Chapter 8

Silk

Once the door of the limo was closed, Antonio tore at the string holding the book closed. I shrunk back into my seat, and did my best to keep my gaze focused on his face, rather than his hands. I knew that if he knew I’d so much as peeked at the contents of that bloody book, I’d find myself in a whole heap of, no doubt painful, trouble.

When he opened the cover and saw the envelope, a frown creased his brow a moment as he examined it, then lifted his eyes to run over me briefly before he focused on the driver.

“Head downtown, to the East West Bank.”

I relaxed a little when he tilted the book toward himself, so I couldn’t see the pages, even if I was looking. He flipped through them quickly, muttering in Italian what I guessed were curses.

“You are certain you didn’t look in this book?”

I held his gaze steadily. “I delivered it to you in the condition I found it. Bound with string.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie. And he didn’t further question me on it. Ripping the envelope from the front, he closed the cover and handed the book to one of his goons.

“Do not open that. Keep it safe until I request it from you.”

With a nod, the big man slid the book inside his jacket, flashing the butt of a gun resting in a holster under his arm as he did. I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. I hoped I was doing the right thing, going with him so he had no reason to come after me again.

Antonio tore the top from the envelope and tipped it against his palm. A key and small card fell out. The quick flash of the card I saw had me thinking it was some kind of password. Random letters and numbers just like those were written the page underneath the envelope. Antonio pocketed the card before smiling over at me.

“Here, take the key. You will need it to access the box, as the next of kin.”

“Then I’ll be free to go?”

He cocked his head at me. “You don’t want to see what’s inside that had me chasing you down?”

I shook my head. “Hell, no. Like I said before, I’d like to still be breathing tomorrow and I have no need for whatever is in that box.” I gave him a small smile. “Hopefully, you’ll be so busy looking at whatever it is, you’ll let me go on my merry way.”

With a frown he glared at me. “I’m finding it hard to believe you have no curiosity about what you’ve been kidnapped over.”

“Let’s just say, my self-preservation instincts are stronger than my curiosity.”

He made a gruff sound that I think was his attempt at a chuckle, then the car came to a stop and once more we exited the vehicle and made our way into the bank. I gripped the small key tightly in my fist, praying that Antonio would keep his word and let me go once he had this stupid box.

With Antonio by my side, I walked up to the customer service counter.

“I’ve recently found out my late father, John Bennett, had a safe deposit box here. I have his key, and here is my driver’s license.”

I handed both over, figuring I’d give the woman everything at once to save her having to ask.

“Sorry for your loss, ma’am.”

She held the key up close to her face and tilted it to read the number stamped into the metal. Then she turned to her computer and tapped away for a bit.

“Will you be taking the contents with you today, ma’am?”

“Please, call me Claudine. And yes, I’ll be taking whatever is in the box with me.”

She squinted at the computer and frowned. “It looks like there’s two boxes assigned to that key. Strange.”

I didn’t know much about how these box things worked but that didn’t sound right. “Aren’t the boxes all keyed differently? How can one key open two boxes?”

“Oh, the actual key will only open one box. The other box is a keyless one. We don’t have many customers ask for them. It’s easier to use a key to access them. This one has your name listed as its owner, actually. Now, let me print off these forms, and I’ll get you to sign them. Then I’ll take you back to the boxes.”

As she fluffed around with the forms I thought over why there’d be two boxes. What would my father have left for me at the same place he was hiding mob stuff at?

“Right, here you go. Just sign here, and here.”

She continued on and I followed her instructions, signing whenever she told me to. Finally, the forms were all done and with a smile the woman handed the key back to me.

“Follow me, please.”

We entered a large room with walls lined with metal boxes. There was a large table in the center, where I guessed people normally went through their boxes.

“Excuse me, miss. Do you have private rooms for viewing the contents of the boxes?”

Antonio’s question startled me. He’d been silent for so long.

“Ah, yes we do. Let me get the boxes, then I’ll take you through.”

Confidently, she walked through the room and stopped to scan the numbers about two-thirds of the way down.

“Here you go. This one here is the keyed one. I’ll just be a moment while I get the other box for you. Please wait here.”

She slipped through a narrow door at the end of the room and vanished from sight. I held the key out to Antonio.

