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“Theatrics,” Rafael repeated with undisguised skepticism.
“Yes.” I straightened up, the energy of my brainstorm buoying me up. “We’re going to do major damage to their business,andin a way that makes me seem way scarier than I actually am. Convince them once and for all that they can’t win, that they’re better off cutting their losses and leaving town—because the consequences of sticking around would be so awful. And in a way no one would ever associate with the Deadly Rose.”
Rafael’s tone turned dry. “For the record, I already think you’re plenty scary. But what exactly did you have in mind?”
My smile turned fiendish. “I made a list of supplies. That might start to give you an idea.”
I tapped my phone’s screen to bring up my notes and held it up so he could read it.
Rafael’s burgundy eyes scanned the list. He smirked when he came to the final item and shook his head, his tight black coils swaying slightly.
“You’re crazy,” he said. “But this… I can see how this could be good. Let’s get going. We have some serious shopping to do.”
* * *
One benefit of Jasper inadvertently ending our training session early was that the army surplus store in the next town over was still open when I parked around back.
Rafael headed down the street to pick up some supplies he’d have an easier time locating, and I sauntered into the unassuming building with my spirits high.
Those pricks weren’t remotely prepared for the hell I was about to unleash on them.
The bell over the door jingled as I stepped inside. An old man with low jowls that gave him a bulldog-like look peered at me from behind the register.
“Hello there, miss,” he said in a croaking voice that was more bullfrog. “Can I help you find anything?”
I glanced around the shop’s cluttered interior, densely packed with shelves of equipment and racks of clothing, mostly in black, brown, and khaki-green. The stuffy air made my nose itch.
I’d rather not give him any more time to think about my planned purchases than necessary. “I’d like to browse for now and see what turns up, thanks.”
“Well, let me know if you need a hand. I’ve got a ladder for the stuff that’s high up.”
Good to know, since some of those shelves were at least a foot higher than I could reach on tiptoe.
I moved through the aisles, my eyes on the merchandise. Ammunition boxes, canvas satchels, piles upon piles of camo. I shook my head, my mouth twisting to the side in a crooked frown.
No, no, and no. None of this would help me.
I turned the corner around a rack of cheaply made ghillie suits and ran an anxious hand over my ponytail. I’d realized I might not find what I wanted right away, but I’d been hoping I could get everything together quickly.
Who knew how quickly the gang might escalate their anger?
I’d just knelt down to check a stack of boxes along the far wall when the door chimed again. Had Rafael already finished and come looking for me?
I peeked past the ghillie coats and froze with a hitch of my pulse.
Jasper stood at the counter, his broad shoulders blocking my view of the clerk. I let go of the coats, my heart thudding hard in my chest.
If my skating partner saw me here, how was I going to explain my sudden interest in army gear? It didn’t jive with my usual style. I definitely didn’t lean toward military punk.
If I claimed I was broadening my horizons, would he buy that excuse or get suspicious? Especially if some strange events happened near Hobb Creek shortly afterward…
My mouth had gone dry. I shifted my position, my ears pricked to track his movements.
If he simply never realized I was here, problem solved.
Jasper’s brusque voice carried from the front of the story. “Hey. Looking for a parka. Got any in at the moment?”
“Sure, right at the back. We were cleared out a few weeks ago but just got some more in. Preparing for a cold winter, huh?”
