Page 12 of Sapphire's Gem
Candle would wait until some staff arrived before she left, and Jed would be out for a few hours. She deserved a round withhim; it was what Jed had threatened. He’d learn a painful lesson before being sent home.
It would have been easier to kill the little punk, but I hadn’t been sure if the Gerrits had sent him. While not afraid of them, I was worried about starting a war because we had bigger fish to fry. The Bloody Femmes MC, a rival female club that was based in Manchester, a forty-five-minute drive away, was our main concern. Our two MCs had been at war for a while, and neither of us was prepared to give way.
“Let’s check on the psychic shop before we leave. I want to make sure nobody has been in there,” I said to Vengeance as we made our way out of the restaurant.
“No probs,” she replied as we walked up the alley and out onto the street. No sooner had we emerged onto the street, the shop next door to us opened.
“Sapphire, is everything okay?” a woman questioned, and I turned.
“Perfectly fine, Mrs Henderson. And yourself?” I asked the older woman. She ran a bookstore that was known to be struggling. It was a business I had been eyeing.
“A man came in here demanding money,” she stated, and I straightened.
Mrs Henderson wasn’t on our protection detail; she’d been offered security and had refused it. She wasn’t a concern of mine.
“Sorry to hear that,” I said, my tone making it clear it wasn’t my business.
“I’m sure you are,” Mrs Henderson replied dryly.
“Have a good day,” I responded with an airy wave. I wasn’t about to offer our services for free.
“Would you be interested in buying the bookstore?” Mrs Henderson asked, stopping me in my tracks. I turned back to face her, my eyes narrowed.
“What happened to ‘you wouldn’t sell to those…’ what did you call us? Oh yes, ‘dirty whores,’ I believe it was,” I taunted.
I wanted her shop, but wasn’t about to let past insults slide. Mrs Henderson’s mouth tightened. “Are you interested or not?”
“With that attitude, no. Gossip is that you are about to go bankrupt. I can wait for the repossession and buy your shop then,” I replied.
“You’re a goddamn bitch, Sapphire,” Mrs Henderson burst out before chuckling. “It takes one to know one. Come on, let’s talk business.”
I laughed. “Yeah, why not?”
???
Two hours later, I left Mrs Henderson with our lawyer’s card. We’d gone over the books, stock, and building value. Given what she was pulling in, Mrs Henderson was lucky to be still open. The bookshop was dark and dusty and smelt funny. I knew from research that public opinion was split. Fifty per cent of people liked cosy bookshops, and the other half preferred a bright atmosphere.
Mrs Henderson was missing out on some real opportunities. She could install a coffee machine for one, get the windows cleaned for a second, and give the whole place a repaint. But she’d not done anything, and the place needed work. I’d made her a generous offer, which she had strongly disagreed with, thinking I was undercutting her until I pointed out the cost of rewiring, plumbing, redecorating, and modernising the shop.
Mrs Henderson looked like she’d swallowed a lemon, but by the time I finished, I’d left the ball in her court. She’d sell to me or go bankrupt and I’d pick it up at auction.
Vengeance smirked as we left her store and headed for the psychic shop. As we rounded the corner to Congress St, I felt eyes on me, and Vengeance clearly felt the same. Both our heads swivelled, and I spotted a tall figure leaning against a wall, drinking a coffee.
I held Wylde’s gaze as he stared back.
“Think we’re being watched?” Vengeance muttered. “Could he be any more obvious?”
“Sure, he could sit outside the clubhouse in his car,” I replied with a grin.
Vengeance looked at Wylde before laughing. His eyes narrowed at our amusement, and he straightened.
“I believe we might have insulted him a little,” Vengeance quipped.
“And I care why?” I asked as we entered the Mystic Aura.
The moment we went in, I felt the tension leave my shoulders. Somehow, this place always relaxed me.
“Hey,” Fume greeted us from behind the counter.
