had taught me that.

“I, uhhh…know this is personal, but do you do something with the skins? Y’know, when you remove them?” I tried to project a nonjudgmental tone.

Vaughn dug his nails into his unshaven jaw and raked the skin aggressively like a dog with fleas. “How did you know?”

“I guessed.”

“Simone likes it when I dress her up.”

Okay. Okay. Don’t panic. It seemed that every time I dug a little deeper, the truth just got more perturbing. Unfortunately, this was my only chance.

I shook my head. “Such a shame you let the Artifact go.”

Vaughn’s expression turned to anger. “You won’t trick me, Miss Turner!” He grabbed me and threw me down. For a scraggly-looking, older man, he had the strength of ten men. He must’ve acquired the same “ability” as Talia. I really, really needed to ask King about how to get some of whatever that was.

Keep calm, Mia. Don’t provoke him. “You haven’t even asked me what the Artifact can do,” I croaked as he pinned me by the neck onto the floor.

“Maybe I’ll skin you tonight, Miss Turner.”

“It can raise the dead!” I blurted out.

Vaughn’s grip loosened. I could tell he wanted to believe me. Simone was his weakness, the one thing in this world he wanted most.

“I’m not lying. Why do you think King wanted it so badly?”

He blinked.

“It’s real,” I said. “I saw its power with my own eyes.”

Vaughn jumped off of me and pointed to a doorway. “Go take a shower. Your dress and shoes are in the closet. You have five minutes.”

He marched out and locked the door behind him.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” King? Can you hear me? King?

There was no reply, not that I really expected one.

My eyes floated to the balcony, and I rushed outside to see if there was an escape route. Dammit. The drop was about three stories to the rocky shore below. Nowhere to go. Of course. Vaughn is crazy, not stupid. He wouldn’t leave me in a room I could escape from.

So what next? I had to convince him that he needed the Artifact more than he needed me or King or anything else. That would buy us time, perhaps lots of it. If he knew where it was, he’d need King to tell him how to use it. That could be a bargaining chip for our freedom. If Vaughn didn’t have it, he’d hopefully drop everything to go find it. More time for King and me.

I just had to convince Vaughn that I wasn’t lying, that I was the real deal and so was this rock.

I went over to the closet and opened it. Inside were a sleeveless black leather dress and a pair of red patent leather shoes in my size. Manolos.

It severely disturbed me that he knew what sort of shoes I liked and my size.

I grabbed them and rushed into the bathroom. I quickly stripped off my clothes and took the quickest shower of my life. I didn’t want to be nude when Vaughn came back, so I dressed just as fast. The leather dress was tight and way too short. With the red heels, I looked like I was either a high-class hooker or ready for an S&M soiree.

I did my best to dry my hair with the towel, then combed my blonde locks back with my fingers. When Vaughn appeared in the doorway, I put on a confident smile, the sort a Club member might carry. I wanted him to see that I wasn’t one of his cowering victims, but an asset to his depraved endeavors. After all, if he liked to collect people, I was a damned unicorn. Possibly the last one in existence.

Thanks to King.

Oh Lord. Don’t think about that, Mia.

“Miss Turner. Don’t you look like a vision?” Vaughn held out his arm for me to take.

“Nice of you to get my favorite shoes.” I took his arm and tried not to react to the sea of red that washed over my vision. It was like looking through red-tinted glasses.

“I like my special ladies to look their best for their special events.”

Psycho. “How thoughtful. So who are your guests tonight?”

“Ah. They are some of my best clients. Members of the Sinaloa drug cartel. They like to come to Isla de Vaughn for a little relaxation and fun.”

Vaughn escorted me down a wide staircase that led to the foyer, then to the formal living room. Like I’d seen during the 10 Club party at his home in Bel Air, this one had a similar look—mostly bright whites and modern furniture.

Around the long, rectangular dining table sat five men with dark hair. They didn’t look like the typical drug lords you’d see in movies. These men wore nice suits and ties. They were handsome, poised, and elegant, except for the teenaged Asian girls sitting on their laps. The girls looked to be having the time of their lives, sipping martinis and speaking to each other in Pilipino.

“Vaughn, they’re babies,” I whispered. I didn’t know why I bothered to say anything. It wasn’t like he’d care or let them go.

“Yes. They are.” He smiled proudly and sighed. “Gentlemen! I have a special treat for you this evening.” All heads turned toward me. “May I introduce Mia Turner. She is going to play a little game with us.”

Oh crap. Stay calm.

The men’s eyes washed over my entire body and stuck on me. I guess they liked the hooker look.

“Miss Turner says she is a living mood ring. She can see your souls. She can sense how you’re feeling.”

The men exchanged glances.

“Yes, I am completely serious,” Vaughn said. “In fact, she swears by her gift. So what do you think if we make a little wager, to make it interesting, huh?”

Why did everything always have to get worse instead of better?

“Mia will look at you and tell you what she sees. At the end, I will ask each of you if she guessed correctly. If she does, you get to keep your lovely date, free of charge. If Mia guesses incorrectly, your date will be escorted upstairs.” He winked. “To be mine for the evening.”