“I’ll give you the key, if you give me my phone back. This is the end for us. You can take your box to a private room and do whatever you need to, I’ll take my box and leave. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. Now it’s time for you to keep to your word.”

My voice came out strong, even though I was a mass of nerves inside. He frowned at me but clicked his fingers toward the goon who’d followed us in. The other two had waited back in the hallway. His man handed over my phone and battery to Antonio, who held them out toward me.

“We took the battery out to disable the GPS, nothing else has been done to it.”

I took the items and he took the key. I’d just slipped the battery back in and turned my phone on when the bank lady returned with a smaller box. I heard a metallic sliding noise and assumed Antonio had slid the box from the table, but I didn’t care. My whole focus was on the box in her hands.

“Ah, did you both want to open the boxes in the private viewing room?”

“No. I’ll go through that one here. My friend here, will use the private room for his box.”

The woman frowned a little but seemed to get over whatever her issue was quickly.

“Okay, well, sir, if you’d please follow me I’ll take you to the private room. Claudine, I’ll come back and escort you out after I settle your friend in.”

I grinned as she placed the box on the table. “Great. Thank you for all your help.”

I waited until I was alone before I quickly pulled the box closer to me and opened the lid. Shit. Maybe I should have asked if they had a second private room. I set my handbag up on the table next to the box and quickly moved the several rolls of cash into my, thankfully, large bag. I carefully picked up the handgun, made sure the safety was on, and put that in my bag too. I had no idea if the thing would even work after sitting in a box for over fifteen years, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to test it out in a bank’s strong room.

I moved to pick up the thick, heavy A4 yellow envelope and my eyes stung at seeing my dad’s handwriting on it. A smaller piece of paper was folded and stuck below where he’d written my name. I carefully peeled the tape off so I could unfold and read the note.

“Fuck, Dad. What the hell did you do?”

My whispered words echoed in the empty room and I didn’t hang around. The note clearly stated that if anyone related with the mob was with me, that I couldn’t trust them and I needed to run, far and fast. After placing the envelope in my bag, I made one last check of the box to make sure I had everything, before I spun toward the exit. I rushed out of the room before I’d realized that the bank lady hadn’t returned to get me. When I slammed straight into the solid body of one of Antonio’s guards, I knew why she hadn’t.

“Give me that envelope, and whatever else was in the box? Was it cash? More papers?”

He’d been watching me at least for the last minute or so. Dammit, I hadn’t even thought to check the hall was clear, just barreled straight into danger.

I tried to break free of the tight grip he had on my shoulders but couldn’t get his hold to even loosen a little. Letting my fury fuel me, I lifted my leg in preparation to knee him, and the bastard twisted so my knee landed against his thigh, not his groin like I’d planned. With a growl he spun me and slammed me against the wall.

“Always the hard way.”

He took a fist full of my hair and pulled my head back. A scream tore from my throat when I realized he was going to slam my head against the wall. I pushed my hands against the cold marble with all the strength I could muster, trying to get my face as far away from the hard surface as I could. I would be knocked out from the blow at the least. Hell, with this bastard’s strength, I’d be lucky to still be alive afterwards!

Next thing I knew, I was shoved from the side hard enough I went sprawling toward the floor. I manage to catch myself with my hands, rather than my face, and my wrists screamed in protest at the jarring. I didn’t look back, but tried to get to my feet as a scrambled down the hallway. Hands under my arms lifted me to my feet and I tensed, gripping my bag with one hand and clenching the other, ready to swing around and punch.

“Shh, Silk. It’s just me. Can you walk? I need you to walk with me, as fast as you can to the front doors.”

Eagle. He’d come for me. I leaned back against him for a moment. “Yeah, I can do that.”

He loosened his hold and I turned to look over his shoulder. Antonio’s man was lying on the floor out cold with half his face beginning to swell up. I glanced down at Eagle’s hands and saw the knuckles on his right were roughed up.

“That make you feel better, babe?” He growled as he led me across the main foyer of the bank. “Because it’ll take more than one fucking punch to make me feel better.”

I nearly tripped over my feet. Eagle had knocked that huge man out with one single blow? Wow.

Uncle Clint stood by the door, until he saw me. Then he strode toward me, helmet in hand.

“Here, put this on. I want you to get on the back of Eagle’s bike and let him take you away. You understand?”

