The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series) (16 page)

His mouth puckered into a frown of disapproval. “I told you to wait. I mean it, Ellie.”

I put a hand on my hip. “Yesterday, you told me not to trust you. This is me not trusting you.”

He shook his head and a cocky grin spread across his face. “Me and my big mouth.”

We entered the store, and I nearly gagged from the smell of decay. I leaned close to him, whispering, “You can’t be serious.”

The oldest, most broken-down crap I’d ever seen filled the store. And if
the inventory didn’t make me doubtful, the ambiance did. Concrete walls and floor, dim lighting. It looked like a scene from some horror movie.

Collin shot me a look of warning and then walked toward the back room, lowering his voice. “Let me do all the talking.”

I pinched my lips together in an exaggerated manner and made a face at him.

He snorted. “Mature, really mature.”

A teenage girl sporting a goth look stood behind a counter but didn’t say anything as we slipped behind a curtain hanging over a doorway. Collin must have been here before because he seemed to know where he was going, heading for a room in the far back corner. He maneuvered through a maze of odds and ends in the storage room, then opened a closed door without knocking.

This room was better lit, but not by much. Tables lined the walls, covered with multiple electronic parts and pieces. An obese man who appeared to be in his forties sat at one of the tables, turning a tiny screwdriver inside the torn-apart computer in front of him.

The guy looked up, saw Collin, then turned his gaze to me, staring at my face, then sliding down to my legs and lingering there. I was used to guys checking out my legs, especially since I wore a lot of skirts, but this guy creeped me out.

“What can I do for you, Dailey?” he asked, but kept his gaze on me.

“I’ve got something to sell, Marino.”

Marino turned back to his computer. “I’m not sure you have anything I’m interested in. Not after our last deal.”

Collin pulled a candlestick from the bag and set it on the table next to the computer.

Marino lifted an eyebrow. “Where’d you get it?”

“A guy down in—”

Shaking his head in annoyance, Marino waved to the door. “Never mind. Get out.”

I took a step toward him. “They’re mine.”

Collin cursed under his breath.

Marino spun his office chair around to face me, crossing his arms over his gut. His eyes widened in amusement. “Yours?”

“Why do you think I’m here with Dailey? He’s helping me.”

Marino’s belly laugh filled the room. “Helping you? Sweetheart, Collin Dailey doesn’t help anyone unless it helps
him
.”

I tilted my head and gave him a saucy look. “I’m not stupid. I figured that out less than five minutes after I met him.” Fear set my nerve endings on edge, but my hand didn’t tingle. I suspected this guy might be dangerous, but he was a human threat, not supernatural.

Marino laughed again. “I like you. You’ve got spunk.
You
I’ll work with.” He picked up the ornately detailed silver piece and spun it in his hand, examining every square inch. “How many you got?”

“Two.”

“And how much do you want for the pair?”

Collin tensed next to me. He really didn’t think I knew what I was doing.

“Twenty-five hundred.”

Marino looked up. “Twenty-five hundred? Are you insane?”

“I’m hanging out with Collin.” I waved toward him. “What do you think?”

Marino laughed again, bracing his hands on his legs. “Now I
really
like you. I’ll give you one thousand.”

“Two thousand and not a penny less. If you don’t want them, I have a guy in Kill Devil Hills who does.”

Marino leaned back in his chair and rested his hand on the table, studying me. I really didn’t like the way his eyes lingered. “Mikey? He won’t pay you more than eight hundred.”

I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug and gave him the barest hint of a smile. “I’ll take my chances.” I moved toward the table with an outstretched arm.

“Eighteen hundred. Final offer.”

I paused for a second. “Deal.”

Marino heaved out of his chair, huffing as he moved toward a safe in the corner that I hadn’t noticed earlier. He opened it, counted a small stack of hundred dollar bills, then handed them to me.

I moved to take the cash, but he held the bundle tight. Marino narrowed his eyes at Collin. “You can leave.”

Collin tensed. “Sorry, I’m not going anywhere without the lady.”

