Chapter 6
“I thought we were going to the beach.” Ulayna pouts at Phoenix.
“The beach can wait. Let’s do some shopping first,” Phoenix says with a sly grin.
Ulayna rolls her eyes. Phoenix promised to take her to get some stealth weapons, like her bracelet knife, but she seriously doubts this high-end fashion boutique sells that sort of thing.
Phoenix is just using this as an excuse to take Ulayna shopping.
The woman is always dressed to kill—literally—and it seems to bother her that Ulayna doesn’t care about clothes.
Ulayna waits while Phoenix parks the car in front of the swanky-looking boutique. They’re about a half mile from Oak Street Beach, and luxury shops line the streets. Well-dressed men and women wander from store to store, sporting the latest trends. Ulayna instantly feels out of place.
“Come on.” Phoenix waves her on, gesturing for her to get out of the car.
With a sigh, Ulayna climbs out of the car and follows. She liked the idea of going shopping with Phoenix to buy tactical accessories—jewelry with hidden weapons and other accessories that double as self-defense tools—but regular shopping sounds like a drag.
She’s never really understood the point of spending so much time and money on something as frivolous as clothing.
But then again, she’s never had the money to waste.
It didn’t escape her notice that Alexi handed Phoenix a black credit card before they left.
He hadn’t even warned Phoenix not to spend too much.
He’d just handed it over and told them to have fun.
Phoenix grabs her hand and tugs her inside the shop. “This is one of my favorite stores!” she gushes. “Wait until you meet the owner, Hadley. She’s affiliated with the Irish, but I don’t hold that against her.”
As they enter the store, Phoenix puts her finger to her lips, indicating for Ulayna to be quiet. Shaking her head at the woman’s antics, she does as she’s asked. She watches as Phoenix prowls forward, her sandals silent on the gleaming wood floors.
Phoenix sneaks up behind a petite blond woman who’s wearing a gumball-pink skirt suit. Ulayna stifles a laugh as Phoenix does her best Pink Panther impression. When Phoenix leans over and says, “Boo,” the woman startles and screams.
“Gah!” The woman in pink turns on Phoenix and whacks her with a purse she’d been organizing on a display. “Phoenix! I hate it when you do that. One of these days, I’m going to put a damn bell on you.”
Ulayna covers her smile behind her hand. Not long ago, Phoenix would have been able to sneak up on her just as easily. Now, thanks to the training Shade has been putting her through, she’s constantly aware of her surroundings, and it’s much harder for anyone to take her by surprise.
Phoenix laughs and waves Ulayna over to join them. “Ulayna, come meet Hadley, the owner of this fabulous boutique.”
“Oh, stop,” Hadley says, beaming. “You know flattery will get you everywhere.”
“Hi.” Ulayna gives Hadley a small wave, once again feeling out of place. Next to this woman, she must look childish and dowdy. She’s suddenly regretting her decision to wear cutoffs and a baggy T-shirt over her swimsuit. But then again, she thought they were going to the beach.
She eyes the trendy wedge sandals and glamorous high heels on display next to them. Her thrift store flip-flops don’t really compare.
As if seeming not to notice Ulayna’s embarrassment, Hadley pulls her in for a big hug.
“Oh. My. God! You’re Ulayna?” Hadley practically dances with excitement. “Cara and the other ladies have been dying to meet you. They’re going to be so jealous when I tell them I got first dibs.”
Overwhelmed by Hadley’s vivacious greeting, Ulayna struggles to organize her thoughts. “First dibs?” she asks.
“Yeah.” Hadley rolls her eyes at Phoenix as if to say that Ulayna is being dense. “First dibs at being your bestie.”
“Excuse me.” Phoenix wraps her arm around Ulayna’s shoulders. “That title has already been taken.”
Not completely understanding the conversation, Ulayna’s gaze darts back and forth between the women like a tennis match.
Hadley affects an exaggerated, fake pout. “She can have more than one bestie,” she whines.
“No,” Phoenix says, “that would defeat the point of calling it a best friend. There can only be one best.”
“That’s not true!” Hadley exclaims as if deeply insulted. “I have like a bajillion best friends. Mikey is my best gay friend. You’re my best spy friend. Cara is my best Irish Mafia-queen friend. Mary Beth is my best… professional dancer friend. And Caterina is…”
Phoenix smirks at her.
“Caterina is my best owner-of-a-crazy-cat-that-you-have-to-bribe-with-brie-so-it-doesn’t-eat-you friend.”
“That’s all your friends, isn’t it?” Phoenix asks dryly.
“So? All my friends can be best friends. Just like Ulayna here is going to be my new best friend. She can be my best Russian Mafia-queen friend.”