“Where’s the bag? From the airport?”

I jumped a little with Mac appeared at my side. “It’s safely stored on my bike, Silk.”

Uncle Clint drew my attention back to him. “Mac and Taz will be riding with you. Scout and Nitro and I are gonna hang around, make sure no one follows you.”

I winced. I knew full well what he meant by that. “Please, be careful.”

He kissed my forehead before taking the helmet from my hands and placing it on my head, and quickly doing up the strap.

“Go on, before it’s too late.”

I rushed toward the door, with Eagle and Mac tight on my heels, and as I pushed against the glass, I heard Antonio call my name. Fear had me bolting out the door and onto the street, allowing Eagle to guide me. We jogged down half a block where Taz sat on his bike, next to Eagle’s and Mac’s. It sounded like all three were idling, ready to go in an instant.

Eagle didn’t give me a chance to get on. He simply lifted me up and put me on the back before he slipped on in front of me.

“Hold on, baby.”

Tucking my handbag safely between us, I wrapped my arms around his waist. The moment I did, he took off down the street, Mac and Taz thundering along behind us.

Relief at being free and clear of Antonio and his goons had tears pricking my eyes and I did nothing to stop them. The wind against my face dried them within seconds and there was no way I could contain my elation at riding away from all the shit Antonio had brought down on me.

Being pressed up against Eagle wasn’t too bad either. His hard abs beneath my palms felt wonderful, and briefly, I wondered if he’d mind if I slipped my hands under his shirt. I soon decided not to try it, at least not today. I didn’t want him to crash because he was distracted.

Eagle

When we stopped at a set of lights, I lowered my hand to her thigh, giving it a squeeze. I told myself I was doing it to reassure Silk, but I was mainly doing it because I could scarcely believe she was safely on the back of my bike. Her legs tightened against me and she rested her cheek against the back of my shoulder. Without my cut between us, I could feel the warmth from her skin through my shirt. It felt so fucking right to have her wrapped around me like this.

I hadn’t really believed it would be so easy to get Silk away from that mob goon back at the bank. He’d been a huge bastard, but I knew I had power in my strikes, and in the end, it had only taken one well-placed punch to the side of his head to drop him. I winced as I remembered how it had sent Silk skidding across the floor. That had been unfortunate, but it was better than allowing the bastard to slam her head against the wall like he was about to. My heart skipped more than one fucking beat as I thought about would have happened if I’d been even a few seconds later than I had been. A shudder ran through me and she nuzzled her face against my back, soothing me with the caress. Part of me wanted to pull over and check her from head to toe for injuries now, but I resisted. When we next stopped, I’d make sure it was at a hotel where I could have some privacy to make one hundred percent sure she was unharmed.

About two hours later, Silk started squirming around behind me. Figuring she needed a break, I pulled into a motel on the outskirts of a small town, with complete confidence my brothers would follow me. The place looked a little worse for wear, but I didn’t give a damn. We could all use a couple hours of sleep before we rode the rest of the way home. I didn’t want to stop too often, but right now, I needed to check Silk was truly okay. And I couldn’t do that the way I wanted to in public.

As soon as I pulled up, Silk slid off and stretched her legs, then her arms and back. Damn, she was sexy as fuck. The way she moved had my cock throbbing for some attention. Wincing, I swung my leg over my bike and, leaving Silk in Taz and Mac’s care for a moment, I headed into the motel office.

I flashed enough cash at the clerk, he was happy to give me two room keys for the afternoon without needing any paperwork filled out. I went out and tossed one key to Mac. “You and Taz can crash in there for a couple hours. I made sure it had two doubles, so don’t start bitching.”

To the sound of them snickering like a pair of school girls, I snatched up Silk’s hand and dragged her to our room. It was next to where Taz and Mac would be, and I figured they’d move my bike for me. If not, it could just stay by the front office for the afternoon. At this point, I didn’t give a fuck. I was about to have Silk all to myself, in private.

