Page 14 of Galen
“A bit much for a doll.”
“I can give it to you for twenty,” I said. “It’s been sitting on that shelf for a while collecting dust. I’d like to see it go to someone who’d appreciate it.”
Buttering up customers and making them think I was doing them a favor worked like a charm when I wanted to get rid of something. The man nodded and said they’d buy it. Whoever Jasmine was, I was thankful for her love of creepy dolls. I liked strange and unusual, but I drew the line at clowns.
After the couple paid for the doll and left, I walked around the shop, dusting some shelves and repositioning items to highlight new arrivals. Mondays were always kind of slow, so it gave me a lot of downtime.
My thoughts returned to the mountain of a man who’d broken in Saturday night. I liked to think I would’ve put up a good fight if he’d meant to hurt me, but the fact was, he could’ve easily crushed me like a bug. The ease with which he snatched the bat away from me and pinned me against the wall said as much.
Shit. Even as scared as I’d been, being pressed against the wall with the full force of his gray eyes on me, feeling his large warm body against mine… well, let’s just say I thought about that momenta lotbefore bed last night.
As for paying me five grand? I nearly passed the hell out when I checked my bank account the day before and saw the transaction. I never gave him my name or my account information. But the money appeared anyway.
Who was he?
Was Kyo right? Was the guy part of some crime ring that procured unique items for wealthy clients? If hewasa criminal, he seemed to be a decent one at least. He could’ve taken the ring and left without paying me a dime.
What’s even crazier? I didn’t report him to the police. When they showed up Saturday night, I apologized for “being mistaken” about the burglary and sent them on their way. Why did I do that? Because the guy was hot?
I must be out of my mind.
Then again, it had been months since I’d been laid. It was hardnotto think with my dick, especially around a man who practically screamed rough, forget-my-damn-name, amazing sex.
“Good afternoon,” I said, hearing the bell above the door jingle. I turned to see an auburn-haired man wearing a plain white tee with a black jacket on over it. What was it with attractive men suddenly finding my shop interesting? This guy was a damn knockout too. “Can I help you find anything?”
“You can, actually,” he said in a smooth, rich tone. When he came closer, a weird chill passed through me. I couldn’t explain why, but I wanted to run away from him. “I’m looking for an old, wooden box. It has symbols etched into the sides.”
My unease intensified.
“And a ring inside it?”
“Bingo.” His deep brown eyes appeared to darken even more. As he stopped a foot in front of me, a faint trace of woodsmoke reached my nose. “So I came to the right place.”
“Well.” I scratched at the back of my hair, feeling uneasy around him. “Ididhave the box. I don’t anymore.”
His smile fell. “You sold it?”
With my heart thrashing around, I tried to form a response but struggled. I recalled the man who’d taken the box. Comparing him to the man in front of me, they both exuded strength and badassery. Were they rival thieves? Bad guys who wanted to kill each other?
“Stolen,” I said, doing my best to keep the fear from my voice. I failed, by the way. “Someone broke in Saturday night and raided my storage room.”
“Did you see what they looked like?” he asked, coming closer.
“N-No.” My back bumped the shelf behind me as I stepped backward. For some reason, I didn’t want to tell this guy about the handsome thief. “I heard noise and called the cops. By the time they arrived, the person was gone. They took the box and a few other things. Probably a kid trying to make a quick buck.”
“You know…” The man put a hand on my shoulder and leaned down, his face inches from mine. “Liars always have a certain stench to them.” He brought his mouth close to my ear. “And you reek.”
My breath stuttered. “I… I don’t—”
“Tell me who took it.” He grabbed a tight fistful of my shirt and shoved me harder against the wall, hard enough to make my teeth rattle. His eyes looked pitch-black now. “Don’t play games with me, Simon Parks. You don’t want to make this harder on yourself. I have ways of making people talk that you’ll find highly unpleasant.”
“Are you going to go all Hulk on me?” I asked, turning to my smart-ass defense. I couldn’t help it. “Will I not like you when you’re angry?”
When the man smiled, chills shot down my spine. “Keep testing me and find out.”
“I don’t know anything. Okay? Now get the hell out of my store before I call the cops on you.”
“Such brave words coming from someone who’s moments away from falling to his knees like a coward.” A strange look then crossed his face, and he leaned in closer, smelling me. “Interesting.”
