Chapter Ten
“So, I figured since we’re heading by anyways, we could stop and pick out a car together. I already have the slot booked at the mechanic shop for whatever we pick, but it has to be delivered by a specific time or it won’t be finished.”
Cricket had been talking to fill the silence since Radley climbed into the car and they drove away from the Chesapeake Clan. He’d barely answered except with small grunts, but when she started talking about the car, he turned his head toward her as she drove.
“I would have figured you had the car picked out by now if you know so much.”
It took everything in Cricket not to rise to the bait. Instead, she kept her eyes on the road and spoke. “Sure, I know enough about cars, specifically speed, but I wanted to wait for my partner’s insight because there’s always more to be learned from a different perspective.”
Radley blinked at her. If Cricket didn’t know any better, she’d think he was trying to come back with a smart retort. Instead, all he asked was, “so where are we going?”
“The car will be delivered to a shop in Indiana that was recommended to me once we choose it. We’re going to a large lot now owned by a trusted human.”
“Gio’s?”
Cricket glanced at Radley. “You know it?”
“Everyone knows it. He’s the most sought-after dealer in the state when it comes to cars for the Games.”
“Ever been?”
But Radley didn’t answer. As if answering that question would somehow give too much information about his life that she could use against him. Scowling, Cricket focused back on the road.
“I’m trying to be pleasant, wolf, but if you insist on being enemies and foul the entire time, this isn’t going to be a proper team relationship.”
“You don’t need to know anything about my history to win a race.”
“Asking if you’ve ever been to the dealership is hardly asking for your history,” she defended. “But sure. Be a grump. That’ll work well.”
Radley shifted in his seat under her words, and for long seconds, he didn’t say anything. Finally, after a while, he grunted, “No.”
“No what?” Cricket asked, her hands tight on the steering wheel.
“No, I’ve never been.”
“Then this should be an experience for the both of us.” But Cricket wasn’t so sure it would be a good one. They were already off on the wrong foot. She understood that it would take time for them to adjust and for Radley to realize she wasn’t her father, but she’d at least hoped he’d give her a chance. Instead, he seemed determined to be abrasive no matter which approach she took. If she was nice, he wanted to fight. If she was as abrasive as him, he still fought back. There didn’t seem to be any winning with the wolf. Not yet.
Gio’s was a relatively short hour drive from the Chesapeake Clan, which made it even more odd that Radley hadn’t been there. For anyone who liked cars, it was typically the place to dip your feet in on your first car. Cricket’s own car, a pretty yellow Mercedes, had come from Gio’s though the dealership had been smaller at the time. From her understanding, business had been good for the last few years and Gio was reaping the benefits.
“Why have you never been to Gio’s, if it’s so close?” Cricket asked curiously, glancing at Radley before focusing back on the road. The signs were notoriously difficult to see to keep most humans from stumbling upon it. Though Gio was human himself, he was married to a rather rambunctious elf who had her fingers in nearly all parts of the world. Their love story was one for the books, a controversial one, but no one could say that Gio wasn’t the best at what he did. All his cars were reinforced for the Games, a baseline. If she didn’t want to spend the extra money, the car they bought could be raced as it was purchased. Only because she was determined to win and money was no object was the car being shipped to the mechanic shop owned by Danica Dyers, the very human driver who had raced for the vamp team.
Despite Danica’s humanity, she, the King of the Northern Vamps, and his closest advisor took the victory. Cricket herself had watched closely during the races, had held her breath as the previous King threatened his own son and attempted to tear out Danica’s throat. The entire supernatural world had watched until the screen went black. Rumor had it that the vamps gave a piece of themselves to save Danica. Another rumor said the High Wizard helped them for a hefty price. Either way, Danica was alive and well and now ran a mechanic shop that mostly specialized in modifications for the Games. She’d gone from famous in the human world to equally famous in the supernatural one. Her story was still talked about a year later.
“That’s really none of your business,” Radley grunted. It seemed all the wolf ever did was grunt.
Deciding to ignore him and offer an olive branch, Cricket launched into her own story. “When I wanted speed in my later years, I came to Gio’s. I remember how many cars there were, the draw of so many. Did you know he reinforces every single one? Even my father approved of them. My first and only car from him was a yellow Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. It was a pretty thing—”
“Why are you telling me this?” Radley turned his head to stare at her, his gaze hard.
Swallowing the words she’d been about to say, Cricket met his eyes briefly before sighing. “I was attempting to offer some of my own history, so you’d see that I’m no threat.”
Without a word, Radley continued to stare at her. She shifted in her seat, feeling a bit like a bug under a microscope. When he finally spoke, it was a relief. . . until she heard the words.
“Do you know the difference between you and me?” he asked.
“Well, you’re a wolf, and I’m a—”
“Money. Family,” he interrupted. “You are so far removed from normalcy that you think telling me of the time you flew on your private jet to another state and picked out a two hundred-thousand-dollar car is bridging the differences between us.”
“That’s not—”
“I’ve never been to Gio’s because I’ve never been able to afford it. The money the Clan makes goes back into the Clan. I don’t waste money on frivolous things like a yellow Mercedes. I make sure everyone in my Clan has food on their table. I make sure they have homes and that they can raise their children without fear of your kind coming to steal them. I’m responsible for each and every single wolf in my Clan. You’re responsible for yourself and yourself alone, and even that’s a stretch when you can just use Daddy’s money to pay someone to wipe your own ass.” Cricket opened her mouth, but Radley wasn’t finished. “Don’t offer thorns disguised as an olive branch, fairy, and this could work. I am not your friend. I don’t want to be here. I would happily go back and drive my beat up 1982 pick up truck and forget you ever existed if not for the debt I owe. Keep your stories to yourself and quit digging into my own. You’ll get nothing but claws from me.”
Cricket snapped her mouth shut, shame filling her for a moment. While Radley was abrasive with his words, he wasn’t exactly wrong. She was used to the lifestyle she lived, didn’t think twice about it, and here was this Alpha explaining how much responsibility he had, how much he did for his people. What had she done for her people? What had she done other than feed the addictions of the rich?
Fingers tightening on the steering wheel, Cricket had to take three long, deep breaths to gather her senses before she spoke. “You’re right,” she whispered.
“What?” Radley blinked at her.
“You’re right,” she repeated louder. “I apologize for the attempt. I’m spoiled, frivolous, and I like the color pink far too much. The responsibilities I have are the ones I’ve been allowed to have and even those are threatened with being taken away. I’m trying my best to get along with you despite you having no desire to be here. I’m desperate for my own freedom, but I didn’t think of the consequences of stepping on others to get there. If you would allow, I’d like to start over and ask that you remind me when I’m speaking as a spoiled fae rather than with the humanity you have.”