After Asia’s appalling news, I stormed out of Moonglow. Dutch’s store was only a few streets over—I’d driven by it the other night on my way home. How could he have gone behind my back and done something so cutthroat? It was one thing to offer a distributor a better deal, but it was something else to bribe them not to do business with me.
Or maybe he hoped I’d outbid him, which would lower my profits.
I’d heard stories about unscrupulous tactics used to drive others out of business, but I never thought it would happen to us. This was something I’d only imagined happening on TV and not in real life.
The late-afternoon sun filtered through the trees along the sidewalk, but the light wasn’t responsible for the hot tears welling in my eyes. Every step I took fueled my anger. This was not only about protecting my business but also my family, by whatever means necessary. Every new opportunity was a stepping-stone toward our future, and because we were new, it wouldn’t take much to jeopardize our finances.
When I reached his store, I yanked the door open and marched inside. Dutch didn’t have a charming bell on the door that jingled, and it was dim inside due to the tinted windows. Glass jewelry counters ran along all walls of the store with the middle area open.
I spied him to my left, helping a customer, and slammed my store keys on the counter to draw his attention. “Howcouldyou?”
Dutch looked up before smiling at an older lady in a midnight-blue dress. “If you’ll excuse me for one moment.”
He veered toward the back of the store, and when I realized he was heading for the door to a private room, I jogged after him.
“You can’t dodge me! I’ll climb over this counter if I have to.”
He gave me a baleful look over his shoulder before turning on his heel. When he reached the counter, he placed his palms on it. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Besides deception?”
“I’ll just come back another day,” the woman said, jingling her car keys.
“That’s ten thousand dollars walking out the door,” he informed me. “Whatever this is, it better be worth it.”
I glared at the sparkling diamonds in the display. “I thought someone who ran a prestigious store like this would know about ethics. I’ve worked so hard—you have no idea. Why are you doing this to me?”
“Is this about the note?”
“First you come into my store to spy on me, and then you pretend to be my friend so you can get inside information. You didn’t even care about the feathers; you just wanted to take away a piece of my business. I bet if Shikoba dealt with people outside the tribes, you would have bribed him too.”
“Bribe? You’ve gone mad.”
“No, Iammad. And if the Council’s not going to do anything about it,Iwill.”
“Are you threatening me?”
I laughed. “That’s a funny thing to say, considering you’re the one who’s harassing me.”
His eyes flicked over to the other customers in the store. “Keep your voice down.”
“You don’t want your customers knowing you’re a crook? We don’t even sell the same kind of merchandise. Just because someone spends money in my shop doesn’t mean they’re going to stop coming into yours.”
Dutch folded his arms. “Look, whatever you’re talking about, I’m not involved. You’re just going to have to take my word at face value.”
“I’m not letting you run me out of business. Just because I don’t have a Packmaster doesn’t mean you can push me around and get away with it. And for your information, it’s not going to work.”
“Hold your tongue,” he said in a caged voice. “Need I remind you about the slander laws? If you ruin my reputation by causing a scene in my place of business, I’ll take it to the Council, andthatmight cost you your store.”
“How many people can you afford to paynotto do business with me? You underestimate my ambition.”
Dutch held up his hand. “That’ll do. I need you to leave the premises.”
“This isn’t over,” I hissed.
Though I had a million things I wanted to say, all I could do was leave. The fact that Dutch could raise slander charges infuriated me. The Council rarely got involved with business dealings; those matters were handled by the shopkeepers since so many different Breeds were involved. We had no courthouses or judges to impose fines. If I had lived in a pack, the Packmaster would handle something of this magnitude.
But I didn’t, so all I could do was flee.
