Gideon Book 2
Autorzy
Nicole Riddley
Lektury
360K
RozdziaÅy
31
Layla and Gideon navigate a world of supernatural politics, intense bonds, and dangerous secrets. When Layla sells a valuable heirloom to help a friend, she unwittingly steps into a web of intrigue involving vampire sirens, lycanthropes, and ancient vendettas. As they attend a high-stakes summit and face threats from all sides, their relationship is tested by hidden pasts and powerful enemies. Will their love survive the chaos, or will the secrets they uncover tear them apart?
The Bracelet
LAYLA
I have the bracelet in my pocket, weighing it down. I resist the urge to take it out and look at it on the bus.
It would get some looks, thatās for sure. People wouldnāt think it was real; itās that bling. Theyād just think Iād bought myself some show-off rhinestones.
No one would know anything about it, where it came from, or what Iām about to do with it.
Sarah deserves this money more than Helen ever deserved this gift. Iām glad sheās dead.
I probably should have put the thing in a box. No matter, though; nothingās going to scratch its huge diamonds.
And I hope the shop Iām taking it to will see how valuable it is. I mean, Gideon said his PA spent a hundred and fifty grand on it; I should get a decent stack of cash.
She told me that he was her man when I knew he was my erasthai. The bracelet was a symbol of her thinking he was hers.
Getting rid of it is like a ritual. He is mine; he never was hers.
The gang thought it was a little morbid of me to keep it until I told them why I wanted it.
I get off at my stop and walk a few blocks to the high-end jewelry reseller that seems like the right place to go.
I press the buzzer and an old man comes to the door. Heās wearing a suit, his thin hair combed back.
āHi, I have something Iād like to sell?ā I say, unsure of myself. I mean, that is why Iām there, but I wonder if I was supposed to say something different.
āCome in.ā
He waves me into a quiet room with a plush beige carpet. I feel way too casual to be in this place, dressed in jeans and sneakers.
There are glass cases with huge, glittering pieces of jewelry in them. Diamonds and rubies and sapphires twinkle from behind the glass like theyāre having a sparkle competition.
Who wears this stuff?
Another man in a suit is standing in front of a case, looking at a diamond necklace like heās thinking very hard about it.
āWould you care to show me the piece in private?ā says the shopkeeper.
āItās okay,ā I say, not really sure what the rules are for this kind of thing.
I take the bracelet out of my pocket and hold it out toward him.
The other man canāt help but look over at us as I show the shopkeeper. I can see heās interested nowāhe moves closer.
Heās tall, for a human. Blond hair and blue eyes.
The shopkeeper holds the bracelet up to the light to look at it. Its massive oval stones catch the light and send rainbows onto the walls as it swings from his fingers.
āWhat a magnificent piece,ā he says.
He looks at me suspiciously. For a second, I think heās going to ask me where I got it; I can see him wondering how someone young has got a hold of something like this.
Please donāt ask me where I got it.
The man in the suit has come over to look.
āMay I?ā he asks the shopkeeper.
The man holds the bracelet in his hand lovingly, staring down at it like it was his first-born child.
Weird.
He extends his hand to shake mine.
āAlistair. Nice to meet you,ā he says.
āLayla.ā
āBeautiful bracelet.ā
āIf you like that sort of thing.ā
āYou donāt then, I take it?ā Alistair asked with a smile.
āIt belonged to someone who really didnāt like me.ā
āAnd yet now you have it.ā
āYes. But not for long.ā
He laughs at this.
āIndeed.ā
Thereās an awkward silence. Alistair seems like he wants to know more.
Iām not sure where this conversation is going. Iām not just going to tell him my boyfriend bought this bracelet for his ex, but he had to kill her because she tried to kill me.
That really doesnāt make any sense in the human world. Humans donāt just go around killing people. Well, when they do, itās not considered normal.
Iām sniffing, aware that Alistair might not be what he appears. As far as I can tell, heās human.
Weird though, I canāt smell him as well as I should be able to.
The shopkeeper is about to say something when Alistair speaks.
āWould you consider taking an offer from me on the bracelet?ā
āSure.ā
āIāll give you fifty grand. Iāll also compensate you, sir, for facilitating the sale,ā he said to the shopkeeper.
āDeal,ā I say.
Iām happy with the moneyāenough to get Sarah through the end of her studies.
I wait in the shop while Alistair goes to get cash.
Damn.
I feel like Iām in a music video or something. Iāve never seen so much money in my life.
The old shopkeeper has a money counterāa gray plastic thing that looks like computers from the ā90s. He puts it down in front of me like heās proud of it.
His eyes are twinkling, and I think heās getting a kick out of the fact that Iāve obviously never seen a pile of bills like this.
The counter ticks away. We bundle the stacks of bills with elastic bands and put them in a big envelope.
The shopkeeper gives Alistair a black velvet box for the bracelet. Alistair puts it in the inside pocket of his navy blazer, then pulls out a business card.
