“I’m sure they are just fine. Our resources are just…unbeatable.”
He snorts. “What else do you have hidden around here? Stolen gems? Missing people? Oh my god, do you have the Ark of the Covenant here?”
“No, unfortunately, that isn’t for sale…or in a place where it can be stolen.” His mouth drops open, and I restrain a smile. “Come on, let me show you the libraries.”
“Plural?” he gasps as I bring him forward.
“Yes. Wylder is a fan of books. Old things, if you ask me. I prefer an audiobook. Especially the spicy ones.”
That makes him groan. “Blasphemy. Books aren’t old.”
“They are, especially some of the ones we have.”
“Don’t tell me you have, like, ancient scrolls? How much money do you have?”
“Probably too much.”
He gasps when I push open the double doors, and I watch as he steps inside. He’s quiet as he moves around the space, his fingers dragging across the shelves, stopping when he comes to an enclosed glass case. “Oh my god, youdohave ancient texts. Who the fuck are you?”
“The Buckinghams.”
“The Firm.”
His voice rasps that, as if he’s remembering where he is and what kind of danger could lurk in the corners of this house. Not that anyone would harm him, but still. It’s good for him to be careful.
To be wary of people. I know I can be trusted, but he should take care.
I can respect that.
“So, you’re really part of The Firm?”
I nod. “Yep. At your service.”
“For a price.”
I wink at him. “Butterfly, consider our services free of charge for you.”
He looks uncertain, and I hate it. I gently tug him into my side, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t think about that right now. I’m more than my family or The Firm.”
“Can you tell me how it works?” His head is cocked, and I sigh, not really wanting to talk about business right now, but I’ll give him anything he wants.
“You want to know how The Firm works?”
“Yep. Can you tell me that, or do I need to take a blood oath?” I snort a laugh, and he blushes. “I love your dimples,” he admits, and my heart thrums in my chest.
“Thanks, got them at birth.”
Ansel grins back at me, and I focus back on his question. “Well, The Firm has been around for ages. My father, unfortunately, handed it down to all of us.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I don’t mind it, but when I think about it too hard, I would have rather had a choice in the matter. But none of us did. We were required to take up the torch and carry on with tradition.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry. Would you rather have been an astronomer?”
I chuckle, loving that he remembers that. “That or joined the army. But it is what it is. Now I don’t know how to be anything else.”
Ansel moves forward, pulling a book from the shelf and thumbing through it.
