Page 29 of Burn of Obsidian

Jax swallowed, not used to feeling out of control. It wasn’t his beast pressing; it was something else. It was her.

He didn’t like the feeling.

And yet, he would do anything to keep it.

Chapter 12

Thea

The invoice to her father’s latest round of treatment burned a hole in her pocket. They’d increased their charge by thirty percent, which meant she needed to find even more money before he finished his current round.

Pulling her hood lower on her head to avoid the rain now pouring down, she shuffled past a crowd, heading toward the only pawn broker still open on a Sunday afternoon. The ‘P’ in the open sign flickered, the buzz such a high-pitched tone Thea could hear it even above the rain.

Rushing inside, the little bell above the door tingled gently. The heater was a force, blasting her face hard enough to immediately dry any remnants of water left behind.“I’m about to close, so fuck off unless you have something worth my time,” Doug, the owner, sales assistant, bouncer, accountant, and everything in between grunted from behind the metal lattice. The majority of his face was covered behind his broadsheet newspaper, only his bushy brows and shiny head on display.

“Have I ever let you down?” Thea placed six watches, three bracelets and seven rings on the counter, waiting for him to look at her.

The newspaper rustled, his dark, hawklike eyes narrowing on the bounty. “Thea, girl. How’s your da? Haven’t seen him around in a while.”

Thea’s smile tensed. “As well as he can be.”

Royalty Pawn and Loan was an independent family-owned broker, one with a connection to a certain high end jewellers over in Hatton Garden. Not that they’d ever admit it. Doug ran the pawn, while his brother ran the jewellers. The pawn displayed jewellery, electronics, and anything else people could sell for some quick cash. Nothing amazing, and nothing to the quality of the stuff Doug was currently examining. With a magnifying loupe pinched in his left eye, he studied every single piece she’d brought in meticulously.

“Not as much as usual,” he commented casually, placing one of the rings in a separate pile before moving onto the watches.

“Hmm,” Thea hummed, watching him work. Doug was loyal, and had been since her father first introduced them almost ten years ago at the pub. Her dad had made a friend to watch football with, and Thea had made a business connection.

Doug didn’t ask where she’d acquired the jewellery, and she didn’t ask whether they would be melted down or sold as they were in his brother’s shop. For a professional relationship, it worked great.

“Ravyns, pounds, or credit?”

“Pounds.” She chose Ravyns when she needed an emergency stash, the currency only used within the Undercity, and usually worth more if she found a dodgy enough exchange. Despite the extortionate prices charged, the trial her father was on was all above board, which meant they only accepted legal tender. The lady who dealt with the payments would likely clutch her pearls if Thea handed over the small black coins.

Doug dropped the last of the rings. “I can only give you around ten.”

“Ten? For everything?” Thea gaped at him through the cage. “But that watch is a platinum Ryker. It’s worth ten grand on its own!”

“I’m sorry, Thea, but that’s all I can give you right now. I’ll have to send the Ryker off to get the serial number changed. The gold isn’t worth much right now, and the diamonds are low quality.”

“Fuck, I need more than ten, Doug.”

“Then try somewhere else, but we both know the Ryker’s too hot to touch for at least six months, even with a serial number change. I wouldn’t normally accept it, but I’m doing you the favour for your da. One watch is a fake, but I’ll take it for parts, and the others have minor scratches that impact the price.”

Thea curled her hand into a fist, closing her eyes and letting out a long breath. “Okay, what about this?” She placed the knife found in Jax’s wallet on the counter. “It’s metal, and the design’s – ”

“Yeah, I’m not touching that.” Doug’s hand snapped back as if it were a snake. “Where did you get this?”

Thea blinked at him with a frown. “Does it matter?”

Doug chuckled, and Thea couldn’t recall a single memory of him reacting in such a way before. “Wherever you got it, take it back.”

Her stomach twisted. “Why?”

“Trust me, the owner’s going to notice that it’s missing.”

“What’s so special about it?” She ignored the protest of her fingers as she flipped it open. It glistened beneath the fluorescent lights, the blade smooth against her fingertips until she found a small, stylised J engraved near the hinge.

Of course Jax has a personalised knife, she thought.