Page 12 of The Gargoyle's Grace
Grace’s hooded form ducked into the beer garden as I settled into the shadows, spreading my weight evenly across the clay tiles of the roof. She made a quick change in a nook to one side of the food booth, leaving her cloak behind as she donned an apron and began waiting tables. She carted trays of heavy steins of beer, sausages on sticks, and platters of pastries, collecting coins as tips and watching the crowds as though she were looking for someone in particular.
There was one waitress I was certain she was trying to get eyes on, though the chances of that were slim to none. The woman who had colluded with the kidnappers was undoubtedly long gone, I was certain of it. However, there were at least a few patrons I was sure she also hoped to recognize.
I had half a mind to scold her soundly for such reckless behavior, but I also understood it. The guilt over what happened the day they were kidnapped was probably eating her alive. This was a way to soothe it. Knowing she had business with Caster was a reasonable explanation for why she’d taken on a second job as well.
Rylan would be mortified. Furious. He’d almost certainly visit the Barrens himself to settle the debt. She’d never forgive him if he did.
I didn’t know what it meant for me that I had the exact same intention. I merely had to figure out a way to make it so she didn’t despise me afterward.
I monitored her behavior from my perch, noting anyone who held her interest for longer than a few moments, and kept an eye on those who seemed likely to start trouble. After the heavy dinner crowd thinned, Grace took a much-needed break.
She sat at one of the vacant tables closest to the entrance, just as she had the previous several nights. She never ordered any ale, though she’d gotten a cup of mead the night before. She watched both patrons and waitstaff alike from her table as she picked a pastry apart flake by flake, leaving half of it as crumbs in the dirt for the birds to find.
I crept closer to the edge of the roof and got comfortable, settling in for the long haul as she went back to work. A trio of men ambled in and took a seat near the middle of the garden, immediately making my neck prickle. They were loud, went through three rounds of drinks in a regrettably short amount of time, and nobody wanted to serve them past a single round for several obvious reasons: They were terrible tippers and some of the most demanding customers present. They lingered for over an hour, getting progressively messy. One grabbed at a waitress’s ass and got thumped over the head with her tray as a reward. Another decided to offer his coin by flicking it high in the air to see if they could catch it.
When the rest of the servers were fed up with them, Grace, as one of the newest members of the transient staff, was made to take over. Every nerve I had flared to life as I watched her stiffen when she approached their table. It was enough discomfort to make my skin itch.
I hated to take my eyes off of her for even a moment, but she was blocked from my view as I slipped from the roof, scaling quickly down the side of the bakery. By the time I got to the entrance of the beer garden, she was already gone. I glanced around and found the flare of her cloak as she swept beyond the edge of the garden and into the shadows.
Deciding that the men were my priority and I’d catch up to her, I took a deep breath and joined them. “Hello, boys,” I said, smiling widely as I dropped my body onto the bench at their table.
“Do we know you?” one asked, swaying slightly in his seat.
“No, we don’t know each other. Yet.”
Their brash energy settled as they looked back and forth between themselves. Fear rolled off them, an acrid smell doused in the hoppy ale and garlic of the sausages. I was blessed with a stomach of steel, but it made me wish my sense of smell wasn’t quite so keen.
I pulled out a coin and set it on the table, garnering their dedicated interest. “I’m looking for information,” I said, forcing a placid smile despite itching to simply start a fight. I clenched one fist in my lap, the other hand flat on the table top.
“Information?” the one I was beginning to recognize as the leader, since he was the one to speak up, asked.
“Yes. About a warehouse.”
“Lots of those in this city,” he grumbled, slurping down his drink. When it was empty, he held the glass above his head to signal he needed a waitress to come refill it.
“The one I’m looking for had a woman in it a few months back.”
The quietest one started to laugh. He barked several beats’ worth of a rough chuckle, then stopped. When he started up again, the others joined in.
“Lots of those around too,” the leader said.
Patience at an end, my worry for Grace hit a peak, as she was likely halfway home already. I reached out and snatched his shirt at the collar. “It’s important,” I said, voice dangerously low.
His two sidekicks shifted nervously as he grabbed at my arm. “Alright, alright. No need to get worked up.”
I relaxed my grip, and he snatched the coin from the table, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. His dark eyes grew shifty. A waitress had yet to stop by with more ale, and I was certain they wouldn’t until I’d left. “We just do as we’re told,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him.
“That’s a lie,” I countered.
“Hey, man.” His eyes went wide as they took me in. “Listen, we don’t mean no harm—”
“That’s also a lie, and I’m growingveryimpatient.” I inhaled deeply, looking between them. They were all still and silent, nervousness having overtaken their drunken bravery. “A woman was taken from here while eating a meal with her mistress. To a warehouse. She was left overnight. Treated most unkindly before being sent on her way. I need to know who all was involved. And from the sound of it, how often that kind of thing happens.”
“Sure, sure. I mean, it’s possible that’s something we might have been paid to do, but I see a lot of women, you know? I’m not sure I’d recognize—”
My fist snapped out, and his nose broke with a satisfying crunch under my knuckles. Blood blossomed around his hand as he gripped his face. I wasn’t eased by the action as I’d hoped. If anything, it had only served to stoke my need for violence. Now that I’d drawn first blood, I wanted it all.
“Hey! C’mon, man!” The other two got to their feet, and in a few swift motions, I had them all by the collar, dragging them from the beer garden into the alley beyond.
