Page 76 of Bargain with Fate
“If the guy knows his shit, he’ll figure out quickly the stone is a fake,” Cowboy said.
“Doesn’t matter. There are more of us than there are of him.”
“No.”
Both men turned to look at me.
“Oh, did I say that out loud?”
“Care to elaborate?” Vale asked.
“Your buyer is a faerie. The odds of him showing up alone are almost nonexistent.”
Vale scanned the square’s perimeter. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Trust me. They’re here, same as us.”
Vale’s cheek muscle pulsed. “Thornborn again?”
“I’m not sure yet, but the treaty stone plus the eager faerie buyer…The odds are decent.”
His blue eyes frosted over. “That’s the real reason you came, isn’t it? You suspected Thornborn.”
“Well, it wasn’t for the dinner I didn’t know I was having.”
Cowboy kept his gaze on Gage and the mysterious buyer. “What do you want to do, boss?”
Vale snapped to attention. “You take the left side. I’ll go right. Maya, stay here.”
“Like hell.”
“I’m not trying to keep you out of the fight,” Vale said. “I’m trying to cover the entire perimeter.”
“Oh, right.”
“Maintain your position until my signal.”
But there was no chance to separate. Three more fae stepped out of thin air and into the square. In their trench coats and boots, they looked out of place in a city filled with T-shirt-clad tourists and dog walkers. Thankfully, it was late enough now that we were the only people in view, because the bubble of tension was about to burst.
“You saw that, right?” Cowboy asked, keeping his eyes trained on the encroaching fae. “Like freakin’ magicians.”
Four fae against one. They really wanted that stone. These definitely weren’t the actions of casual collectors or history buffs.
“We need to get over there,” Cowboy said, shoulders tensing. “Gage is in trouble.”
I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but Gage wasn’t the only one.
Chapter
Twelve
Reynolds Square would have been a peaceful place, with pathways winding around shaded benches and the gentle hum of the city in the background. Tonight, however, the air was thick with tension—and so were my shoulders as I crossed the square alongside Vale and Cowboy to approach the four fae currently confronting Gage. There was no way this ended without a fight. I was glad to have my blades.
“Here is your money,” I heard the first faerie say, thrusting a thick envelope into Gage’s hand. He was a tall, gaunt man with pale skin and cracked lips. His blond hair spiked into sharp points along his scalp. He crooked his bony fingers at Gage. “Now give us the stone.”
Gage peeked inside the envelope. “Quick question. How long until these bills blow up into balloons and float away?”
I had to give him credit: for someone who bordered on skeletal, the first faerie was nimble on his feet. He took Gage down hard and fast with a short strike to the solar plexus. Gage doubled over and the faerie drove him to the ground with two elbows to his lower back.