In no time I had the door unlocked, us inside, and it slammed shut. I hung the old-school key on the hook on the back of the door, then prowled toward Silk. She was setting her bag on the table when she noticed me coming at her. With wide eyes, she backed away from me until the wall prevented her from going any further. She didn’t say a word as I laid a hand against the wall on either side of her, boxing her in. I dropped my face into her neck to inhale against her skin and smiled when a slight tremor ran through her body. Her sweet scent filled my lungs and the tight bands around my chest loosened a little. I wasn’t dreaming, Silk was really here, and unharmed. Or was she? I had a sudden urgent instinct, one I couldn’t shut down, that demanded I check her thoroughly for injury.

She gasped when I grabbed the bottom of her shirt and ripped it over her head. Moving onto her pants, I was solely focused on getting her stripped naked. That is, until Silk took my face between her palms. The moment she did that, my entire body stilled and I looked up into her pale blue irises. I could guess she wouldn’t find the wild look I had in my eyes comforting. I’d been going crazy the whole time she’d been gone. Now that I had her back, and I wasn’t going to fucking let her go.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking you for injuries. I sorry, but I can’t stop. I need to do this, to make sure you’re really okay.”

She smiled gently, like one would to a crazy person. Maybe I was crazy. “I don’t need to be naked for you to do that.” Dropping her right hand from my face, she rolled her shoulder forward to reveal the burn marks from a Taser. “This is the only wound I have, from when they grabbed me at Silky Ink.”

There were bruises too, from when she’d been grabbed in the bank. Each bicep had a darkening patch right where the bastard’s thumbs would have been. I gently wrapped my palm around her skin, below the bruise.

“You’ve got bruises too. Fuck, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t stop them from taking you. I should have risked it and taken a head shot.”

There hadn’t been much time to do it. Only seconds, but I should have at least tried. Staring at her injuries, my vision turned red for a moment as fury coursed through me. I knew she could have been hurt a whole lot worse than this, but the fact that she’d been hurt at all burned my soul.

Silk’s fingers drove into my hair and twisted so I was focused to turn to look at her face again. Fuck, she was so beautiful.

“Eagle, I’m fine. It will all heal in no time. Yeah, I’m a little shaken up after it all, but honestly, I’m okay. I’d be a hell of a lot worse off if you’d killed the one that first grabbed me. You would have ended up in jail, then they would have come after me again. Doubt they would have taken such care to not hurt me if I’d cost them one of their own.”

I shifted my hand to stroke over her smooth belly before I gripped her hip. She looked sexy as sin wearing just her black lacy bra, and her jeans’ fly ripped open, revealing the matching panties.

“I swear you took ten years off my life when I heard you scream. I came running, but it was already too late.”

She smirked. “You shot my kidnapper twice in the leg. Antonio put him on driver duty because he has to use a crutch to walk while it heals. He wasn’t a happy man.”

A growl rippled up my throat. “He’ll be a whole lot less happy if I ever see him again.”

I tightened my grip on her before I moved in to press my body against hers. The sexual energy crackled between us and I gave in and took her mouth with mine. That one taste I’d had two days ago hadn’t been nearly enough. I had a feeling I’d never get enough of this woman. Somehow, over the past ten months, she’d become vital to my existence.

She thrust both of her hands in my hair, wrapping her fingers in it when I nipped her lower lip. She opened on a moan and I slipped my tongue inside to dance with hers. She was the best thing I’d ever tasted. My cock throbbed as I wondered what her cream would taste like. Not leaving her mouth, I slipped a hand up her spine, pulling her slightly away from the wall so I could get to the catch on her bra. The moment I had the thing unhooked, I broke the kiss and took the material from her body. As I’d guessed, her tits were fucking perfect. Smooth, white skin tipped with pierced rosy nipples that were already hard and waiting for me.

With another growl I took her mouth again. It was rough and hot, and when I wrapped my palm over her breast, kneading it before tweaking the metal bar through her nipple, she arched against me with a loud moan. I kissed a trail down her throat and kept going until I had my mouth on her tits. I kept working her over with my lips and teeth as I ran my hands down further and pushed her jeans and panties over her hips.

The way she writhed under my hands and mouth was so fucking sexy it nearly had me coming in my pants like a fucking teenager. When her boots stopped me from getting her completely naked, my frustration rose up.

“Dammit.”

I scooped her up and tossed her on the bed. She giggled as I attacked her boots until I had them off and could rip her jeans free. Once she was naked I stood up and took in the sight. Her parted lips were dark red from my kisses, the small love bites dotting her chest had me grinning. She’d wear my marks for a few days at least. After tearing my shirt over my head, I tugged on my belt, loosening the buckle before I undid my jeans. Her eyes zeroed in on what I was doing as she continued to squirm on the bed.

