RIVER
Page 11
“But why refuse the extra money?” he pressed.
“Because I don’t want to owe you. I wouldn’t take any of your money if I wasn’t desperate.”
Shock froze his tongue. Even his Dragon subsided, confused. For the first time, Brandon wondered if he had made a terrible mistake. If he had misjudged her… offered insult to an innocent person…
He opened his mouth to say that, but the words caught in his throat. He was an Alpha. A Dragon. Lord of his Flight. Admitting mistakes did not come naturally to him. And yet…
And yet, Truth was more valuable than Pride. Any honorable Shifter – any honorable man – knew this. If he had made a mistake, he would correct it.
He coughed to cover his disquiet. Amarie finished unloading her tea tray and scurried off, leaving the two of them alone. Awkward silence fell in her wake.
Something had to be said. “Why are you desperate?” he asked at last. A hint of a growl frosted the words. Immediately, her eyes narrowed, and he hurried to cut off her outburst. “I understand that I have no right to ask this.” To his relief, her anger dimmed. She had a forgiving soul, he thought, if it took so little to placate her. “But I am curious why anyone would sell a family heirloom.”
“Because family is more important than any antique,” she replied, “and if I have to choose between the two, my family comes first.”
As it should. That was a noble answer.
Not at all the answer of a thief. It seemed ever more likely that he had erred. In response, his Dragon went completely silent. Apparently, apologies were his business, not the Dragon’s.
“Would you tell me why your family needs precisely $72,300? Please,” he added, as she hesitated.
“My brother was hit by a car four months ago, just before he graduated from high school. They never caught the driver. My parents own a small farm, north of Albany. We had insurance,” she sighed, “but…”
“It failed to cover expenses? By $72,300?”
She nodded. The last traces of her anger faded, swept away by a tired grief. “I don’t want to sell this coin. My grandpa loved it, and it’s been in my family for centuries…”
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