Chapter 13 #3
The brothel smelled of ale and cheap perfume, the air thick enough to chew. The first girl I saw leaned against the stair rail, hips cocked like a challenge. Her black hair was piled high on her head in a mass of curls. Crimson lips pouted—ready to spill lies to men for coin.
Her eyes locked with mine, and those same lips abandoned their allure for a poisonous curl. She ascended the stairs, hips swaying, as she moved straight for me. Her gaze dragged over me, sizing me up as if I was the prey she so expertly hunted.
No thanks.
“Well, look what we have here,” she purred, stepping into my space, hands already sliding over my chest as if she had the right.
I caught her wrists, firm enough to still her wandering fingers and then dropped them, taking a small step back. “I’m not here for that. Tell me where Sapphire is.”
Cold, brown eyes lingered on my lips before she dragged them to meet my gaze. The smile that danced across her mouth was one of pure detest. Like she loathed the mention of Sapphire’s name.
She stepped towards me, then walked two fingers up my chest. “That’s not how things work around here. Pay me and I’ll tell you anything you want to know, honey.”
Heat surged from my stomach, flooding my veins. Of course she’d want payment. I counted to ten in my mind, steadying myself. There were too many people around to start a scene. I plastered on a smile, instead, and dropped my gaze to her chest, lingering there. Two could play this game.
“Surely a clever, beautiful woman such as yourself could just tell me where Sapphire is without the coin. It’s the decent thing to do,” I purred back.
Her crimson-painted lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Tsk. Why do you want to know?” Her eyes glinted with something savage, something that said she’d enjoy holding the truth just out of reach.
My teeth cracked as I clenched them, the sound bouncing around my head. I wasn’t going to get answers from her if I played nice, so I took another step closer.
Someone cleared their throat, and I stalled, looking up the stairs into the face of the owner. I recognised him from last time. Umber hair and beard peppered with grey. His navy striped suit too clean and perfect to be a regular.
“I remember you,” he murmured as she slowly descended one step at a time. “Poor Ree is still nursing his shattered nose.”
It took every ounce of my being not to smile. I knew I shouldn’t have been pleased with my actions, I was a Lightner—I knew better, but the bald headed twat of a male needed to be knocked down a peg or two.
The woman beside me started to shift away as the owner turned his attention to her. “There are other men here far more important that need your skilled touch, Cordelia.”
She offered him a weak smile. “Yes, Kavish.” Then she was gone without even a glance over her shoulder.
Kavish watched her walk away before he faced me. His eyes assessed me silently. His presence didn’t make me feel uncomfortable, but something told me he was a viper dressed in wealth.
“I’m looking for Sapphire,” I said, my voice flat, hard. “Tell me where she is.”
Kavish shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels ever so slightly. “What has given you the impression that I would tell you anything about the women who work here?”
“Please, I just need to know.”
“You come in here, drink my drink, injure my staff, and don’t pay for a fuck? . . . If you were wise you’d turn around and leave.”
“You’re going to be disappointed.”
“I already am.”
Groups of men stumbled by, sloshing whiskey onto the polished floor. I waited for them to pass before answering. “Just tell me, and I’ll go.” The words slipped by with as much patience as I could muster.
Kavish cocked his brow, angling his head to the side. “You’ll leave regardless or Ree will be burying your body later.”
I wanted to fire back, but the room was buzzing with sound and movement. The floor filled with the shuffling feet of drunkards and ladies of the night, so I bit the inside of my cheek, buying my time.
Kavish stared, slow and deliberate, before jerking his chin towards the door. “Get out.”
When I didn’t move, he nodded at Egghead. The wall of a bodyguard stepped forwards—dark splotches still evident under his eyes—and slid a dagger free from his belt. The sound was quiet, but it might as well have been a war horn in the stillness between us.
Every muscle in me coiled to fight. But I forced the tension down, let the moment pass. I’d learn nothing here if I spilled blood.
So despite the desire to strike him a second time, I ran my eyes over both the males, twisted on my heel, and strode from the room, returning to the streets. I’d barely made it a few feet when a voice hissed at me from the shadows.
“Hey, you.”
I pivoted, hand twitching towards the hilt at my hip. A woman emerged from the darkness of a narrow side street—broad-shouldered, flour dust in the creases of her apron and rosy, red cheeks.
She came close enough that I could see the sweat beading on her forehead like she’d been slaving over an oven for hours. “I heard you asking about Sapphire.”
“And you are?”
“Cook at the Silver Finch.” She jerked her head in the direction of the brothel.
All my attention turned to the woman. “Where is she?”
Her jaw worked before the words fell, and I swear I saw a tear glisten in the corner of her eye. “She’s gone. Murdered.”
The world tilted, the noise of the street warping to a dull roar in my ears. All I could do was stare, her voice echoing, refusing to fade.
My stomach clenched, a slow twisting knot that stole the air from my lungs. “Who killed her?”
The woman shook her head softly. “No one knows.”
My body trembled but I kept my voice firm. “When did this happen?”
“About three nights ago,” she sighed softly, pain etched in her face.
The world tilting once was bad enough. Twice was almost unbearable. Three nights ago. The cook's words bounced around in my head, landing a throbbing blow every time it hit the walls of my mind. My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms, grounding me in the worst way.
Three nights ago I was dancing with a bright-eyed beauty. Drinking with my friends . . . laughing. And while I was having fun, Sapphire’s life was taken from her. Snuffed out of this world like she was merely an unwanted flame.
A cold hollowness spread through my chest, as though my ribs had been pried open and everything vital was stolen from me.
This was all my fault.
The king had asked me to do one thing—-persist, and as soon as it got too hard, I failed. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, fighting the burn behind my eyes. How was I going to fix this? Could I?
I took a step towards her, hiding her from prying eyes with my broad frame. “Tell me everything you know.”
The woman glanced around the streets. “I could get fired—killed even, just for talking to you,” her voice hummed low.
Nothing else mattered but finding out what happened. I’d get on my knees and beg if I had to. I took one of her hands in mine and gave it a soft squeeze. “Please.”
She sighed, her light grey eyes filled with sadness. “All I know is, she was found the other night in an alleyway at the marketplace . . . bruises on her neck.”
I gently dropped her hand. “Kavish knows?”
“He does, but he’ll cover it up like he has all the others. This one will bruise his ego though. Sapphire was his favourite.”
All the others? How can this have happened more than once? Even one time was unbearable, let alone thinking about all the other women who might have died because of his negligence.
I was going to be sick. Nausea turned my stomach sour and it took all of my strength not to heave up the contents onto the cobblestone.
“Thank you,” I managed to force between my teeth.
The cook reached out and squeezed my arm. “You should be careful around here. Kavish doesn’t like it when people snoop.”
A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it. “Well, I just became his worst nightmare.”