“
Lady
?” Marino chuckled, eyeing me again. “I’ll give you that considering your usual acquaintances. It makes me all the more intrigued. Give us twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes? I didn’t even want to consider what Marino wanted to do for twenty minutes. My skin crawled being this close to him.

Collin grabbed the candlestick. “Ellie, let’s go.”

I needed the money. How else would I get the cup back? “Mr. Marino, I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding here.”

“The only misunderstanding is Collin’s refusal to do as I say.”

I released my hold on the cash. “Collin has nothing to do with any of this. These are my candlesticks, and it’s my transaction. Either you buy them or you don’t, but that’s the only
exchange
going on today.”

He sighed and his forehead wrinkled as he considered my words. “Five minutes.”

I hesitated.

“Ellie,” Collin growled.

I lifted my chin. “Two.” What could happen in two minutes?

“
Ellie
!”

Marino smiled. “Deal. If you like, I’ll give you the cash now.”

I snatched the money from his hand before I changed my mind. Marino laughed as I spun around and handed it to Collin while jerking the candlestick out of his tight hold.

Anger radiated off of him. “What the hell are you doing—have you lost your mind?” he hissed as he leaned close. “Marino is not a guy you can fuck with.”

The gravity of what I had just agreed to hit me full force, but we needed the cash. “I have no intention of fucking him,” I whispered. “Look, I’m not as innocent as you seem to think. I can handle this.” I forced a confidence I didn’t feel into my words.

Collin gritted his teeth and turned to Marino, the veins on his neck bulging. “I’m waiting for her outside this door, and if I get the slightest inclination she doesn’t want to be here, I’m coming in to get her.”

Marino laughed and waved his hand to the door. “The time starts as soon as you leave.”

Collin stood with his hand on the doorknob, searching my face.

Go
I mouthed, my back still to Marino.

Collin stormed out and slammed the door shut behind him, and the force caused a faded picture with dogs playing poker to shake against the wall.

I spun around, my heart hammering a staccato of fear. “My two minutes starts now.”

“No need to worry, Ellie. I only want to talk. I’m curious.”

Talking was good. I could do talking. “About what?”

“What is Collin Dailey’s interest in you?”

“It’s a family thing.”

“You’re related then? You’re not together?”

“Not exactly.”

“Not exactly to which question?”

“Both.”

He grinned and moved closer. “You’re telling me that you’re not fucking Dailey?”

I flinched. “That’s a rude way to put it.”

“Ellie, Collin only fucks women. He never gets into a relationship with them, and he sure as hell never loves them. So why is he so protective of you?”

None of what Marino said surprised me, but his bluntness caught me off guard. “I told you. It’s a family thing. He feels obligated.”

Marino shook his head. “The only person Collin Dailey feels obligated to is Collin Dailey. If he’s not fucking you, and he’s keeping you with him, then you must have something he considers valuable.”

While that was true, I was sure Marino would never guess what Collin really wanted, and I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

“One minute,” Collin shouted through the door.

Marino turned his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. “Fascinating.” Excitement filled his eyes.

My breath hung in my throat. “What?”

“The man outside that door is not behaving like the man I know. Why?”

“I have no idea. He’s only helping me sell my candlesticks.”

He laughed. “You’re a liar. A good one, but Collin gives you away. If he wants you so badly, that makes you incredibly desirable.” He reached his hand to my cheek and slid it down to my throat.

I took a step backward. “You think he loves me?”

He laughed again. “Hell no. I told you Collin doesn’t love women. He’s only capable of loving himself, but you have something that he’ll risk his own life for, and that, my darling, is intriguing. I want to know what it is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dropping his hand, he studied me again. “I think you do. This is about the Ricardo deal, isn’t it?”

My eyes widened in surprise. What was he talking about?

Marino’s grin spread across his face. “I knew it.”

The door burst open and Collin filled the doorway. “Time’s up. Let’s go, Ellie.”

I turned around, and Marino moved next to me, blocking my path with his arm. “I want her. I’ll pay you for her.”

“
Excuse me
?” I said.

Collin’s face paled. “She’s not for sale.”

“Five thousand.”

“I said she’s not for sale.”

