Page 30 of Family Jewels

“Why you gotta go stirrin’ up trouble, Kip?” Hugh said, almost in a whine. “I like things just fine the way they are.”

“And that’s your damn problem, Hugh,” a man snarled. “You never wanna grow or expand. This is a golden opportunity we don’t want to miss.”

“But we’re makin’ a killin’ with this stuff.”

“Just doyourdamn job,” a man said in a gruff voice. “And let me domine.”

“But people are goin’ to get hurt.”

“That’s the causalities of war, idiot.”

I was slammed back into the pawn shop. “There’s gonna be casualties of war,” I gasped, the blood rushing from my head. I took a step backward as the room seemed to spin around me.

Hugh’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “What are you talkin’ about?”

Neely Kate laughed, but it sounded forced to my ears. “It’s a book she’s reading—Causalities of War. I think it’s an old Civil War book. She’s kind of obsessed with it.” She snatched the bag with the brooch from his hand. “Call me if you get any more necklaces in.”

“Yeah . . .” he stammered. “Sure.”

Looping her arm through mine, Neely Kate turned me around and headed for the door. As she tugged me toward it, I caught sight of a man with short, dirty-blond hair leaning against the doorway to the back. He looked like a harder, rougher version of Hugh. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his dark eyes narrowed as he watched me.

I’d bet moneyhewas Kip.

Kip Wagner.

Chapter 7

Neely Kate draggedme out the door and pushed me into the passenger side, then climbed behind the wheel, which was a good thing since I still hadn’t physically recovered from my vision.

“What made you force a vision?” she asked, snatching my purse from me and digging inside looking for the keys.

I didn’t answer, my brain still addled.

Once she found them, she shoved them into the ignition, started the engine. “Rose. What happened? You’re kind of freaking me out right now.”

I moved my mouth and tried to answer, but only a croak came out. I took a breath and tried again. “I had a vision.”

“I already figured that part out. What made you do it? What did you see?” She’d already driven far enough away from the shop that we were probably out of view.

I leaned over to check the mirror on the door. “Are they following us?”

“Why in the world would they be following us?”

“Did you see the guy in the doorway to the back?”

“Barely. I was too worried about you. You looked like you were about to faint.”

“I saw him in my vision. Or more like Iheardhim.”

“The guy in the doorway?”

I nodded, swallowing. My mouth was dry, my head was pounding, and I felt dangerously close to throwing up. My visions usually didn’t affect me other than a momentary blackout, but the previous winter, I’d asked to see things that weren’t going to happen, and my questions had plunged me into a gray abyss that had persisted until I’d asked to see something else. I’d ended up vomiting and having a massive headache. Right now, I felt five times worse.

“What did you see that freaked you out so much?” Her voice rose and I knew I’d scared the dickens out of her. “I’m guessing you had a vision for the sales guy?”

I leaned my head back, resting my hand on my protesting stomach. “And you.”

She blinked and did a double take. “Iwas in the vision you had of him?”