He looked smug and annoyed, expecting that to end it.
Then, the same voice again. “Twenty-two.”
Lai growled as he turned to see the offending bidder. I followed his glare, spotting an older man smirking at us from beneath a backward baseball cap and a handlebar mustache. He gave us a look of disgust that wasn’tuncommon in Texas, mouthing an obvious slur at Lai, who was dressed like he was attending an opera and not a police auction. Lai was a stark contrast among stained shirts and faded caps. His red suit was tailor-made, with a matching mirror-polished shine on his shoes. Lai’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the cold settle behind his eyes.
He raised his paddle.
“Twenty-three to the gentleman in red,” the auctioneer called.
The man behind us started to lift his arm again; he didn’t get to complete his bid. I saw a tiny flicker of silver, no bigger than a pin needle, launched with a small, precise motion from Lai’s hand. The man slumped slightly, his arm falling limp at his side. Lai sat perfectly still, watching the front as if nothing had happened.
“Twenty-three going once!”
I held my breath, my pulse hammering.
“Going twice!”
I turned around, glaring at anyone who would dare even to consider placing a bid at this point.
“Sold!”
Relief flooded through me. I elbowed Lai lightly, unable to hide my grin.
He didn’t look happy. Not even close.
“I owe you,” I murmured.
“Yeah, you fucking do,” Lai hissed at me, venomous. “You’re going to pay back every last cent, Al. I’m not gifting you a twenty-three thousand dollar car out of the goodness of my heart.”
I wasn’t going to push back on that. It was way too much money to joke about; almost a quarter of my entire annual salary.
“Holly will pass this year with flying colors,” I swore, reminding him of what was truly important. Twenty-threethousand stung, but knowing his daughter would move on to the next year despite her academic track record would soothe him a little bit.
Lai slowly leaned back, eyes closed, ignoring the enormous grin on my face, so wide it made my cheeks ache.
Fox was coming home.
***
I was worried that Lai might back out of the auction with his budget blown, but no; we sat and waited, watching for the moment when the Dodge Challenger was driven slowly up onto the stage.
Thankfully, by the time his lot came up, Lai had relaxed a little. A few Japanese imports had sold cheaply, and a couple of European cars had slipped under the hammer for well below market value. Lai’s posture eased, and for a moment, I even saw optimism creep into his expression.
That hope was quickly shattered, though, when the opening bid dropped.
Sixty thousand.
Lai’s hand landed on my knee like a triggered bear trap, his nails sinking into my skin. I kept my composure.
“He won’t lose his value,” I promised, lying to Lai’s face. There was a serious risk that the value of the Challenger would plummet the moment Lai got behind the wheel. Hell, by the time he got to the manor, the car might be a complete write-off.
Sixty-five thousand.
Seventy.
I sighed in dismay. There was no way Lai was going to bid now. I didn’t know how I could explain to Fox that the Challenger was just far too expensive for a man who refused to drive, that we couldn’t afford to save his friend.
“We don’t have to stay,” I murmured to Lai under my breath, moving to stand as his grip loosened off my leg. He didn’t follow; instead, he raised his paddle.
