Mercy lit the alcohol and, after a few seconds, expertly extinguished it. “That’s supposed to bring out the flavor. I might have to rethink this idea before we burn the place down.”
Virgil slowly drank the shot while waggling his eyebrows at everyone.
Mercy shook her head. “That boy is crazy.”
“See? Piece of cake.” Virgil spread his arms over the back of the booth and coughed once into his shoulder. Then he sniffed. His face flushed a color that matched his shirt, and like a bullet, he shot out of his seat and grabbed a pitcher of beer from the next table. Virgil held the pitcher over his head, beer waterfalling into his mouth.
When it emptied, he belched and made an exasperated whine, eyes wide. We turned and watched him stumble across the bar, guzzling drinks and bathing himself in alcohol. Had he been in a wet T-shirt contest, he would have won in that pink half shirt.
Mercy collected the glass. “Anyone else want to get blacklisted by Calvin?”
I lost myself in Archer’s beautiful eyes, realizing the importance of this moment in which he was publicly announcing his feelings for me without words.
He flicked a gaze at Tak and held it, but I was too afraid to look at the Packmaster to see what his quiet opinion was on the matter. While no one cared who anyone dated, it was a little different with me living under their roof.
Technically I’m not living under their roof. Just adjacent to their roof.
“I have big news,” I said, breaking the silence.
Bear squeezed into the booth beside Melody, and Mercy took the chair next to ours.
“What is it?” Melody twirled her hair around her fingers, her green eyes lit with interest.
I cleared my throat. The burn was still there, and my tongue was numb. “There’s a guy in Austin who buys storage lockers at Breed auctions. He has a lot of miscellaneous inventory, including books. I scheduled a meeting with him to go through everything and make an offer. Mercy helped me with the math so I wouldn’t overpay. I still have to cover another month’s lease, so it’s important to turn a profit.”
Virgil strutted over, his shoulder-length hair slicked back and belly button showing from the shirt being so short. “What did I miss?”
Reclining her head to look at him, Mercy answered, “Cecilia secured a deal with one of those storage bidders.”
Virgil rested his arm on the seat behind Bear. “That’s a job I’d never want. Sometimes they find bodies in there. I once heard a story about a woman who used to stake her Vampire lovers and stuff them into a locker like Beanie Babies. They asked why she didn’t bury them, and she said she didn’t want to get her nails dirty.”
Bear rubbed his face with a look of annoyance.
“He owns a warehouse full of goods,” I went on. “Most of his money comes from collectibles and antiques that go to auction, but the rest, he sells in bulk. From the sound of it, hepulls out the books he deems collectible and gets rid of the rest. I have a feeling he doesn’t know what he has in his possession. And even better, there are boxes of mass-produced novels. He’ll sell those cheap, and they might be a wonderful addition to the store.”
“That’s great, Cici.” Archer stroked my back. “I didn’t know you were doing all that.”
“Well, I was afraid it might fall through. Who knows? Maybe if I make him happy with a good offer, he’ll deal with me exclusively. He said he sells all or nothing, so it’s an incredible opportunity. That means collectors haven’t picked things over, and there could be some treasures in there.”
“When is your meeting?” Tak inquired.
“Tomorrow. I’m going to hire a driver?—”
“Absolutely not.” Tak sipped his tea and set it down. “Archer will drive you. He’s been taking trips to Austin lately with Krys, so they know the way.”
I worried my lip and looked at Archer. “Would that be too much trouble?”
Archer’s eyebrows slanted down. “Let me think. You riding in the back seat for two hours in some random dude’s car or me giving you a safe ride. Hmm.”
I smiled at him.
“Just let me know when you’re leaving.” He patted my thigh.
Leaning against him, I said, “I have to be there by five. That’s when he closes up his warehouse.”
Archer’s expression fell. “You were going to drive home at night?”
“I was going to get a hotel room.”