āIt was great to meet you, Layla. Hereās my card.ā
I take it, not sure what I would use it for.
Alistair Pembroke
His name and contact details are on it in fine serif letters.
I didnāt bring a bag, so Iām really self-conscious leaving the shop. I donāt want to look like Iām holding fifty thousand dollars in an envelope.
Iām afraid people can see it, like they somehow know there are all these hundred-dollar bills right here in my hand.
I keep squeezing the envelope to make sure I havenāt lost it. I can hardly fumble for bus change; Iām so focused on my envelope.
I can smell the money.
I just hope no one else can.
Now that Iāve gotten rid of the damn bracelet, I feel lighter. Helen and the whole mess are just a little bit further away.
That bitch had a very fancy bracelet, and she was fucking proud of herself for getting it from Gideon.
But now sheās dead, and she couldnāt wear the damn thing if she wanted to.
It doesnāt change what happened. But it helps.
And now I get to do something really good for someone who has always been a good friend to me.
I feel bad Iāve neglected my friendship with Sarah since I met Gideon.
She doesnāt know about the whole werewolf and lycan thing. It feels super weird telling humans about that if they donāt already know.
Iāve never tried it, but if I hadnāt grown up in a werewolf pack and someone told me they were a werewolf, Iād think theyād lost their minds.
So Iām not going to tell her. I still havenāt decided how Iām going to explain the wad of cash I have for her.
I walk up to the front door of her small house, with her battered car sitting outside it. She says sheās had it since she was a teenagerāand I can believe that.
I knock on the door.
Sarah comes to the door.
āLayla! I wasnāt expecting you!ā
āSorry, I shouldāve called.ā
āNo, not at all, itās great to see you!ā
āYou sure nowās a good time?ā I say as I see Charlie and a friend of his playing in the front room.
āOf course. The boys donāt mind. Charlie, Jason, say hi to Layla.ā
The kids say hi and turn back to their toys.
āYou want a coffee?ā
āOnly if youāre making some.ā
She puts the coffee on and comes to sit down.
āI havenāt seen you in the longest timeāwhat have you been doing?ā
āWell, I met a guy. Weāre living together now.ā
āWow, so soon! Tell me all about him!ā
Well, heās a lycan, an adviser to the lycan royal family. Lycans are like werewolves but more powerful, and heās got loads of money that Iām now living onā¦
~āOh, erā¦heāsā¦really handsome. His nameās Gideon.ā
āCool name. Sounds like a lord from a history book. Show me a picture!ā
Kind of is like a lord from a history book. Heās a couple hundred years old but looks much younger.
I show her one of only a few pictures I have of Gideon. Heās not super into having his photo taken.
āDamn, those muscles! He must spend a lot of time at the gym. Is he like a model or something? Did you meet him taking photos? Please say you met him taking photos of him shirtless!ā
āI wish! No, he was one of the cleaning customers. Real fancy apartment.ā
āGet out of here! Cinderella, you have done well!ā
I love that Sarah is so excited for me. Her face turns concerned.
āWait, youāre still doing your photography courses, right? Never drop out of college for a man.ā
āNo, donāt worry, Iām still at school. Iām going to try and get some work experience soon, maybe at a newspaper or something.ā
āThatās greatāgood for you.ā
āHowās things with you? Youāre still studying, right?ā
āAnother year to go. Weāre doing okay. Iām working a lot, though. Luckily, Jasonās mom watches Charlie.ā
I can see the tiredness in her face as she says it. How do you tell someone you have fifty grand for them in cash?
āSo, about thatā¦ This is probably going to sound pretty weirdā¦ā
Her expression is confused.
āI have something for you.ā
I put the envelope on the table in front of her.
āWhatās this?ā
She looks inside and gasps.
āLayla, where did you get this?ā
She looks around and whispers, as if someone might see us.
āThis new boyfriend of yours, is he a drug dealer or something?ā
I laugh quietly.
āNo, of course not. Look, how I got it is a long story. I had somethingā¦an heirloom, kind of. I didnāt want it because it reminded me of some stuff I donāt want to remember.
āSo I sold it. And I have some of the money, and I want you to have some too.ā
I told a tiny white lie about keeping some of the money, just to make her feel like I wasnāt giving it all to her.
āI canāt accept this. I mean, you need money too.ā
āDonāt worry about me; I have enough.ā
āHow much is it?ā
āFifty.ā
Her voice drops to a whisper again and her eyes are wide with shock.
āFifty thousand dollars?ā
I nod gently.
āLayla, I donāt know what to say. I canāt accept this.ā
āLook, Iām not trying to make you feel like a charity case or anything. Give it to your mom if you prefer, or spend it all on Charlieās education. But Iām not taking it with me. The envelope stays here.ā
I gently push the envelope toward her, then offer a hopeful smile.
She looks at the envelope sitting on the table. She picks it up and holds it to her chest, on the brink of tears.
