The Vampire of Tinkerfall (Elysium #3)

~Nine: Part II~

The sun was just beginning to rise when Gin's eyes flew open. She could barely hide her smile as she scrambled to her feet and raced through the slums. She darted across the streets and wove her way around night flowers and drunks stumbling over snowbanks.

There was already a crowd waiting for the steam engine at the station. She ignored the locals and instead searched for any out-of-towners. None. Blast. She'd have to stick around for the engine to drop off a new slew of folks.

Luckily, it didn't take long. As the steam engine rolled in, the people lingering outside the station climbed into the cars while a wave of passengers came streaming out. She scanned each and every one of them, quickly registering any familiar faces and promptly ignoring them. For each stranger, though, she checked to see if they had a newspaper in their hand.

Three. There were three papers. Two clutched in the hands of gentlemen who looked to be of good breeding and another stuffed in the back pocket of a young woman who was hauling a bag of goods over her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Gin went for the young woman. It took her only a few seconds to lift the paper from the woman's pocket and stuff it into her own coat. Next, she set her sights on the gentleman whose paper was tucked under his arm. Pulling her hat over her eyes, she broke into a run and crashed directly into his long legs. In an attempt to steady himself, he dropped his paper only inches from her feet.

"Watch it, you little street rat," he growled, dusting off his coat.

"Sorry, mister," she replied, snatching up the paper and running off to find the second gentleman.

Fortunately, he'd been stalled by a night flower who was playfully running a finger up and down his chest. She stood on her toes to whisper something to him, and based on how red his ears and neck got, it must've been awfully randy. Her hand trailed down his chest again, but this time it went further. The gentleman dropped his paper, and Gin swooped in to grab it, quickly taking her leave to avoid seeing what exactly the night flower was doing.

With all three newspapers in her possession, Gin ran back to St. Spittel. A warm glow spread through her chest when Booker Larkin's house came into view. Picking up speed, she practically crashed into the front door as she stumbled up the stairs. She paused to straighten her coat and hair. Then, letting out a long breath, she rang the bell.

After a moment, the door swung open. She couldn't keep a delighted grin from her face at seeing the odd doctor standing before her, especially when he was sporting a pleased smile of his own.

"Ah, Gin, my dear," he said, leaning against the doorjamb. "Fancy seeing you here so early in the morning."

"Prime hours for pick-pocketing," she replied, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

He chuckled softly, and she thought it was the best sound in the world. "What can I do for you today?" he asked.

"More like what can I do for you?" She pulled the three papers from her coat and handed them over to him. "Snatched 'em up fresh this morning."

He raised his eyebrows as he glanced down at the papers. "Didn't the steam engine just come in?"

She nodded. "Yep. A few minutes ago."

His eyes flickered to her, and he gave another soft laugh. "You are something else," he said as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. "Excellent work, my dear."

Accepting the money, she stuffed it into her coat and casually examined her dirty fingernails. "It was nothing, really. They didn't know what hit 'em."

"I have no doubt."