Toeing off my own boots, I shoved my jeans and boxer-briefs down in one movement. The way her eyes widened and her palms went to her breasts had me gripping my cock and giving it a few strokes.

“You gonna let me have you, Silk? Even though I don’t have my top rocker yet.”

She licked her lips and her stare remained glued to my hand sliding over my hard length.

“Would I be lying here naked if I didn’t want you to fuck me, Eagle? I don’t give a shit if you have your patch or not. But you’re not doing it without a condom.”

I smirked as I reached for my discarded jeans, searching for my wallet.

“I’ll wrap it up for you, baby. Don’t you worry about that.”

I pulled the condom out before I chucked the wallet back down on top of my jeans. I tossed the condom on the bed beside Silk before resting a knee between her feet.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to have you like this, baby. All soft and naked...waiting for me to ease that ache you have.”

Silk

I struggled to tear my gaze away from his dick. He had it fisted in his hand and was stroking it slow and hard. Fuck. I wanted him. When he gripped my ankle with his other hand, my gaze followed the movement. His skin looked so dark compared to my incredibly pale leg. His Native American heritage meant his skin was a deep tan color all over and I wanted nothing more than to taste every inch. I ran my tongue over my lower lip at the thought.

“Don’t tease, baby. That’s not nice.”

I blinked up at him. “How was I teasing? You’re the one sitting there out of my reach, looking sexy as fuck.”

Feeling cheeky, I ran my palms over my breasts, tweaking my nipples before running one hand down my torso.

“Guess, I’ll just have to play with what I can reach.”

As my fingertip grazed my clit a low growl filled the room.

“That’s mine.”

A moment later he was on me, shoving my legs apart and diving face first between them in one smooth movement. A brush of hot air against my flesh was my only warning before he set his mouth on me.

“Fuuuuck.”

Unable to stay still, I bucked up against him as he thrust his tongue deep within me. Well, at least I did until he gripped each of my hips in his hands and held me still. I fisted one hand in his silky hair, and the other in the bed cover. The coil of desire in my lower belly building faster than it ever had before. Eagle alternated between swiping the flat of his tongue over me, nipping my clit, and thrusting his tongue deep in my pussy. Every move he made had me panting and shivering under the onslaught. My climax grew closer and I thrashed my head back and forth as I moaned his name. I groaned when he lifted his head to stare up into my eyes. It was more than a mere ache, my pussy pulsed with need. I licked my lips, ready to demand he put his mouth back on me, but stopped short when he released a hip and pressed two fingers deep within me, curling them forward until he found my secret spot. Before I could take a full breath I blew apart. With a scream, I arched up from the mattress, pressing myself firmly against his mouth once more as he began to lap at me again.

Panting, I lay in a contented heap, watching Eagle through half closed eyes. He reached for the condom and covered himself with it before he crawled up over me. As soon as he was close enough, I reached for him, wrapping my arms around his neck to bring him down to me. I licked at his lips, moaning as I caught a taste of myself mixed with his unique flavor. He took possession of my mouth in the same instant that he gripped my thigh, lifted it and thrust deep. My internal muscles were still recovering from my first climax and rippled against his hard length. My body undulated beneath him, loving how he trapped me with his larger frame.

“So fucking tight. You feel so good, Silk.”

He kissed me again, before he lifted up to get more leverage to pound into me. Every glide of his cock into me sent me higher. I ran my palms over his shoulders, down his pecs and pinched at his nipples.

“Fuck me, woman.”

He leaned back to kneel as he lifted my ass in his hands. The next thrust in had him going deeper than ever and I threw out my hands to grab the covers, desperately searching for something to keep me grounded as he struck my g-spot with Every. Single. Stroke.

“Eagle!”

Stars and black spots swam across my vision as I struggled to drag breath in as my second orgasm hit me like a freight train. I heard my name a few moments before Eagle’s weight was over me, pressing me into the mattress. As my mind came back online, I groaned. Damn man weighed a ton... and it was all hard muscle.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to squish you.”

