Page 76 of Hansel and Gerhardt
A warm laugh broke out of Hansel, and he made for his stepbrother, calling out, “I’ve already told you, it’s too big to fit…”
The words died on his lips as he realised there was indeed someone in the hall who wanted to see him. And it wasn’t Gerhardt’s cute ass.
Gerhardt attempted to cough back the cheeky grin that shone through regardless, though he did have the decency to dip his head in an attempt to hide it. “Hansel, this is Zel. They want to talk to us about a…”
Hansel looked to the guest. They had the face of an angel, spectacularly pretty, with a long and golden braid, intricately woven, thick and lustrous, that ran all the way down to theirankle. When they smiled, there was a hit of pure sunshine, and Hansel’s immediate reaction was fierce jealousy. But Zel immediately held out a hand to Hansel and finished Gerhardt’s sentence: “A business proposition.”
Hansel searched Gerhardt’s expression for guidance on how to react to such unexpected words.
Gerhardt offered only a slight nod, his hand falling on his hip, lifting his shirt just enough for Hansel to see the hilt of the blade in his pocket.
Hansel’s jealousy calmed at once.
He quickly wiped his hands on his apron, then took Zel’s proffered hand. The grip came back strong, solid, but not overbearing.
Zel’s head turned mid-shake, quickly, eyes on the knife, then back on Hansel, all in a split second before Gerhardt could even attempt to hide it. And Zel said, “Let me be frank. I know who you are, I know what you do, and by no means do I intend to get in the way of you doing exactly that. Only, I can offer you even more money than you’re already making to do it.”
The shock of the words struck Hansel first. They’d been careful with the bodies, hadn’t they?
As if in direct opposition to this slightly drawn conclusion, Gerhardt placed his black bag on the floor. It gave a disquieting squelch, and Hansel noted a touch of red on the white tiles. He’d just spent an hour cleaning them, and he wasn’t pleased, but Gerhardt stepped past him, saying to Zel, “This way.”
Hansel followed them through to the sitting room, mostly worried about what this unexpected visitor had to say, but with a good portion of his mind still on the lunch roasting away in the oven. What little remained of his attention was sorely irritated that his surprise blowjob was almost definitely ruined.
Gerhardt made his way to a side table and poured out a small glass of plum brandy. “Drink?” he asked Zel.
Odd, the way Zel gave a small laugh, almost as if it was a joke only Zel understood. “No. Thank you.” They watched Gerhardt set the glass back down on the sideboard. “The thing is, I don’t entirely trust it to not be drugged.”
Gerhardt’s dark eyes met Hansel’s briefly before they returned to Zel’s. “I assure you, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t take the route of a coward.” He threw back the drink to prove his point.
And was swiftly reprimanded by Hansel’s soft, “Lunch is almost ready.”
“Sorry, Hansel.” He pushed the glass away with a guilty crimson about his cheeks. He knew Hansel liked their lunches to be formal. That did not include digestifs instead of aperitifs so close to mealtime.
“Smells delicious,” Zel offered, “though I won’t stay.” As though either were likely to ask. “Here’s what I’ve come to see you about.” Both men dipped hands to knives as Zel reached into a coat pocket. But they stilled when the hand came back out clutching a small hessian bag. “May I?” This request Zel accompanied with a nod at the coffee table.
“Very well,” said Gerhardt, watching closely.
The bag was placed down carefully with a small tinkle, its binds were loosened, and then it was tipped up.
Gold.
So many shiny, glittering, brightly sparkling gold coins that spilled out all over the table.
Astonishment opened both men’s mouths, but any questions were cut off by their guest’s swift explanation. “You’ve been busy, both of you. And I can see—” Zel gestured at the relative splendour of their beautiful home “—it’s paying you well.”
Hansel, not liking where the conversation was leading, stepped a little closer to Zel. “It’s all fairly earned.”
“That’s right,” said Gerhardt, somewhat less opaque than Hansel when he added, “We work hard for what we have.”
“You do,” Zel agreed, with one of those radiant smiles. They walked to the side table and picked up a fresh glass. “May I?”
Gerhardt gave a slight shrug, while Hansel let out an impatient breath.
As they poured, they spoke on. “You’ve been careful. You’re in and out, no witnesses, no evidence.” Zel turned back to face them. “No bodies.”
“Why would there be bodies?” Hansel asked, though they all knew the jig was well and truly up by this time.
“The problem is,” Zel went on, as though Hansel hadn’t asked the question, “your… ‘clients’, shall we call them—some of the men… You should not be getting involved with them.”
