Page 1029 of One More Kiss

“They’ve tried, but metal destroys the magic and glass usually breaks. Or the vapour leaks out. I’ve come up with a way around that.”

“Why not sell them through your Etsy shop?” I bumped my fist to my forehead. “Don’t worry, stupid question. Etsy is for humans. But what about Realmster?”

Realmsteris like Amazon for Realm folks. Shifters, Vamps, Witches and Fae - it’s the go to for all their special needs. And it had been set up by none other than Jett Black. He was a man of many talents.

She shook her head. “Too risky. I can take as many precautions as I like, but I’m not a computer expert. They’d be able to track me. Which is why I need a middle man. I need to be able to sell to other witches without them finding out it’s me.”

“So that’s why you’re meeting with Jett Black.”

“Yes. I want him to buy my vials and sell them as a Realmster product.”

Which made sense. Realmster had a curated in-house product range of specialized items as well as the open marketplace. What didn’t make sense was her expectation of violence from the man. “You know, he’s a business man before he’s a Hunter. What makes you think you need protection? Surely he’d be professional in your meeting.”

She snorted. “You’re wrong. That man is a Hunter first and everything else after. The only reason he started Realmster was to fund the Hunter HQ. And sure, he lets witches buy and sell on the site. We make up a quarter of the Realm folks, after all. But what I want is different. I want him to buy directly from me, and then sell to the public without mentioning my name.” She pushed her hair back behind her ears. “It’s one thing to put your feelings aside when it’s online. He probably doesn’t have much to do with the day-to-day business stuff. He’d have a team for that. But face-to-face is different.”

“I think you’re wrong. Honestly, you don’t need me.” Sure, I was doing myself out of a job, but I couldn’t take her money in good conscience.

“But what if I’m right?”

I popped the last bite of my pancake into my mouth and chewed, then swallowed. “Sorry, Clara. Your times up, and I’m not convinced. The man is a professional. I think you’re stressing about nothing.” And I had no desire to put myself in Jett’s path any time soon. “You’ll be fine on your own.”

“I can make it worth your while.”

I paused, my hands gripping the edge of the table where I’d been about to push back to stand. Clara rushed on.

“I can pay you. Triple your usual rate. And if the deal goes through I’ll give you a bonus. Two grand. How does that sound? A two grand bonus if he agrees to my deal without hurting me in the process.”

I unclenched my hands and forced them to my lap. Two thousand dollars. I mean, triple my usual rate was ridiculous, but a two grand bonus would pay for the new transmission on my car. Every time I drove Mom to a doctors appointment I was afraid it would be the trip it broke forever. I walked everywhere I could, but I needed that car for Mom.

“Are you serious? Because that’s an awful lot of money.”

Clara tapped on her phone, then thrust it out towards me. “I’m good for it, see. Here’s my bank balance.”

I pushed it away. “It’s not that. I trust you. But I don’t want to rip you off. For real, you’re not going to need me.”

“I’d feel better if you were there.” She clutched her phone to her chest. “I’ve got no-one else, Liandra. And I can’t do this on my own.”

I nodded slowly. This wasn’t only about protection. It was also about having someone else in your corner. That was something I understood. “Then you’ve got a deal. I’m not going to lie, I could use the money. But normal rates, not triple. And no bonus. It wouldn’t be right.”

Clara reached out her hand for me to shake. “Thank you.”

Now I just had to hope that Jett didn’t maim me on sight. Because I needed all of my moving parts if I was going to break back into his HQ and reclaim the gem.

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