Phoenix rolls her eyes.
“Umm…” Ulayna breaks into their friendly argument. “Are you arguing over who gets to be my friend? And also, I’m not a Russian Mafia queen.”
“Po-ta-to, po-tah-to.” Hadley brushes her comment off with a wave of her hand. “From what Phoenix tells me, you're a Bratva queen in training. Why else would Phoenix have brought you to me for some of the latest in tactical fashion wear?”
“The Bratva doesn’t really have queens,” Ulayna mumbles under her breath. But neither of the women seems to care because they’re too busy gushing about the items Phoenix ordered.
“Some of your ideas are going to take a bit more work,” Hadley tells Phoenix. “But I have the scarf, the hairpin set, and the belt done. I’m also working on a purse design that I think you’ll love.”
“Yes! Can I see them?” Phoenix asks.
Hadley nods excitedly.
Before Ulayna realizes what’s happening, they each grab one of her wrists and tow her to the back of the store.
Hadley ushers them into an office and closes the door. From a cabinet, she pulls out several packages and places them on the desk. Each package is wrapped in a smooth black velvet, giving it a luxuriously forbidden feel.
Phoenix reverently unwraps the first item to reveal a silky scarf in a stunning glacial blue.
“That one’s for Ulayna,” Hadley tells Phoenix. “I made yours in emerald green. They’ll both look stunning with your complexions and eye colors.”
“Here.” Phoenix hands the folded fabric to Ulayna.
Ulayna takes the scarf. She holds it up, letting the surprisingly heavy fabric run through her fingers.
Clearly proud of her product, Hadley explains, “They’re made from a blend of synthetic spider silk and regular silk to create a flexible, luxurious-feeling fabric with an incredibly high tensile strength. The beads at the fringe are also heavily weighted, as you requested.”
Ulayna runs her fingers over the smooth fabric, amazed by its soft texture. She also inspects the decorative beads at either end of the scarf. They add a pretty detail, but she doesn’t understand the point.
“I don’t get it,” she says, looking at Phoenix for an explanation.
Wrapping her own green scarf around her neck, Phoenix asks, “Have you ever heard of Silat? It’s a form of martial arts.”
Ulayna shakes her head, confused.
“In Silat, sorangs or scarves are often used as a weapon, both for defense and offense.”
Phoenix takes her scarf off and holds it in both hands. She winks at Ulayna. In a flash, she swings the middle section of the fabric around Hadley’s neck and uses it to spin her around and lock her in a choke hold.
“Hey!” Hadley squeaks, clawing at the fabric around her throat.
In another quick, flowing movement, Phoenix releases Hadley from the chokehold, only to bind her hands behind her back.
“Eek!” Hadley’s eyes go wide with surprise when she finds herself imprisoned by Phoenix.
Phoenix releases her, and Ulayna steps forward, eager to try out the moves.
“No!” Hadley laughs. “I like being tied up as much as the next girl, but I don’t want to be a stunt dummy for your crazy martial arts practice.”
“Fair enough,” Ulayna says, smirking. She runs the silky fabric through her fingers again. Now, with an even greater appreciation for its usefulness. She toys with the beads dangling from the end. “What are the beads for?” she asks Phoenix.
“With a little practice, you can use it like a bullwhip. The weighted beads add a nice snap that can cut skin or take someone’s eyes out.”
“Yikes,” Hadley says. “I do not want to know where you come up with these things or why you need them.” She walks back to the desk and hands Ulayna another package.
Intrigued to see what else Hadley has, she eagerly unwraps the fabric.
Inside is a delicate-looking set of silver hairpins.
One piece is shaped like a flattened cup and intricately designed with woven wire and crystals.
The other piece looks like a shortened chopstick and has a matching jewel dangling from a fine silver chain at the thicker end.
“Like this,” Phoenix says, taking the hairpin set from her.
Twisting her long red hair into a bun at the back of her head, Phoenix places the first piece over the bun, then secures it with the jeweled stick. It looks elegant and simple. Ulayna is impressed.
She’s even more awestruck when Phoenix whips the stick out and presses it against her throat.
With the point nicking against the tender skin under her chin, Ulayna realizes that the hairpiece is more than just decorative.
The narrow end of the stick is sharpened to a fine point and will make an excellent weapon for close-quarter fighting.
“Nice,” Ulayna says, instantly seeing the benefits of the accessory.
“Be careful when you use it,” Phoenix warns. “When you pull it out, your hair will come down. And as you know, long hair can be used against you in a fight. You need to be prepared for that.”
Ulayna nods in understanding, but her attention is already on the next package in Hadley’s hand.