He grinned again. “I’ve never been Court before, remember? No idea, but Prinze will hear it for that. You must have really put the heat on him.”
Thinking abou
t how he put the heat on me, I faced away, hating that part of the confrontation most of all. When he pinned me in his room, I hadn’t stopped him.
At least not quick enough for my liking.
“So you’re in now?” I asked.
“Almost. I just need to get my ring, and we’re squared away and actually,” he said struggling a bit when he threw legs over the side of the bed. He was still a little weak obviously, and when he tried to stand, falling back down, I launched off the bed.
“Ramses, what the fuck?” I grabbed him, making him lie back down. “What are you doing?”
“I gotta go pick up my ring,” he said but all attempts at movement had him laying his head back. He folded a hand over his eyes. “As soon as I can bear weight again.”
This guy was seriously out of his mind. I pulled the blankets over him, and needless to say, he didn’t fight me this time.
He grinned. “Thanks, Mama.”
I shoved him. “You’re not going anywhere, and where’s your ring?”
“At the jewelry store,” he said, sighing. “They sized me for it at the start of the weekend. Told me I could pick it up if I survived.” He started to chuckle but stopped as he watched me leave the bed. “’Zona?”
Finding my coat on the floor, I put it on. “Do you need anything while I’m out? I’m going to go get your ring.”
“Uh?” he started to get up again but stopped, his arms dropping like weights to the bed. “Don’t do that. I’m going to get it.”
“Hmm. Will that be before or after you pass out? Shut the fuck up. I’m going to get your ring. Now, do you need anything else while I’m out? I have the day off thanks to you, so might as well use it.”
That logic had him eyeing me, but since he was so obviously in no state to argue, he pointed a finger to his dresser. “My wallet is on top. There’s a silver card in there. Get it out.”
I did, finding the card easily. It was metallic, a chrome finish, and actually had some weight to it.
Ramses sat up. “Show it to the guy at the jewelry counter, and he’ll know you’re legit. I called just this morning, and they said it was ready. You can borrow my car. The Benz is parked in the driveway.”
I’d driven some really nice cars, but his Mercedes would be an even greater level. My sister’s Range Rover ran some digits, but his Mercedes Benz was easily well, well over six figures. I’d be more intimidated by that if I didn’t want to get this done. Ramses told me he didn’t need anything else, and after pointing out his keys, he lay back down. I got my coat zipped up the rest of the way, then stopped at the door.
“Where am I going by chance?” I asked, tapping on my phone to prepare looking up directions. I was almost out of a phone last night too, thanks to him. I’d found it in the woods only after we found him.
Ramses put a towel over his eyes like a diva. We’d dampened a few for him last night. He burrowed into his bedding. “Prinze Jewelers. It’s down on Main Street. Can’t miss it unless you’re an idiot.”
He eyed me when he lifted the edge of the mask, and I flipped him off. I started to ask him about the name of the place before I left but I wasn’t an idiot. Royal’s family obviously was in more than the veterinarian business.
Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if they owned the damn town.
Eight
December
Ramses’ car was a stick shift, and I killed it about seven times on the way to downtown. The last time I’d been behind the wheel of a stick shift was literally when I learned to drive on my aunt’s old Cutlass.
I managed to get the thing in a parking spot, and after hitting the key fob a few times, I got it locked too. The issue was the car kept unlocking itself every time I got the fob anywhere remotely close to the door. I’d call the thing a piece of shit except for the fact that I was mad at it for being smarter than clearly I was.
Huffing, I got myself out of the street and up to the jewelry store, which stood alone between a couple mini malls. It was like Prinze Jewelers was its own display, the shops around a fair distance away. Glass windows displayed shining jewels, and when I opened the door, a ping chimed my arrival. I got the attention of about three people, all staff, and the one in the center holding up a diamond necklace the Queen of England herself might faint for looked at me as well. This place was ritzy. This place was quiet, and I stood out like trash inside it. Mostly because everyone else wasn’t under the age of thirty, nor were they wearing any coats like it wasn’t cold outside.
“Can I help you, miss?” Mr. Holding-the-Queen’s-Jewels immediately asked me. I’d barely had time to set a foot inside the place before he was handing the necklace off to an associate and approaching me. “Are you looking for someone?”
I noticed real quick how he didn’t ask me if I was looking for something. In this town with all these richie rich kids, I definitely could have been here to spend mommy and daddy’s money. Since I wasn’t, I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. I waltzed right up to him, flashing Ramses’ card.