Page 22 of Graveyards & Greed

“Hey, Sylvie. This one shouldn’t be too bad. He died of a heart attack in bed, and his wife found him less than an hour later. He was a spry eighty-seven.”

“Not a bad way to go.”

We loaded the body bag onto my gurney together, then Hank took off, and I wheeled him into the prep room. After turning on my current favorite playlist and putting on protective gear, I unzipped the body bag to see what I was working with. The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” wafted out of the speakers as my eyes snagged on something perched on the dead man’s chest. It looked like a package wrapped in brown paper with twine and… a sucker on top?

Annoyed admiration swirled through me, and I knew right away the package was from Drakos. But how had he gotten it inside the body bag? I hesitated before picking it up, worried about what I’d find after sending Drakos a human hand.

My curiosity won out, and before losing my nerve, I plucked the package from its macabre resting place. It appeared harmless—except it’d been delivered with a corpse. I set the package on the counter, threw the sucker away, and tore the paper to reveal a polished, oblong wooden box. The hinges creaked when I opened it, and a musty cedar scent greeted me. I drew in a breath and stared down at the slightly tarnished, antique embalming pump nestled in brittle black satin.

The old mortician instrument looked like an oversized metal syringe, and the cylinder had been engraved with Gothic embellishments. Damn it, who knew the man could be so thoughtful?

I traced the metal etchings with my fingertip and settled the instrument back in its case. To anyone else, it might seem weird or strange, but for me it was the perfect gift. A reluctant half-smile played on my lips, and I shook my head.

“Beware the Greeks bearing gifts,” I muttered. Anger still burned in my gut, but I couldn’t help it—I loved it. Setting the box aside, I turned back to the body.

The beautiful embalming pump was the only reason I didn’t throw Drakos and Roman out on their asses when they casually showed up at poker brunch that Sunday afternoon. Morning light filtered through the modern stained glass windows as Alexa and I prepped the parlor that morning, breathing life into a place that usually only saw death and sorrow. The monthly Sunday poker brunch at the mortuary had started as a marketing tool, but over the years, it had evolved into a neighborhood tradition.

A few minutes later, Luna walked in with her new bodyguard who didn’t like me much, my last name being Spade and all. Ezra met her at the door and gave her a big hug. I knew he worried about her. My gaze fell to the eternity collar around her neck with a GPS tracker attached, courtesy of Roman's paranoia and possessiveness. I shook my head.

“That sneaky little bastard,” I muttered.

Alexa stared at the collar. “I wonder if Luna knows what it means.”

Not long after Luna arrived, I looked up to see Roman and Drakos stride in. Drakos wore tailored dress pants that hugged his tight ass perfectly and a custom-made dress shirt that showed off his lean, muscular build. Roman stopped to talk with Luna’s bodyguard, and Drakos zeroed in on me.

When he first walked over, I ignored him, but he grinned and took my hands, turning my body toward his. “Hello, Lollipop. You look delicious this morning.” He eyed my legs.

I pulled my hands back and glanced around to see if anyone was watching us. Thank God my cousins hadn’t shown up yet. “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”

His lips twitched and he folded his arms. “And there it is.”

“What do you mean?”

His eyebrow lifted. “You usually call me some variation of Satan. It’s an interesting endearment to use on a lover.”

I choked. “You’renotmy lover.”

“Not yet,” he leaned in and murmured.

When he got this close, I could see the flecks in his beautiful, ruinous blue eyes. He was temptation and sin rolled into one beautiful package.

“Back off, Lucifer.” His lip twitched and he raised an eyebrow.

I glanced around again, wondering what Ezra thought of Drakos standing so close to me. “Thank you for the gift. I loved it,” I rushed out. “Despite the alarming way you sent it.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. Luna mentioned you play chess, and I’m indifferent to poker. Care for a game?”

Drakos played chess? My interest peaked even as I wondered if he was any good. “As you can see, I’m busy hosting. Would you like something to eat or drink? Maybe black coffee, like your soul?”

He smirked. “Interesting analogy about the state of my soul, but I do, in fact, like cream with my coffee.” The way he said cream made me think he wasn’t talking about a dairy product, and my pussy spasmed. “Do you have a chess set handy?”

Ezra kept a set in his office, and over the years, we’d spent hours hunched over it, laughing and playing.

I stared up at him and crossed my arms. “As much as I’d love to play with you…. Okay, let me rephrase that, as much as I’d love to beat you, I can’t. My cousins will be here any minute, and they can’t see us together.” I glanced at Ezra again, who stood talking with an older couple, but his eyes were on me.

“Your cousins don’t worry me, Killer. I’ll take a rain check then—unless you’re too scared you’ll lose.”

My eyes narrowed. “Fine. Onegame.”

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