Chapter 29 #2
For a heartbeat, I stared, then looked around the room, waiting to see if some other figure was looming in the shadows, waiting to announce their presence. The woman studied me with a cool, impassive expression on her face.
“You’re smaller than I expected,” she said at last.
“You are as well. I was expecting someone much more intimidating to interrogate me.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Sit down, Jillian.”
I didn’t move. “I’m Gil,” I told her. “And you are?”
“My name is Marta, and I command the Nightsworn. Would you like some tea?”
“No.”
“Tea, Lochlan?” Marta looked up to address him.
He sat on one of the cushioned chairs. “Yes, I’ll have some.”
I watched in bewilderment as Marta poured herself and Lochlan cups of tea. This was to be my interrogation? A tea party?
“You can sit down,” she repeated. “You’re not in any danger.”
Slowly, I lowered myself into a seat, muscles still tensed in case I needed to run.
“I imagine you have many questions,” she said, taking the chair across from me and pouring a cup of tea.
“Why is there a reward out for my capture?”
She smiled. “Ah, a woman who dislikes small talk as much as I do. Very good. You see, your Syndicate’s beloved Employer recently put out a bounty for you, and I knew they wouldn’t be as forgiving as I. We saved your life by putting up those posters.”
“A life in a cage is no life at all,” I shot back. “And I never heard about a bounty.”
She sipped her tea. “Elvin’s been keeping the Nightsworn well informed on the Syndicate’s activities for a few years, just as Lochlan has been keeping us informed about Roderick’s plans.
Ambrose offered the bounty to Elvin first, and Elvin said he would take it, then ran straight here to tell us so we could take you before word got out to the other hunters.
We deployed a team to raid the Syndicate and capture Ambrose before he could tell anyone else. ”
“I suppose Elvin told you where to find us?”
She let out a harsh bark of laughter. “You think we haven’t known all this time? You may think that you cover your tracks well, but we’ve watched people going in and out of that house for years. We’ve known exactly where you were for a long time. That’s how we were able to get Elvin in.”
“Then why not raid us years ago?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why she was telling me so much.
“Because you’ve been helping us rid the streets of criminals.
There is a lot of paperwork wrapped up in each mission with the Nightsworn, you see.
Your method is dirtier, but there are far fewer rules.
In short, the Syndicate has been helping us all along, even though they didn’t know it.
When we see bounties issued for certain targets, we don’t need to expend people to complete the same task and can focus on targets the Syndicate isn’t interested in. ”
“Then why step in now? And why issue a reward for me? You haven’t done it for anyone else that I know of.”
Marta tapped her nail on the table. “Elvin says the Employer rarely takes personal interest in the bounties placed, and he says Ambrose was adamant that you were to be brought in immediately.”
I clamped my jaws shut. Did they think Ambrose was the Employer? Or were they simply hoping for information from him?
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I told her. “Why me?”
Lochlan stepped forward. “We don’t know why the Employer is interested in you, but we think this is the perfect opportunity to intercept his orders. The Syndicate operates very efficiently, but we’d like more oversight into what the Employer does and maintain control over bounties issued.”
“Again, why do you care now? There have been hundreds of bounties issued and the Nightsworn never bothered to interfere.”
Marta ran her finger around the rim of her teacup. “We think that if you were to escape prison, the Employer would try to find you, and we would like to find the Employer.”
I looked between them. “You want to use me as bait for a trap,” I said flatly.
“Essentially, yes,” Marta said. She looked rather pleased that I’d caught on so quickly.
Lochlan must have seen the look on my face, because he hurried to add, “If we replace the Employer, we can start issuing bounties for people that the Nightsworn aren’t allowed to touch. We have rules. The Syndicate doesn’t.”
They wanted criminals to do their dirty work for them; that was all. So much for the morally upstanding Nightsworn. They were just as corrupt as the Syndicate, or at least their leader was.
“I suppose Elvin told you all about the Syndicate’s operations, didn’t he?” I glared at Lochlan. “Is he even your half-brother, or did you lie about that, too?”
“He was telling the truth,” Marta said evenly. “My sons might not always get along, but they are both highly loyal.”
It took several seconds for what she said to process. Her sons… Lochlan and Elvin were Marta’s sons.
My mouth fell open. “Your sons?” No wonder Marta looked so familiar. Just as had happened when I’d discovered that Lochlan was Roderick’s son, I could suddenly see the resemblance between the two. “So…you and Roderick…”
Marta smiled ruefully. “Ah yes. Roderick and I were childhood sweethearts. We even both applied to join the Nightsworn before Lochlan was born. We wanted more justice in the world; that was what drew us together. But when I got in and he didn’t, he became resentful and angry.
He said he could do everything the Nightsworn did but without all the rules to tie him down.
We separated when Lochlan was about seven years old, and I remarried another member of the Nightsworn and had Elvin. ”
So Lochlan had told me some of the truth then, as distasteful as it was to hear.
“It’s taken years for us to get Elvin inside the Syndicate. Originally, I had planned to have him go after Roderick, but then Lochlan came to me a few years ago when his allegiances changed.”
“Then why not have Lochlan kill Roderick and be done with him at the time?” I asked. “Or you could’ve sent the Nightsworn to do it once you knew where he was.”
“You’re still thinking about this from a bounty hunter’s point of view.
Complete the task and earn your reward. But many of those contacts, like Roderick, would kill themselves before talking.
So they require a more subtle approach. I would need to assign a member of the Nightsworn to go undercover long-term to gain information.
Information is often more valuable than the target themselves.
That’s what I had with Roderick. Lochlan has been there at my request for years.
Roderick trusts him more than anyone else, so it was easy to leave Lochlan where he was and pass information back and forth. ”
“Roderick blacked Lochlan’s eye,” I spat. “Some mother to leave your son in a predicament like that.”
“My son knows the risks of missions like this,” she said dismissively. “He’s just as likely to get injured on other missions.”
“So what is it exactly that you want me to do?” I asked.
Marta leaned forward. “I already told you. We want your help to catch the Employer. He tends to remain more elusive, and Ambrose was very tight-lipped about the subject when questioned. There are other methods I could use, of course, but I’d prefer a kinder approach if we can manage it.
Otherwise it’s a great deal of paperwork. ”
I stiffened. I might not personally care for Ambrose’s stuffiness, but that didn’t mean I wanted him tortured. “What did you do to him?”
“He’s alive,” Lochlan assured me. “Ambrose is. And we didn’t hurt him, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
My hands balled themselves into fists. “You said you wanted to use me as bait. So what do I get out of this deal?”
“Your freedom,” Marta offered. “And I’ll find your family for you. I have contacts and resources that you don’t.”
I rolled my eyes and drawled, “So you think that we can set a trap, the Employer himself will come toddling in for me, and when he does, you’ll just pop up to surprise him and drop a gunnysack over his head?”
Marta threw Lochlan a look. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in such a sarcastic woman.”
Lochlan gave a shrug along with his crooked smile that I loved so much.
Marta turned back to me. “Sarcasm aside, essentially, yes.”
I crossed my arms. “The Employer doesn’t go on missions himself. That’s why he has a veritable army of bounty hunters. You’ll never catch him.”
“We can,” Lochlan said. “Remember, we have Ambrose. He isn’t talking, but if we put you two together and you happen to help him escape, I have a feeling he will run straight to the Employer and take you along. We’ll follow after.”
“To recover my dead body? Thanks.”
“We won’t let them hurt you,” Lochlan said.
“I made that promise before and I’ll make it again.
” He stared at me, willing me to believe him.
There was no lie in his eyes this time. Shoals, against my better judgment and despite my simmering anger, I still believed his sincerity.
How was Lochlan able to undo me so easily?
Marta stood abruptly. “Not that this isn’t all very interesting, but I’ll excuse myself now and let you carry on with your emotions without me.
Lochlan, take her back to her cell until we have an answer.
” She strode briskly to the door. “Let me know if you’re interested, Jillian.
Otherwise, you’re welcome to stay in prison for the rest of your life. ”
“So that’s your mother,” I said after she closed the door. “Charming woman.”
“She’s a step up from what Roderick is now,” Lochlan said with a slight shrug. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“I understand why,” I admitted through gritted teeth. “I would’ve done the same thing.”
“So you’ll forgive me?”
“I didn’t say that.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “So now you’re supposed to put me and Ambrose together and have us break out, and you’ll turn a blind eye to our escaping as long as you get the Employer?”
“That’s the gist of the plan, yes.”
“What happens once the Employer finds me?”
“Then we replace him with one of our people and allow the Syndicate to continue operating. You can continue as well if you want, but I was telling you the truth when I said I’d help you find your family. And my mother wasn’t lying—we can offer a clean slate.”
I swiped Lochlan’s teacup and stared into its depths. “You never planned to run away with me, did you?”
Lochlan slowly seated himself next to me with the same sort of caution I’d expect from someone approaching a wild animal.
For a moment, I thought he was about to reach out to touch me but seemed to think better of it.
“I was telling you the truth about that. Between you and the Nightsworn, I’d pick you every time. ”
“But you didn’t,” I whispered, looking up at him. “You let them take me.”
His expression became tortured. “It was the only way to keep you safe. Truly, Jillian, I never wanted to hurt you. These last few days, I’ve been working on convincing them to let you do this so you can get out.”
I nodded. “I hoped that was the case.” I drank his tea. “I don’t like feeling vulnerable,” I told the cup, which felt like a much easier target to talk to.
Lochlan carefully placed his hand beside mine, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. “I’m sorry it had to be that way. I worried that if I told you, you’d run.”
I stared into the empty teacup. “You were right. I would have.”
This time, he reached his thumb over to brush against the back of my hand. “I couldn’t let you get away. You’re smart enough to stay hidden. I knew I’d never see you again.”
“Right again.” I didn’t pull away from Lochlan’s touch, but neither did I reciprocate. “So how will this escape plan work?”
Lochlan handed me a small set of lockpicking tools, all rolled together in a piece of leather, as well as my weapons and the vial of pixie blood. “You get yourself and Ambrose out. I’ll clear the path of guards and then follow at a distance.”
I took the tools. “How will I know where to go?”
Lochlan shook his head. “There, I can’t help you. But if the Employer was that interested in finding you, I have a feeling you won’t need to do a lot of searching, particularly if Ambrose has information he didn’t tell us. Win his allegiance by springing him from prison and he may tell you.”
Lochlan took me back to the block of prison cells and put me back in my original cell but didn’t lock it. “Once you go through those doors, Ambrose is being held in the second cell from the left, three rows down. Give me twenty minutes to distract the guards, then get going.”
I held my head high.
“And Jillian?”
“What?”
“I really do care about you. So much.”
Curse that sentimental man. I was going to fall right back into trusting him.
Lochlan paused, waiting, but I couldn’t bring myself to say what he was hoping to hear. Instead, I stiffened and blurted out, “I’ll see you later.”
His shoulders fell an inch, and he left.
Just as he’d said, I waited twenty minutes, then crept out of my unlocked cell and followed Lochlan’s directions.
The other prisoners were sleeping, and I was grateful for it.
I knew several from past missions and had no interest in their waking up and shouting about my presence.
Even if Lochlan had distracted the guards, there was no way a full-on riot would be ignored.
Ambrose was right where Lochlan had said, and once I ensured that there weren’t any guards nearby, I carefully withdrew the lockpicking tools from where I’d hidden them down my shirt and began fiddling with the lock.
Within a few minutes, it clicked open, and a slight grating noise came from the hinges on the cell door as I entered.
I went over to crouch beside Ambrose and poked him awake.
He blearily opened one eye. “Gil? What are you doing here?”
“Shhh,” I hushed him. “I need to ask you something, and you have to be honest with me. Are you the Employer?”
He looked utterly baffled and still in that half-awake phase that made everyone’s tongues looser. “Me? No. What would give you that idea?”
“I found a note with your handwriting signed by the Employer.”
Ambrose slowly shook his head. “I don’t know what note you found, but I’m not the Employer.”