“Discount, my ass,” he scoffs. “That’s still well over market value. Besides, do you really think you’re going to be able to move that much product at these prices? You’ll end the day trying to find a way to unload the rest after wasting ten hours of your life formaybetwo hundred bucks if you’re lucky. The profit from that won't even cover your table fee. And you can make damn sure that when we walk away, I’ll be warning everyone in this place to steer clear of your table and the knock-off product you’re trying to scam them with.”
Stryker discreetly shoots me a wink. “What do you think,sweetheart?Wouldn’t the suppliers you work with be interestedto hear about what kind of business this man is running before he reaches out trying to offload the inventory he can’t move?”
I have to bite my cheek to keep from smiling and pull out my cracked phone, scrolling through my contacts and hovering my thumb over the biggest apothecary within a hundred miles. Jax, the earth mage that clued me in about the expo in the first place, runs it with his sister. And Valeria? Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to get on that woman’s bad side. She could have a full-grown man sobbing on his knees in five seconds flat and wouldstillburn his house down to make a point.
You don’t fuck over Valeria Storm.
“You know, I think you’re right. I was planning on lunch with Valeria later this week, but I think she’ll still be at Stormbringers. I could catch her before she heads home for the day to fill her in.”
The vendor’s eyes widen as he catches on. “Hold on now, I think we can work something out. Twelve hundred for the lot.”
“Eight,” Stryker counters, arms crossed and eyebrow quirked. “For wasting our time.”
Lips pressed into a thin line, red creeps up his neck. So I go ahead and pretend to hit call. Seeing as my phone is too jacked up to actually work, I give it a few seconds before I chirp, “Hey Jax! Ria around?”
“Fine!” he hisses, seething, but there’s enough fear in his eyes that I almost feel bad for lying to the guy.
I’ve never even spoken to Jax’s sister.
Pretending to hang up, I tuck my phone away as reality hits what it actually means to win, too caught up in the fight until now. I don’t have that kind of money, I was only here to get whatever I could for thirty-five dollars. But before I can ‘let the guy off easy,’ Stryker is pulling out his wallet and paying the scalper, gathering up all the bags of valerian root.Who the hell carries that much cash on them these days?
Someone that would break the hand of any thief that had the audacity to try and rob him without breaking a sweat.
Stryker breaks me out of my appreciative thoughts with a hand on my lower back, guiding me away from the vendor. “I’m half-tempted to slash his tires.”
“If you’re looking for the voice of reason, you came to the wrong place. I’m very much teamfuck around and find out.” I glance at the bags on his arms, relief settling over my shoulders alongside a heaping pile of guilty gratitude. With all that? I’ll have enough to keep my sphinx mellowed out for months.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “Seriously, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Are you kidding me? Even if you didn’t need this stuff, I’d have taken it out of spite. Couldn’t let that asshole win.”
“I mean, he did still walk away with your money and sold out so he can leave early. Not much of a loss in his book.”
His stormy grey eyes gleam. “It will be once he finds out the bills were fake.”
I balk before bursting out laughing. “Why the hell are you walking around with a stack of counterfeit cash? Is this one of those cases where you’re ‘poor’ rich until you get your trust fund, sort of deals?”
He chuckles. “Not exactly. Growing up, it was always drilled into me to keep some fake cash in my wallet because muggers are less likely to shoot you if they walk away with something. I’m not actually worried about it, but because of what happened to my brother, it helps my mom sleep easier knowing that I take some precautions. And turns out she was right. Itdidcome in handy.”
A sudden pang of loss has me rubbing the heel of my hand over my chest. I don’t begrudge him having loving parents, but that doesn’t keep me from wishing I still did too.
“Do you want me to throw that stuff in the car? Or you can and I’ll wait for you in the skin and coat section. I'm curious if anything new has come out that might help Polo’s fur grow back faster.”
Stryker looks at me curiously. “Remember what you told me about your friend’s mates not wanting her to come here even with them because it put her at risk?”
“Yeah?”
“So you want to explain to me why you think it’s safe foryouto wander around alone?” he demands.
“Because while I adore Ever, she grew up human and is still figuring out what she’s capable of. I’ve used my abilities my entire life, and the one that shall not be named in public makes me more of a threat than you give me credit for. It’s why mysts tell stories about us to scare their children into behaving. Trust me, Stryker. I’m an expert at being alone.”
“Well I’m an expert of ‘I think the fuck not.’ So either we’re walking to the truck together, or I’m throwing your ass over my shoulder and walking there for both of us.”
Heat suffuses my cheeks, and I’m tempted to call his bluff, but ultimately fall into step beside him. We drop off the bags in the trunk, make a quick detour when we see the asshole vendor making trips out to his car to let the air out of one of his tires, and return to the convention. Like he’s determined to drive the point home, Stryker is with me every step of the way. If something catches my eye and I start to wander off? He’s there two seconds later with a hand on my lower back, muttering under his breath about grabbing one of these leashes.
Am I into that?
No.