“You can’t do that!” I shouted, indignant. “You can’t sell people!” But I knew that it could be done. Human trafficking was all too real. Who the hell was Collin mixed up with?

Both men ignored me, caught in their own standoff.

Marino plastered a smile on his face and held out his hands. “I’ll forgive your debt on that rat trap you call a boat.”

Collin’s expression weakened.

Marino grinned. “And I’ll throw in ten thousand.”

Collin paused. “What about my map?”

My eyes bulged in disbelief. “What the
hell
are you doing, Collin?”

Marino waved a hand. “Fine, you can have the map too.”

I’m going to vomit.
Nausea swept over me, and I couldn’t move. Collin was considering Marino’s offer. He was going to sell me.

“Why do you want her so much?” Collin asked.

“Because
you
do.”

Collin looked at the wall, his face expressionless. “She gave you her two minutes. We had a deal and we’ve met our end. You’re a son of a bitch, Marino, but at least you’re known for being a man of your word. Are you going to change that now?
Over her
?” He said the last words with contempt. “I can assure you that she’s not worth it. She’s one of the worst fucks I’ve ever had, and you and I both know I’ve had more than I can count.”

Marino turned to me, lowering his voice. “Every word of protest only makes me want her more.” He lifted the back of his hand to my cheek and I smacked it away. He chuckled. “But you’re right. I am a man of my word.”

Collin kept his gaze on Marino, his chin lifted. “Ellie, let’s go.”

I stepped toward him, lightheaded and shaky, but I forced myself to keep it together and clenched my hands into fists at my sides.

Marino sat in his chair, grunting as he landed. “This isn’t over, Collin. We’ll visit this again.”

“And she’ll be history by then.”

“Then bring her to me when you’re done, and perhaps we’ll forget all of this ugliness.”

I moved into the storage room, and Collin fell in step behind me, leaning into my ear. “Keep going and don’t stop until you get out the front door. Here.” He put a set of keys in my hand. “You need to go.”

Whipping my head around, my mouth dropped open. “Where are
you
going?”

“I’ve got something to take care of.”

I stopped, but Collin stood behind me and pushed me to the door. “What? The map you were going to sell me for?”

“We don’t have time for this, Ellie. Will you just do what I ask?”

“No.”

Collin opened the door to the parking lot and dragged me outside. “
For God’s sake, Ellie
.”

I jerked out of his grasp. “One of the worst fucks you’ve ever had?
Are you kidding me
?” I knew standing there yelling at him was stupid. Dangerous even. I needed to get the hell out of there. But anger gave me power and fear made me helpless, so I was hanging onto my anger.

His face reddened. “Get in the truck.”

“No.”

The veins on his neck and temple throbbed. Collin looked like he was about to have a stroke. “
I swear to God, Ellie
, I will tie you up and gag you if you don’t get in the truck
right now
.”

He was serious. He would really do it.

When he saw the hesitation on my face, he pushed me toward the driver’s door.

I shouted in frustration and pounded my hand on the door panel.

He shoved me inside, climbed in next to me, then wrenched the keys from my grip and drove a block away, pulling into the parking lot of a car wash. “Drive two blocks south, then three blocks east to the Buxton Police Department. Park out front and wait for me. You’ll be safe. Marino wouldn’t dare touch you there.”

“We need to discuss the fact that you considered selling me.”

He stopped again and cocked his head. “You seriously can’t think I considered selling you to Marino.”

I glared. “It sure looked like it to me when you were bargaining with him.”

“Are you really that stupid? I need you. As much as it pains me to admit.”

“Then I’m not leaving. I’m going with you, Collin.”

“The hell you are.”

I was more scared than I’d ever been in my life, even more so than last night, and the last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere near that horrible man’s business. But I also knew I couldn’t be alone. I was sticking with Collin whether he liked it or not. “If you don’t take me with you, I’ll just follow you.”

He pounded his fist into the steering wheel. “Son of a bitch. You are the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever met.”

“I’ve made two of your top lists. Yay, me. I’m going.”

“I’m not saving your ass next time.”

“Yeah, I love you too. Let’s go.”

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE