Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
dani
I peered through the glass, a grin tipping my lips when I found what I was looking for.
A chiming noise rippled through the silence in the store when someone entered.
My attention didn’t stray from the weapons in the locked glass case.
Until a dangerous heat flowed through my veins.
My heart thrashed when a familiar excitement engulfed me.
I straightened up, stumbling back a step, knocking into a tall shelf.
I spun around to see the stacks of winter gloves falling to the floor.
I hurriedly picked them up, feeling eyes on me.
“You okay, miss?” the store clerk asked from his stool at the register.
I sucked in a shaky breath, regaining control before answering. “Yes….” I paused, trying to think of an excuse for my erratic behavior. “I thought I saw a spider.”
The old man pushed his large glasses up his nose, giving me a look before shaking his head and going back to his crossword. “This is why women don’t belong in hardware stores,” he grumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. “The only machinery they should be around is in the kitchen.”
I bit back my retort, anger quickly replacing the nostalgia of my past that had taken over for a few moments.
Seeing as I needed to buy something from this asshole, I had to be nice.
Plus, this was the only store in Winterlake that sold tools and weapons.
It wasn’t a good idea to get on the bad side of the person who worked here when I might need to visit again while I was living here.
My eyes flicked back to the knives behind the glass, my internal struggle tearing me apart.
I was here to buy something to protect myself.
After being chased in the woods, I refused to be trapped in a vulnerable situation again.
But…it had been years since I held a knife in my hand for a reason.
I couldn’t go back down the road that nearly ruined my life.
“Don’t let Buck bother you,” a new voice cut in. “He’s a prickly old bastard who wants to make everyone as miserable as he is.”
I spun around, coming face to face with a man I’d never seen.
He grinned, wrinkle lines appearing around his eyes.
His long hair was a dark brown and pulled up behind his head.
I guessed he was in his mid-thirties, and he was bundled up in a thick jacket with a pair of worn leather boots on his feet.
Maybe he worked at the warehouse I’d seen the other day.
While he was attractive, his flirtatious smile did nothing for me.
“Nice to meet you, intern.” He held out his hand. “I’m Riggs.”
I eyed his outstretched arm warily. “Dani.”
It was hard to gauge if he was messing with me or was genuinely happy to meet me.
The citizens of this town didn’t seem to like outsiders very much.
His hand enclosed mine, his firm grip putting me immediately on edge.
His dark blue eyes trailed down my body, taking in my new puffy coat and jeans.
A pleasant smile remained on his lips when I tugged my hand from his grip, and he met my gaze again.
“Do you hunt?” he asked.
I frowned. “What?”
He jerked a nod toward the glass case. “Why else would you be looking at knives?”
“Sport. Self-defense.” I shrugged. “I don’t hunt animals.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You aren’t one of those tree huggers, are you?”
“My store isn’t a place to loiter,” Buck said, glancing up from his crossword to glare at me. “If you’re not going to buy anything, then leave.”
“No, I am buying something,” I replied, pointing at the middle shelf behind the glass. “I’d like two of those, please.”
With an annoyed sigh, Buck tossed his booklet on the counter before sliding off the stool. He grabbed a cane, slowly hobbling closer. “Two of what?”
“The Pardue Mini-Griptilian.”
Riggs let out a low whistle, inspecting me all over again. “The woman knows her knives, Buck. Maybe you should be nicer to her.”
Buck limped behind the case, crouching down to unlock it.
I shifted impatiently, not enjoying that Riggs was right next to me—in my personal space.
I didn’t believe he was trying to intimidate me, but it didn’t matter.
After my past, I detested having anyone in my space.
Not caring if he noticed, I shuffled to the side until he was a good two feet away.
He caught my eye, cocking his head slightly. For some reason, unease stabbed me in the chest. My pulse thudded as I swallowed thickly. Trust your gut. I’d been told that statement so many times in therapy and in my self-defense classes.
But I was broken.
I didn’t trust anyone.
A nice smile or kind attitude meant absolutely nothing.
No one knew what went on in someone’s brain.
Even in all my years of learning psychology and how the mind worked, I couldn’t learn about a person without delving into their mannerisms and talking to them at length.
While I was good at telling if someone was lying or not, I wasn’t perfect.
Which was why I was completely content to be alone like I had been the last twelve years.
My heart skipped a beat when Kole’s face popped into my thoughts. For some unknown fucking reason, I had no issue letting him get close to me in the storage room of his bar. Why? I had no damn idea.
“You want two?” Buck asked, pulling my attention back to him. “Why?”
I stiffened, not expecting his question. It wasn’t like I was buying one of the hunting rifles on the shelf below. It was a small folding knife. A weapon that shouldn’t warrant questions.
“For protection,” I answered slowly.
Buck snorted, dismissing my words with a wave of his hand. “There isn’t any crime here.”
My lips parted, anger skating down my spine. Was I really going to have to persuade him to sell me what I wanted?
“I’d like to buy two please,” I said firmly.
“Do you even know how to use one of these?” he shot back. “I’m not going to be responsible for a little girl hurting herself because she’s trying to act tough while living in the mountains.”
Riggs slid his hands in his jeans pockets, glancing at me. “He’s as stubborn as a mule. The grocery store sells small pocketknives—”
“No,” I cut in sharply. “I want that one. The handle? It’s glass-reinforced nylon.
This company is known for making their own steel by hand.
And the lock for unfolding and folding is perfect.
” I pointed to another knife on the shelf.
“Would you like me to name and describe that one as well? I could do it for every weapon in this case.”
Silence fell over the room as both men stared at me. Buck finally closed his gaping mouth, running a hand over his gray beard.
“Are you sure you don’t hunt?” Riggs muttered before chuckling. “That was impressive.”
“I need to see your ID,” Buck stated before I could respond.
“Identification for a knife?” I questioned.
“Is that a problem?”
“No.” I dug my wallet out of my purse, handing him the new ID I got before coming to Winterlake. “It’s just unusual.”
He ignored me, setting the knives on top of the glass and taking out a clipboard with a stack of papers on it.
He leaned closer, reading something on the handle of the knife before copying it to the paper on the clipboard.
A serial number? While that wasn’t unheard of, it was interesting how strict it was to buy a small blade in this town. Maybe it was how they kept crime low.
Riggs strolled away, looking at me over his shoulder. “Good meeting you, Dani.”
The chime rang out when he exited, and I stared at his back as the glass paneled door swung shut.
Another man fell in step with Riggs as they crossed the street, disappearing from view.
Maybe Buck had a right to be cranky about loitering.
Riggs walked out without buying anything.
But there was only so much to do in this town; I was sure people milled around these stores all the time if they were bored.
“Sign here.”
My eyes swung back to Buck, who was holding his clipboard toward me.
I scanned the paper, surprise taking hold.
He’d written my name and ID number, along with the serial number for each knife.
I scribbled my signature on the line, handing the pen back to him.
If they wanted my information, then they could have it.
As long as I had the protection I needed.
“It’s three hundred dollars for both,” he grunted, grabbing his cane to head back to the cash register.
I handed him my new debit card, taking note that the machine he slid it through was one of the oldest models I’d seen. But since this entire town only had dial up internet, I guessed the newer card machines probably didn’t work here.
My gut knotted when the receipt slowly printed. That was the rest of my money until I got paid again on Friday. In my mind, it was worth it. I’d been on edge ever since I was chased in the forest.
Having protection outweighed being hungry for a couple days.