He gave me another quick peck on the lips, before rolling off both me and the bed and took the few steps over to the bathroom. I couldn’t resist watching his very fine ass as he strode away. Damn, but that man was certainly built to please. When he disappeared from view, I shifted around until I was under the covers. I was tired and could use an hour or two nap before I had to sit on a bike for who knows how long. The boys may want to do the rest of the trip without any more long stops. At a guess, we still had at least ten hours of ride time ahead of us. With only short stops, that was a long time to sit on the back of a bike. I’d been riding bikes forever, but even for me that was a long haul.

I was already drifting off when Eagle came back and pulled the covers off. My heart did a flip when, with care, he lifted my leg and wiped a warm washcloth over my inner thighs and pussy. He pulled the cover back over me before he turned and tossed the cloth back into the bathroom. Next thing I knew, I had over six feet of delicious male spooned up against me, his stiff dick pressed against my ass. I couldn’t resist wriggling a little against him.

“Quit teasing me, woman. I only had the one condom, and we do need to catch some shut-eye before we head off again.”

Chuckling, I snuggled back against him and let myself go, knowing with certainty, Eagle would keep me safe while I slept.

The next thing I knew, soft lips were pressing kisses over my bare shoulder.

“Hmmm.”

“Sorry, baby. I wish I could let you sleep longer, but we gotta get up and get moving.”

I rolled onto my back and stretched out, getting the kinks out of my spine as I always did when I woke. And was rewarded with a low tortured groan.

“You are a cruel woman, Silk. I’ll leave you to grab a quick shower while I discuss with the boys where we’re going.”

That got my attention.

“I don’t need a shower, and where are we going? I thought we were going home?”

I stood from the bed and moved around, gathering my clothes to put on.

“We’re going back to Bridgewater, but I don’t think going to your place or the clubhouse is a smart idea right now. I have no idea what kind of trouble Bulldog is going to kick up back in L.A. before they leave.”

I winced. Yeah, Uncle Clint was no doubt delivering a beat down that was going to come back and bite the club in the ass. Especially her if they could get their hands on her.

“I know where we can go. Let’s go find the others.”

As soon as we were both dressed, I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping it didn’t look like I’d just been fucked. I slung my bag over my head and grabbed my helmet before I followed Eagle out the door.

“That bag of yours looks damn heavy. Want to put it in my saddle bag?”

Anyone else, I wouldn’t trust to keep it safe, but this was Eagle and deep down I knew he would never intentionally hurt me.

“Um, yeah. It kinda is now. That’d be great.”

He gave me a funny look, but I wasn’t ready to discuss what my father had left me in that box. I strode off toward where the bikes sat, Mac and Taz leaning against a wall next to them, both with smirks on their faces. I winced at them knowing what Eagle and I had done earlier.

“You two better keep your mouths shut about Eagle and me, or he’ll get a beat down like you read about.”

Both their expressions turned to stone on a dime.

“Neither of us would ever betray our brother, Silk. You don’t even have to say it. You should know that.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t want to risk it. The cost is too high. Right, now Eagle said y’all don’t think it’s a great idea for me to be staying in town when we get back. I have a place. I normally take off for the week or so around the ninth of September, so I’ve got a cabin all booked and ready to go. I’m also not scheduled at the shop for a couple of weeks, so disappearing won’t be an issue for me work-wise.”

She wasn’t sure what the three men were scheduled to do for the club, but she was certain Scout and Bulldog would handle it so they were all free and clear for the time they were gone.

“Where is this place of yours? And who knows where it is?”

“It’s on the coast, about an hour’s ride from my home. And no one knows, not even Gabs or my uncle. I go off grid every year. Uncle Clint doesn’t like it, but he can respect my reasons for it and has left it alone so far. So, you three better keep it to yourselves. I do not want to have to find a new hiding spot because everyone in the club suddenly knows where to find me.”

Although I pretty much suspected I would need to do just that, regardless. No way would these three be able to deny telling Scout or my uncle its location. As Prospects, they didn’t really have a say in the matter.

Losing the cabin was going to hurt like a bitch. I loved that house. If I could afford it, I’d have bought the place. But it was buy the cabin or start up Silky Ink. Naturally, I’d chosen my shop, especially considering the owner of the cabin was a lovely older man who had told me I could buy it from him whenever I could afford it–that he wouldn’t sell it out from under me.