Page 52 of One for the Money

“All clear,” Bear said when we met up again.

“Same for us,” Erik answered. “If you plan to check out the box, keep your eyes trained on the ground. This is the perfect setup for landmines or other hidden explosives. Look for any dirt that’s not compacted and give it a wide berth.”

I raised a brow, giving Erik an appraising look from boot to beard. He frowned, giving me a questioning look. “You good?” he asked.

“Yup, just had a new kink unlocked,” I shared.

Erik and Bear exchanged a look as if they hoped the other knew what I was talking about.

“What?” I shrugged. “How would I know hearing you talk about hidden explosives would make me want you to check if my ground’s compacted or not?”

Bear groaned loudly and rubbed a hand over his face before fixating me with a stern look. “There is no way in hell I will let you bury landmines in the ground to spice up your sex life.”

Having nothing further to say on the subject, Bear started toward the golden box. Offended, I scoffed and charged after him. No longer caring to be quiet, I let him have a piece of my mind. “Who the hell says you get to make that call? I can hide landmines wherever I want to.”

Erik trailed after us, shaking his head and chuckling.

Bear halted when I caught up to him so he could face me, hands flying a million miles a second. “I can make that call because one of us needs to value your fucking life. Goddammit, Von, I love your twisted, fucked-up mind, but everyone has a line they shouldn’t cross, and since you refuse to understand that, then I’m forced to keep you in check.”

My lower lip popped out at his scolding before I could stop it. I hated it when he reminded me that I’d lost the ability to see value in protecting my life. It was so hard for me to accept that there could be worse things than what I suffered at the hands of that bastard who made me call him Master.

“He’s got a point, little siren,” Erik interjected. “You do realize you’re fucking pouting about the fact he won’t let you create a minefield to have sex in, right? Pretty sure no matter who you are, that alone would land you in a padded room.”

“Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a little silly,” I muttered. “What if I made them fake landmines, but I didn’t tell you guys they weren’t real? Then everyone is safe, but the danger is still there?”

“No,” Bear stated.

“Yeah… gonna be a no for me, dog,” Erik answered. At least he pretended to think about it.

Clearly, I wasn’t going to get the response I wanted out of these two, so I let the matter drop. Maybe there was someone else out there who might find my idea an adrenaline rush instead of a death wish? Then again, if Bear found out about it, then whoever I slept with would end up dead regardless. I guess I’ll need to put a pin in that idea and come back to it.

“Whatever, I’m gonna open the shiny box now,” I decided, dropping to a knee before it.

Now that I saw it up close, the box was rectangular in shape, wasn’t that deep, and had two latches holding it closed. On the lid was an etching of a wolf howling, surrounded by the deadly flower known as bleeding hearts. The level of detail was stunning, but I was more amazed by the choice of flower. Not many people knew of it, and fewer still considered it their favorite flower like I did. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to personalize this.

Undoing the latches, I felt around the edges to make sure there wasn’t a tripwire, but I was pretty confident there wouldn’t be. To go to such lengths just to blow it all the fuck up didn’t make sense. I slowly lifted the lid and gasped, flinging the lid the rest of the way open. Reaching in, I let my fingers brush over the dark polished wood and gold before lifting it out of the case.

“Is that a fucking gold-plated machine gun?” Erik asked in disbelief.

“Yes, it sure goddamn is.” I sighed, watching the sun shimmer over the golden surface. “It’s a replica of my favorite vintage style too. See the stock, the part you put up to your shoulder, it can fold up to make it more compact. Then it swings back into place, giving you more stability and accuracy.”

“But why is it made out of gold?” Erik pressed, then reached down to pluck a red envelope out of the case. “Here’s another clue or maybe an explanation.”

I didn’t want to put the gun down, but I couldn’t hold it and open the clue. Begrudgingly, I placed it back in the case and took the paper Erik removed from the envelope. Bear loomed over me, casting a shadow, making it easier to read in the bright afternoon light.

Please accept this gift as a small token of my respect and admiration. There is no one I’d be more honored to be caught by than The Wolf herself. Ensure you take this gift with you. It will be needed to complete the next task.

Clue 2 of 4: Judge be nimble, Judge be quick, Judge jumped out of the ship.

Judge hid high, Judge hid low, Judge stopped hiding, now he’s yours.

-46.40343, 3.11021

Holy shit.

This couldn’t be possible.

There’s no way this could be true.