Back then, he had been James. Skinny. Angry. Now he was Inferi. Violence had reshaped him.
"What do you want?"
"Shop has been quite busy today. I always knew you would do amazing things with the shop." Inferi smiled.
His gaze drifted over the walls. The light fixtures.
"Comes and goes," she replied.
She refused to let him see pride. Pride could be taxed. Pride could be taken.
"Well, I and your dad had a little deal on the side."
"My dad had no deal whatsoever with you, Inferi. I am absolutely sure of it." Vee asserted.
Inferi's eyes darkened slightly. "You'd be surprised what your father was willing to do when money got tight."
A flicker of doubt crept in. She crushed it immediately.
"Since you are not ordering anything, please leave."
Everything happened quickly after that.
One second he was leaning lazily against the counter. The next, his hand shot out, fingers tangling brutally in her hair at the base of her skull. He yanked.
