Page 24 of Wicked Little Tricks

And it seemed my next boundary would be the Silver Quarter.

11

I thoughtabout my plan as I walked. My watch wouldn’t be ready for another few hours, and I really should let Braxton know where I was going just in case I didn’t come back.

The thought gave me pause. If I ended up finding those two angelics again, they might try to kill me. And if I was in the Silver Quarter, Sebastian wouldn’t be around to come to my rescue.

Not that I was counting on him rescuing me regardless.

I stopped at a coffee stand with a few outdoor tables. Maybe I needed to gather my thoughts before moving forward. At the very least, I could wait for my watch to be ready.

Flimsy coffee cup in hand, I picked an empty table, then sat with my goblin containing bag in my lap. I moved the flap so Ringo could peek outat me.

His round eyes reflected the soft sunlight. “That woman was a troll,” he whispered conspiratorially over the whir of traffic.

I set my coffee on the table. “Only part troll. And I wouldn’t have let her eat you. I’m not even sure if she eats goblins.”

I thought about it. I had never seen Dawn eat anything that hadn’t been cooked by a gourmet chef, but who knew what she did when she was at home?

I jumped as someone appeared in the seat next to mine, and it was the last person I wanted to see.

I lifted my coffee cup as I glared at Sebastian. “What do you want?”

He glanced at the goblin in my bag, then lifted his dark eyes to my face. “I have your next assignment for you.”

“I have a delivery to the Silver Quarter,” I lied. “I can’t do it today.”

He lifted a finely arched brow, and I caught a flicker of flame in his eyes. “You would go to the Silver Quarter after those angelics tried to kill you?”

I calmly sipped my coffee. It was good, if a little weak. “You mean, after you stood idly bywatchingthem try to kill me?”

He gave me a small smile. “Well, Ididsave you.”

I snorted. “Don’t pretend like you did me a favor. Either way, I can’t do your job today.”

He smoothed his hands across the metal table. “If they catch you again, theywillkillyou. I can offer you protection in the city, but not if you go into the Silver Quarter.”

I absorbed his words, wondering if he was actually protecting me, or if he was just saying that. More importantly, why did he care? “You know until now, I was actually wondering if you sent those two to kill me.” I hadn’t entirely dismissed the idea. He might even have something to do with the death of the other messenger.

“I would never work with those vermin.” He lifted his nose. “Their interest in you has nothing to do with me.“

“It was your interest in me that made them try to kill me. That’s what they asked me about before they broke the fire escape. So you obviously know them.” Maybe if I could get their names, I could look more into it.

“I will pay you double for your time.”

My skin prickled with suspicion. He did know them. And he didn’t want me to know any more about them. Ringo was dead silent in my messenger bag. “Why me? Surely another night runner would be easier to work with. Most of them would gladly take your cash.“

“You can go places others cannot.”

I set down my coffee cup and crossed my arms, leaning back against my plastic chair. “Yeah, but the only place you’ve sent me is the Bogs. Plenty of other messengers can go there.”

He leaned his upper body toward me with hispalms still pressed against the table. “Plenty of other messengers would not have gained any information from Mistral.”

I squirmed in discomfort, wondering if he knew about the bargain. He sure seemed to know about everything else. I didn’t trust him, but unlike the angelics, he at least didn’t want me dead. And I did need the extra cash if I wanted to continue looking for my mom.

I slumped in my seat. “What’s the job?”

He smiled. “I need you to question a woman who works at Crimson Kisses.”

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