Viv tried her best to project confidence.
Lack continued, “I’m here to impress on you that I’m serious. That wedoexpect collection at the end of the month. And to reiterate that while I would prefer to count this as a success, a failure of… civility… will be more to your disadvantage than ours.”
Viv clenched her fists at her sides. “Might be more of a disadvantage for you than you expect.”
Lack sighed in an aggrieved way. “Look, there’s no denying you’reveryphysically capable. That’s clear. But you have a business. You have employees. You’re doingwell. Would you really want to throw all that away on some sort of misguided principle? The world is full of taxes and allowances and concessions that keep things movingforward. This is just another one of those.”
“Hate to see the place burn to the ground,” said Kellin, with an extremely punchable grin on his face.
Lack’s motion was liquid and savage as he snagged Kellin’s lapel and yanked him close to his face. “Shutup, you insufferableshitweasel,” he snarled.
From the speed of that motion, Viv instantly knew that she’d misjudged Lack’s quality as a threat.
Kellin stumbled away, mouth gaping, chastened.
Lack straightened his overcoat and replaced his hat on his head. “Another week,” he said. “I look forward to atrouble-freerelationship in the future.” He nodded to Viv, and then to Tandri. “Apologies, miss.”
And then they left.
* * *
Viv was straighteningup from her pack with the Blink Stone in hand when Tandri found her in the loft.
“Are you all right?” asked Tandri.
Viv was touched, swiftly followed by a guilty realization of who had been most threatened by the men in the street. How could she have failed to ask how Tandri felt? It was too late now, though.
“Fine.” She winced at the shortness of her answer. “Just thinking about my options.” She stared at the Blink Stone in her palm. The succubus glanced curiously at it, but Viv didn’t offer to explain.
Tandri swept her gaze over the barren room, empty except for Viv’s bedroll, her pack, and some leftover construction materials stacked neatly in the corner.
“This is where you sleep?”
“I’m used to less,” said Viv, suddenly embarrassed.
Tandri was quiet for a long moment.
“You know, you’ve built something pretty wonderful. Something special.” She held Viv’s gaze. “And I know you’re remaking your life. I can relate. I know what that feels like and what it means to want that.” She gestured around the empty room. “But that down there is not yourwholelife. What you do with the rest of the time is at least as important. For someone who reads a lot, you don’t even have any books.”
Maybe Viv had neglected a few pleasures. That was hard to argue with, but she tried anyway. “I don’t really need anything else, though. I could feel it today. It wasenough. And I don’t mean to lose it.”
“Isit enough, though?” Tandri frowned and looked down. “What they want to take from you… the reason it’s so… untenable. It’s because they’d be taking everything you have. I’m just saying that… maybe, if you treated the rest of your life the same way you do the shop—invested in it the same way—then the cost would seem less.”
Viv didn’t know what to say to that.
“Whatever happens,” said Tandri. “I think maybe you should pay a little attention tothisroom.” Her smile was wan. “At least get a damn bed.”
* * *
Viv waiteduntil she heard Tandri close the shop door behind her. When she entered the kitchen a short while later, the only sound was the thrum of the stove.
She opened the firebox door and stood for a long time, staring into the flames.
Viv glanced at Blackblood, freshly garlanded.
Then she tossed the Blink Stone in, closed the stove, and climbed the ladder to try—and fail—to find sleep in her cold bedroll.
16
