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This part was embarrassing. “Collin was sort of…protective of me, and apparently that’s not normal behavior for him. Collin does regular work for Marino, so he thought if I was important to Collin, there was a financial reason. He thinks I know something about some job.”
“Do you realize what serious shit you’re in?”
“Yeah.”
He grabbed my arm, fear in his eyes. “No, Ellie, I’m not playing around. Do you realize what serious shit you’re in?”
I swallowed. Marino seemed so tame next to the monsters waiting for me in the darkness, but the fact was that he would kill me in an instant if he didn’t like what I had to say. And he wouldn’t like it. I didn’t know anything about any job or any other business that would interest him. At least Okeus wanted me alive…for now. “Collin said it would blow over in a few weeks.”
Oscar groaned. “No, Ellie. That’s not the way it works with guys like him. The longer it takes him to find you, the more pissed he becomes. This won’t end well.”
I looked up at him, defeated. There were too many odds against me in both the physical and spiritual worlds. I glanced at the symbol on my palm, the square and the circle intersecting. Daddy said it represented the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. I guess it stood to reason that if they were intersected, both would go to shit at the same time. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Leave town?” He shook his head. “I don’t suppose that will work. You can’t leave your stepmother now, can you?”
My eyes widened.
“I heard about your dad, girl. I’m sorry.”
My eyes burned, and I blinked to keep from crying. “Oh.”
“Ellie, I’m here for you if there’s anything I can do to help. I’m serious.”
I flashed him a cocky grin. “All part of the full pawnbroker service.”
His mouth drooped into a frown. “You know you’re not just one of my regular clients.”
He was right. Given the number of times I’d pawned the pewter cup, he’d heard my entire tale of woe about my father’s illness. I was certain he gave me more and more money each time because he felt sorry for me. But then I reminded myself that he’d sold the cup—after holding onto it a month longer than he had to—for a whole lot more than he’d given me.
He lowered his voice. “Go to the police. They’re your best bet right now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m dead serious.”
“That’s going to get…messy.”
“Suck it up. It got messy the minute you walked through Marino’s door.”
He was probably right, but I didn’t have time to deal with the whole situation. I set the bag on the counter. “I have something to pawn.”
Oscar unzipped the bag and pulled out the wooden box, setting it on the glass counter. When he opened the lid, he released a soft whistle. “Where did you get…?” His face softened. “Ellie, these belonged to your dad, didn’t they?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Well, Daddy doesn’t need them anymore, does he? And my stupid piece of shit car is dead on Highway 64 in the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge.” I shoved the box at him. “I don’t think I want to lose them all, but I wanted to see what they’re worth before deciding which ones to sell.”
He picked up the silver watch and turned it over to examine the back. “I wish you could catch a break, girl.”
“Yeah, so you say every freaking time I walk in that door, yet here I am again.” I squared my shoulders, refusing to let self-pity creep in. “What are they worth?”
Oscar studied each watch and after he did some research, he released another low whistle. “I’m not sure I’m the one you want to sell these to. I can give you eight hundred for the silver one and twelve hundred for the gold. But you’d be better off going to a bigger city to sell the other oval one. It’s centuries old. You’re looking atthousandsfor that piece.”
“Thousands?”
“As in it should have its own insurance policy.”
“Wow.”
“What do you want to do? Sell one or both?”
