As the customer walked away with her box of questionable items, Gypsy glanced back toward Nick seeing the two men now facing each other and by the looks of it they were sizing each other up.
“Can I help you?” Gypsy asked coming up on the other side of the counter.
The stranger turned away from Nick and smiled, “I sure hope so. By chance, is the old codger that runs this store here today?”
Gypsy's polite smile faltered but she had answered this question more than once since taking the store over. “I’m sorry, but he passed away a little over a month ago.” She watched as a quiet sadness crept into the man’s eyes and it put her more at ease. With that kind of reaction, surely he wasn’t here to cause any trouble.
“Then maybe his granddaughter is available?” the man asked calmly.
“I am his granddaughter. Is there something I can help you with?” Gypsy asked politely.
The man frowned slightly in confusion but quickly covered it up with a polite smile, “Maybe. I was told to give this to the owner.” He slid the envelope halfway out of his pocket so that she could see the edge of it. With Mr. Quick Draw beside them he didn’t trust that it wouldn’t be snatched away.
“I am part owner,” Gypsy said with pride now that Lacey was back.
The man looked like he was contemplating something but finally set the envelope on the glass surface and pushed it toward her.
Before Gypsy could even reach for it, Nick intercepted the envelope with lightening quick reflexes and opened the back flap. He scanned the thick gold leaf piece of paper before looking up at the stranger again. The man just stared back at him as if he were bored.
Gypsy frowned at Nick's over protectiveness but something about the stony expression on his face kept her from demanding the envelope. With the way things were going around here, for all she knew it was a death threat, though she had to admit she was curious as hell.
Nick stepped around to the other side of the counter where Gypsy was and removed the 9mm from under his shirt. He kept the gun low so that no one else in the room could see the exchange behind the counter except for the man standing directly on the other side of it. The man’s heartbeat was steady as was his breathing so Nick figured he wasn’t much of a threat, but he wanted Gypsy to have her guard up just in case.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t invite anyone in to the shop while I’m gone and shoot him if he gets too close,” Nick's voice held a hint of warning as he locked eyes with the other man.
“What,” Gypsy asked in a shocked whisper and looked up at Nick as if he’d lost his mind. “What does that letter say?”
“It’s just an invitation, but I have a feeling it will be of interest to Ren. I’ll fill you in as soon as he’s seen it,” Nick answered and headed towards the back room.
Gypsy swung her gaze back to the man in front of her inquiringly and softly demanded, “What kind of invitation?”
She held the gun behind the counter but kept it leveled on him. She couldn’t help but blush knowing that if she pulled the trigger right now, the bullet would hit him in a place no man wanted to be injured. Hopefully, he would take that into consideration and not try anything stupid.
“To a bleedin’ important auction,” the man answered with a sexy smile.
Gypsy's eyes lit up hearing the word auction but then frowned wondering why Nick thought Ren would want to see an invite to an auction even if it was for one that was of the underground type. This wasn’t the first time she’d received an invite via messenger.
“How important?” she asked completely intrigued.
“If I may ask you a question first,” the man inquired. “Are you by chance related to Lacey?”
Gypsy’s lips parted as she instinctively tightened her grip on the gun and took a step back, now understanding why Nick had taken the invite to Ren.
“Who are you?” she asked apprehensively.
The man’s lips hinted at a smile, but he didn’t answer.
Ren looked toward the open bunker doorway when he heard Nick’s footsteps nearly running down the stairs. He watched as the jaguar leapt the last few steps clutching an envelope in his hands and cocked an eyebrow moving to meet Nick in the doorway.
“Don’t ask questions, just read,” Nick said hurriedly as he handed the envelope over to Ren.
Ren opened it and took out the invitation, reading over it thoroughly. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he fought the urge to crumple the paper in his fist. His body relaxed when he suddenly changed his mind and glanced over his shoulder at Lacey who was watching them closely.
“It appears we’re going to an auction,” Ren informed her.
“An auction,” Lacey repeated as she leaned back on the sofa and pretended to think about it for about two seconds before turning him down. “I’m not in the mood so no thanks.”
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Ren stated looking back at the invitation. “It seems the main item on the auction block is a marked soul and the opening bid for that marked soul is a soul orb. The auction is taking place tonight at midnight… right down the road from here.”
He could already smell her fear spiking but he had no intentions of putting her at risk. Her part in the thievery ring would end tonight… he would make sure of that.
Lacey felt like she was walking on legs made of rubber as she approached Ren and took the paper he was offering her. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the symbol at the bottom where a signature would normally be and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach with dread. She quickly lifted her gaze and skimmed the words.
“Well to hell with that. If I don’t leave this building, then they will be missing their main item and their little auction is going to be a flop,” Lacey said handing the paper back to Ren. “You see that seal at the bottom? That’s the seal of the ring I worked for. If I go to this auction… they will kill me.”
“Lacey,” Ren said calmly, knowing she was scared silly at the moment. “If they’re this close, then they already know where you are. You can’t hide in here forever. Besides, it seems that we have something they want.”
“Yeah… me,” Lacey said not bothering to hide the fear in her voice as she glared up at him. “I already know they’re going to kill me but that doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for them.”
Nick turned and started back up the stairs not wanting to leave Gypsy alone for too long with the stranger. Without looking back he told them, “When you decide what you’re going to do, there’s a British guy upstairs waiting on the reply and two demons waiting on him outside the shop.”
Ren lowered his gaze to Lacey when he heard her heartbeat suddenly start racing and she took off up the stairs behind Nick. His expression and thoughts darkened. That stranger had better not be the British bastard who had gotten her into all of this trouble in the first place.
Lacey rounded the corner into the main room only seconds after Nick did. Her lips parted seeing Vincent calmly standing there looking at Gypsy from across the counter. Her gaze lowered seeing the gun in Gypsy's hand and she wanted to snicker at the uselessness of the threat but refrained knowing she would be the only one to get the joke.
Vincent turned his head and locked his gaze on the girl he’d been looking for. “There’s the lass now,” He breathed realizing he’d missed her more than he’d meant too.
In seconds, Lacey had her arms wrapped around Vincent’s waist and her face pressed into his chest.
He returned her hug and refrained from looking back at the demons outside knowing they had already seen her, though he did turn her so that he was blocking their bloody view.