The tallest, and I was guessing the leader, quirked an eyebrow. “My, my, we are a haughty little thing, aren’t we?”
Wolfe chose that moment to groan and my heart thudded in thankful relief.
“Aw shit,” the older man spat, “We need to get them back to Boss, Jesper, before this ‘un wakes up.”
“You two pick him up.” Jesper gestured to Wolfe and then his eyes devoured me. “I’ll take care of her.”
Oh dear haven, what the hell had Wolfe and I gotten ourselves into now?! I wanted to collapse and shriek and weep with exhaustion and fury. Didn’t these people know my friend was dying?! That if I didn’t save her then we were all doomed! I was doomed! I couldn’t possibly live in a world without Haydyn! How dare they do this?!!
I snapped.
As he reached for me I kicked up between his legs as hard as I could. He let out a bellow of pain and dropped to his knees in shock. Before any of the others could make a move I slammed my booted foot into the hand that held the mallet and Jesper cried out, the weapon tumbling from his hand as he clutched his injury to his chest.
“Get her!” He snarled as I dove for the weapon. I came up brandishing it wildly as the two thugs crept towards me, the light of violence in their eyes.
“I’ll cut you up you little bitch if you don’t play nice,” the young one hissed at me, swiping the air with the dagger.
“She’s not to be injured!” Jesper shouted, getting to his feet now.
“I won’t harm her Jen-Jen,” the young thug sing-songed. “No, she’ll like what I do to her, won’t you pretty pretty?”
Revulsion hit my gag reflex as I realised exactly what he intended for me. But he didn’t know who he was trifling with. There was no way anyone was getting near me! I had a job to do. I had to get to Alvernia and no other son-of-a-bitch was slowing me down!
Conjuring all the strength I had in the world I pulled my arm back and launched the mallet with all my worth at the young thug’s head. It made perfect aim, clocking him across his skull with a sickening thud. His eyes fluttered and he fell back with a dull sound, comically sprawled across the concrete in unconsciousness. I breathed a sigh of relief.
The older of the thugs stared at his downed colleague in surprise and Jesper cursed. “For goodness sakes, lass.” He shook his head in disbelief and then glared at me. “Now you’ve downed Little Sin. We’ll have to come back for him. You won’t get me or Dandy here, alright. We ain’t gonna hurt you, am under orders from Boss not to. So, Dandy here is going to take you and I’m going to take the boy here, alright? Now if you don’t make a fuss I won’t slit the boy’s throat.”
He said it so calmly, as if he were talking about the weather rather than killing Wolfe.
“What do you want?” I whispered, wishing Wolfe would wake up.
“That’s up to Boss to tell you, lass.”
I had no choice but to walk with Dandy as Jesper carried Wolfe over his shoulder, an impressive feat considering how large Wolfe was. He grunted and groaned about Wolfe’s weight the whole time we walked. My outrage grew as we strode through the dull, dank streets of the rookery, my pleading eyes trying to catch those of the people passing by. They flinched under my regard, their eyes washing over my companions in fear, and they turned from me as quickly as possible, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing. I knew then that I was in the hands of one of the rookery gangs. Someone back at the tavern must have sold us out to them. Wolfe had been right all along. We spoke too well, held ourselves like a lady and a gentleman. I could only imagine we were being kidnapped for possible ransom again.
Jesper and Dandy slowed as we approached a large crumbling building, the glass panes of its windows broken and cracked, the wide double doors covered in splashed paint. Jesper banged on the door three times and it swung open immediately. A young man with two large knifes in his hand stood back and nodded at Jesper.
“Got ‘em then, Jesper?”
Jesper laughed and swatted Wolfe’s bottom. “Looks like it don’t it.”
The boy eyed me as Dandy pushed me inside and as I gazed around the wide open space with the large ovens and broken glass, with the grains of sand littering the floor (among garbage, old food and even rats – I shuddered) I realised we were in a disused glass works. At the back of the room was a wall, the upper half blocked in with glass that was cracked and shattered in some places. A doorway led into darker places beyond. There were pieces of old furniture here and there, a dismal attempt to make the place look cosy. I froze as my eyes took in the flickering candlelight and the gang of men and women who lounged around the room, their beady eyes watching me. They were like a plague of rats. I shuddered again.
“Take ‘em through the back to Boss’ room ‘e said.” The boy jerked his head towards the back of the room.
“He in?”
“Nah. ‘e won’t be long ‘e said.”
Jesper grunted and shifted Wolfe up on his shoulder. I kept close to him as possible as we walked through the room, Jesper calling greetings to gang members who smirked and leered at me. I felt a tug on my skirts and turned to see a young, haggard looking woman clutching at me. She sat sprawled over an old chair and I stumbled back under her regard as she licked her lips at me. “Jesper, asks Boss if I can have this one.” She grinned up at the man before turning that wicked smile on me. I blushed in understanding which made her laugh throatily. Jesper clamped his hand down on my arm.
