Page 187 of Crucible
Khalil sucks his teeth and stands, and I fight the urge to take a step back. Even after all this time, the height difference is jarring. Add on all the muscle he’s packing and the fact that he’s quite literally capable of murder, and yeah, I still get a little nervous.
And to make matters worse, my pussy likes that I feel intimidated.
“Fuck him. Come on,” Khalil orders.
Keeping the hiking boot on and swiping up my own useless one from the floor, I reluctantly let Khalil lead me over to the counter. Thankfully, J.R. isn’t there when we walk over. Thorin isn’t either, and I spot him over by the sleeping bags, holding a basket already overfilled with items. After a quick perusal, he selects one and rejoins us at the counter.
“Is all of this for me?” I ask as I look over all of the gear. There’s a rope, a compass, a map, a watch, a first aid kit, a head lamp, an honest-to-god hatchet, a foldable spade like the ones they used to build the quinzee, a fire starter, a canteen, asleeping bag, a tent, and a bunch of other shit I don’t know how to use.
“Yup.”
“Why?”
“So if you change your mind and run again, you can at least keep yourself alive long enough for us to come and get you.”
I have no idea how to respond to that, but I find myself searching for words anyway. “I—”
“Whoa!” J.R. says, returning with a shoe box containing the other half of my new boots. “Did Halloween come early?”
I hear a click and see Seth with his folding knife out and poised under the kid’s throat before I can tell him to kiss my ass.
“Okay, okay. No harm. Jeez.” A pause, and then, “So, what’s the deal? Is she disfigured or something?”
“Yes, J.R.,” I quickly answer despite his insistence on talking around me instead of to me. Thorin sighs like he’s finally resigned to me never doing what I’m told. Maybe. But also, I don’t want this kid’s blood on my hands. Sethwillcut him. “I’m horribly, horribly scarred, and if you look me in the eye, I’m afraid you’ll turn to stone. Ah!”
I lunge like I’m going to attack. Thorin, Khalil, and Seth howl when J.R. jumps back and throws his arms over his eyes.
“No! Don’t turn me into stone! Please!”
“She’s fucking with you, J.R.,” Khalil says. “Ring us up, and stop smoking so much weed.”
“Really?” He still has trouble meeting my gaze, but I’ll give him a D-minus for effort when he finally does. He seems nice. Gullible as fuck. But nice.
I flash him a razor-sharp smile. “Maybe.”
His eyes widen, and he quickly gives us our total, throws our shit inside two reusable bags once Khalil pays, and flees through the door behind him marked, “Employees Only.”
Seth grins at me. “I think you scared him off, Sunshine.”
“And he didn’t even say goodbye.” I fake a pout.
I feel hands on my waist, and then I’m being lifted and turned before I’m sat on the counter. Khalil pulls off my remaining leather boot and slips on the hiking one.
“Thorin chose well. These are good,” he tells me as he ties the lace.
I’m barely listening as I admire his hair and my handiwork. Rather than his usual plaits, I’d given him two fishbone braids that stop past his shoulders and emphasize his sharp cheekbones rather than hide them. It’s almost a shame he’d chosen a profession that could have ruined that pretty face instead of utilizing it because Khalil Poverly could have been a model. Or maybe a pornstar because that dick and that body…chef’s kiss.
“They’re cushioned for long hikes and will keep your feet dry and warm in the winter and cool in the summer.”
“Yeah, I guess they’re cute,” I say, admiring the unique tan color with bright purple laces. They stop right above my ankle like my old ones, except they don’t chafe. It even comes with a detachable zippered pouch on the side. Eek!
Seth chuckles while Khalil flicks me an exasperated look.
Thorin takes my designer calfskin boots, which were part of a limited-edition collection, and…throws them in the trash.
“Hey! I paid two grand for those!” The three of them blink at me like I’ve lost my mind, and I cross my arms. “I don’t appreciate the judgment. I’m a billionaire, remember? I could spend my money on a bunch of dumb shit and still never run out of money.”
Thorin swears and fishes my boots back out of the trash. He throws them into the box that the hiking boots came in while Khalil helps me down from the counter.
