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Dominic looked very reluctant to drop the man. When he finally did, Chopstix inhaled, looking more than a little alarmed as color rushed back to his face. I doubted many people stood up to a man like Chopstix, and I’d bet there were even fewer who did it successfully.
“Here’s your money,” I said, handing over a sweaty, rumpled wad of cash. “I’ll get you some more. I’m sorry, Chopstix. It’s all I’ve got. I know it’s late, but—”
“How much do you need?” Dominic asked gruffly.
“I’ve got it handled,” I said.
“How much?”
Chopstix looked between us. “Hundred bucks, but she’s always behind. Next month’s payment is practically due.”
Dominic pulled a wad of cash from his wallet, handed it over. “She’s good for the year, yeah? And if I see you laying a hand on her, or her car, or anything related to this woman ever again...”
Chopstix just nodded. “Whatever. You keep me paid, she keeps her parking spot.”
Dominic looked like he wanted to say something else, but by that time his partner had joined his side. The stunning woman rested a hand on Dom’s wrist, and it seemed to have a calming, or at least a steadying effect on him.
“Cancel the car,” Dom spat to his girlfriend. “She’s our ride.”
“She—” The woman in white glanced at me looking appalled. “She’s our ride?”
“You heard me,” Dominic said. “We’re riding with them.”
“Um, actually, that’s not true,” I said, glancing apologetically at Dom’s girlfriend. “I actually have another fare that we were waiting for, so our car is full.”
It looked like Dom’s girlfriend could slice through my jugular with one errant touch of her designer nails. I wasn’t sure whether she was a paranormal or not; she disguised herself well, so it was hard to say. I had to assume she was of some magical slant, but I couldn’t tell what.
Maybe a vampire like Dom, but she was better at hiding the evidence than her boyfriend. Dominic Kent was the epitome of tall, dark, and brooding—with centuries of grumpiness stored in his cold, dark heart.
At that point, a young man in a hoodie shuffled toward the car. “Hey girl, are you Trixie—my ride?”
“Not anymore,” Dominic snarled. The guy opened his mouth beneath his hoodie, looking like he was going to retort. Dominic spoke first. “Maybe this’ll incentivize you to find yourself a new way to get where you’re going.”
The wiry guy took one look at the wad of cash proffered to him. He snatched it from Dominic’s hand, shoved it in his pocket, and shuffled down the sidewalk without a look back.
“Hey!” I moved toward Dominic, shaking with anger. “I needed that fare. You can’t just throw cash at every problem and expect it to disappear.”
Dominic held up another stack of bills. I practically salivated when I saw the mix of fifties in there. But I had some dignity. Maybe not much, especially after shooting a cork at his eye involuntarily, but I was able to scrounge up a wisp of the stuff.
“I think you should allow him to throw cash at this problem,” Emmy whispered to me. “It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you intelligent.”
“Listen to your friend,” Dominic said, though Emmy had spoken so softly only I should’ve been able to hear her. Aside from, of course, his ridiculous sensory abilities. “Take the money and drive us to the damn event.”
“No,” I said. “I’ll find another fare.”
“Stop.” Dominic reached out, rested a hand against my wrist. “Please, accept my apology. It’s too late to fix it now, and we’re all going to the same place.”
“So take your Lambo.”
Even as I spoke, the Lamborghini peeled away from the curb. Dominic gave a little wrinkle of his nose that somehow made the frightening vampire look borderline adorable. Almost like I wanted to play nice with him, if only for a minute.
“Just take the money,” Emmy said anxiously. “We’re going to be late to the summit, and if I miss The Fates announcing the names of the candidates, I’m going to hate hex you so hard you’re going to wish your biggest problem was having dignity.”
I looked at Dom’s girlfriend. She shrugged, looking unhappy with the thought of climbing in the back of my car.
“Look, your fare had a load of illegal black fennel on him from behind The Veil. If you would’ve gotten pulled over for toting him around, you would’ve been thrown behind bars just for associating with him,” Dominic said briskly, like he really didn’t want to identify the fact that he’d been doing me a favor by stealing the ride. “Tell me I’m wrong, Vix.”
Dom’s girlfriend glanced at her stilettos, then to her nails, before turning her perfect pout in my direction. “Dom’s not wrong. If someone had lit a cigarette in your car with that guy and his load of black magic ingredients, the whole lot of you would’ve been...” She flexed her fingers and made an exploding sound. “Better you don’t give men like that a ride through town.”
