Page 26 of Bloody Business

On Edge

Julep stood back asfar as she could and peered out the window.She leaned a little, confident she couldn't be seen from the outside.

The front garden was clear.Not surprising, since it was surrounded by a high stone wall lined with trees.She could see the city from the balcony, but she wasn't on the second floor.The house might have been on the edge of the city, but it was private.

Artur, who had been heading for his office, noticed her antics.He glanced at her quizzically and walked to the window to look out.Nothing seemed out of place, so he looked at her for an explanation.

She shifted uncomfortably.

“Do you need me to kill someone for you?”he asked politely.

“No!”She said instantly, and then reconsidered.“I mean...”

“Maybe?”He perked up.

She sighed.

“It's complicated?It'll take a while?Excellent.I'll order tea.”

They were served tea and snacks in the sitting room.It took her a while to gather her thoughts, but he didn't rush her.

Finally, she gathered the courage to tell the story, but it came out choppy.“I met you on the way to the inn.I had just sold all my things for a song and was in a hurry.I wanted to put distance between my hometown and me.”

This was difficult.She hadn't shared this story, and it was scary.“Someone found out that I was selling Spill It.A goblin showed up at my house.He demanded to know where I got it.He was holding me by my neck at the time.”She gently touched her throat, remembering.“I thought I was going to die, but I was smart enough to tell him that I got it from a man in a different village.I used to gather mushrooms near there.”

She was breathing hard.Just thinking about it terrified her.

“As soon as he left, I sold my house to the first person who wanted it, along with most of the things in it.I got the cart ready and left by nightfall.I camped in an abandoned barn that first night.”

She rubbed anxiously at her lapel.“I saw that goblin on the street today.Balding, greasy long hair, yellow teeth.He's huge.”Her voice dropped to a whisper.“Scary.”

“That would be Zul Kan’s brother, Hurdle.You're right to be concerned.He holds a grudge,” Artur said gravely.

Julep looked at him in terror.

He got up and sat down on the couch next to her.He took her hands and gently patted them.“Easy now.You're safe with me.I have an entire mercenary guild at my disposal and the house is well guarded.No one will bother you.”

That distracted her.She'd never heard anything about mercenaries.“What do you mean?I thought you were into pharmaceuticals.”

“I do that as well.I have several businesses.”

Really?She knew so little about this goblin who was her husband.How was it possible to run several businesses?She would have asked, but she noticed Chef Gog standing in the doorway.

He had brought snacks.He'd also clearly overheard, because he was scowling.

He thrust the snacks under her nose.“I made these,” he said fiercely.What he meant was, ‘try these now’.

Julep had never been bullied into eating.She sent him a quizzical look, but took a little tart, feeling a trifle blackmailed.The buttery crust encased a slightly sweet cheese filling topped with yellow berry curd.Despite her anxiety, her brows rose.“Mm!Good.”

He still looked grumpy, so she sent him a cautious look and tried one with black filling.Black licorice.Gross!She spit it into her napkin and quickly drank tea to flush her mouth.She couldn't say anything nice, so she said the obvious.“Sorry.I don't like black licorice.”

“Don't waste it,” Artur said anxiously, and plucked the rest of the tart off her plate.Clearly, he was a black licorice fan.

“You'll like this one better,” Gog said, and plopped a purple berry tart on her plate.

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