Page 91 of Fresh Old Bounties

Ah, but for me he might reveal his secrets because… And lose out on a beautiful relationship?

Extra information costs another 50%.

Friendships, apparently, came with a price tag. 25%.

40%.

Deal.

He named a price that made me choke on my saliva, then gave me an email address for the payment.

A third now, the rest when the extra information pans out, I wrote.

Flip that and we’re in business.

Half-half.

I got a thumbs up emoji.

“We have a deal,” I whispered to Dru. Then spent an hour setting up an online account unrelated to me or the shop to send the money from.

“I really hope I’m not getting scammed,” I said dourly as my money disappeared into the internet.

“Charge it to the fire dude next time he comes around.”

Excellent point. Hopefully by then I’d have access to Bagley’s secret account too.

Half an hour after that, I got a time and address. I grinned and showed it to Dru.

“We’re on.”

TWENTY-TWO

Setting up a trap proved to be the easiest thing in the world.

My anonymous dark magic delivery person gave me the address of a twenty-four-seven private PO box service, a box number, and time for the drop. After some deliberation with Ian and Dru, we’d agreed to leave the dark magic potion where it was instead of switching it—anonymous was an “I don’t look, I only deliver” kind of businessperson, so we didn’t know the contents—and catch the dark magic user in the act.

Now we just had to hope I hadn’t been conned.

Could I still use it as a business deduction if I got nothing in return?

Might as well call Crane and ask, since he was already charging me half a kidney. Talk about getting conned.

Ian, Dru, and I were squished in a small room marked “staff only,” spying on the rows of lockers through the cracked door. Ian had wanted Dru to remain outside with Shane and Alex, in the car watching the building, but I’d argued that if Preston happened to be the guilty party and showed up, she might take control of the car and run him over.

The building was a bit off the beaten path, but it being Friday night, the streets had enough people not to make it suspicious, and the room with the lockers saw brisk business. Tourists getting last-minute shopping deliveries, locals getting their mail and packages, and a couple of shady-looking people, which told me either there was more than one dark magic delivery person in Olmeda, or this was a common ground for illegal transactions, magical or not.

We had been waiting for about three hours, and I’d long given up my post by the door to sit on the carpeted floor, when Ian stiffened.

As he’d done every time he heard someone enter the room.

“Incoming,” Dru whispered.

As she’d done every time anyone came into view.

At first, Shane and Alex had given us a heads-up anytime someone suspicious entered the building, but they’d stopped a while back and would only notify us if one of our prime suspects approached.

I wished they had Key with them, since she wanted to be a bounty hunter and, according to Ian, sitting in cars watching buildings was the bulk of the job, but we’d agreed the situation might get out of hand and the fewer people at risk, the better.

---