I caught myself smiling inwardly at the suggestion. I would give anything to hear him grumbling about me right now, because now I knew that those grumbles were a code for something else. The surliness was a facade to keep me from getting too close, too fast.
“But how do I get him to see that I’m trying to help? All he cares about is the next job.”
At this, Adreax shook his head with a sad smile. “Not so. In all his life, Herod has never cared about money.”
I gave him a look that clearly showed my disbelief, and he laughed. “You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, I promise. Herod never had money growing up. When I found him, he was homeless and starving. And ever since then, the only thing he’s ever cared about was proving to me that he could make it on his own. He wanted to show all of us that he was a fighter. Each job he takes on is a step toward proving himself. It’s not that he wants to choose money over everything else. It’s that he believes if he can get enough money, everything else will work itself out for him and he won’t have to worry ever again.”
I chewed on that thought for a while. Regardless of what Adreax was trying to tell me, it was hard to separate the idea of Herod chasing money from the things that money represented to him. From the outside, it all looked about the same.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Captain,” I said with careful professionalism, hoping that he wouldn’t do any reporting back after this. I had plenty to think on now.