“She’s for Boss, Nalia. Don’t get any ideas.”
Nalia’s lips twisted into a pout. “But I wants her. She’s pretty, like silk. You knows how I likes silk, Jesper.”
I shivered and hurried away as Jesper grunted and pushed me forward. We were silent as we made our way through steel grey hallways, until Jesper came to a stop and thrust his foot against a door, shoving it open. My eyes widened even further when we entered what could pass for a normal room in this hovel. A brass framed bed sat in the corner covered with colourful quilts and cushions. A fireplace that was obviously used had a tin bathtub in front of it, a cosy armchair off to the side, little knick-knacks here and there on the mantelpiece. Other pieces of well-made furniture scattered the room, men’s clothing haphazardly draped here and there. And it was clean. Surprisingly so.
“Boss’ room,” Jesper grunted and then dropped Wolfe on the stone floor as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. I cried out and rushed for Wolfe just as his eyes began to open. “Shit!” Jesper sighed and reached across the bed for something. In the next moments, I watched helplessly as he tied Wolfe - who was coming around far too slowly for my liking - up against the heavy brass bed.
“You next.” Jesper strode towards me and I tried to kick out at him again. He dodged and clucked his tongue at me. “Not that again, you little bitch.”
He lunged at me, trying to wrench my arms behind my back but I shrieked and punched and pummelled at him, vaguely aware of Wolfe now shouting and struggling from his prison on the floor. Then Jesper’s huge hand came towards my face and cracked it back with an almighty blow. I felt like I’d run into a brick wall. My legs gave way and I was barely aware of Jesper tying my hands behind my back and throwing me onto the bed. Water streamed out of my right eye and I hesitantly lifted my cheek, wincing at the throbbing pain.
“Stay here, and behave!” Jesper cried. “Boss will be in soon.”
I struggled into a sitting position as the man slammed out of the door, a key turning in the lock.
Feeling his eyes on me, I looked down at Wolfe whose eyes blazed back at me.
“Are you alright?” He asked hoarsely, his gaze on my cheek, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might shatter.
I huffed and shimmied toward him, trying to get a look at the cut on his head. “Am I alright? Wolfe, they knocked you unconscious.” I hissed at his wound. “We need to get that cleaned up. Are you feeling well?”
He winced now, stretching his legs out before him and pulling at the ropes. It was futile. He slumped wearily. “I feel a little dizzy.”
“You were out a while.”
“Noted. Where are we?” He glanced around the room.
I sighed. “We’re in an abandoned glass works. We’ve been taken by what I assume is a rookery gang.”
Wolfe cursed and then whipped around, vengeance burning in his blue gaze. “Did any of them touch you?”
I grinned, thinking about Little Sin. “I knocked out the one who tried.”
Wolfe quirked an eyebrow. “Knocked out?”
I quickly told him how I had incapacitated Jesper and then launched the mallet at Little Sin. Wolfe shook his head in amazement. “Perhaps I should let the men train you,” he murmured.
Surprised, I smirked back at him. “I told you so.”
He rolled his eyes. “Can you never take anything graciously?”
I snorted. “Not from you.”
Wolfe shook his head, hearing the teasing in my voice. He tugged at the ropes again. “We need to get out of here, Rogan.”
Ignoring the shiver that rushed down my spine every time he said my name, I stumbled inelegantly onto the floor, trying to manoeuvre myself in front of him.
“What are you doing?” I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“I thought you could use your teeth to get the ropes off my wrists,” I explained over my shoulder, thrusting my arms backwards at him.
“Rogan, please tell me your kidding. Have you seen how thick this rope is?”
“Well how else are we-”
I hushed at the sound of a key turning in the lock, and barely registered as Wolfe brought a leg up, pulling me back in towards him so I was sitting between his legs with a sense of being shielded. I felt his indrawn breath on the back of my neck, the tension from his body crackling against the tension in mine.
We waited, hearts racing, and the door swung open. At first I couldn’t make out anything except a tall, strong figure of a man. And then he strode inside, slowly, leisurely… and I let go a yelp of surprise.
I recognised those green eyes and jet black hair, that defiant smirk. They were just all now in a taller, older man with a harder face that was no less handsome than it had been as a young boy.
“Kir!” I gasped.
The smirk on his face fell as he came to a halt, his eyes drinking me and Wolfe in. “Rogan? Wolfe?”
“Kir!” I laughed a little hysterically, relief flooding through me.
“Holy mother of-” he dropped to his knees and grasped my shoulders, his strange eyes wide on mine. “I can’t believe it’s you.”
“Well it is,” Wolfe grunted from behind me. “Fancy untying us?”
Stunned, he sank back onto his heels, taking a moment. It was then realisation struck.
“Your Boss?” I asked softly, trying to keep the condemnation out of my question.
Kir must have heard the accusation anyway, for he flinched and looked away. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m Boss.”
Wolfe struggled to be seen from behind me, so I moved out of the way, letting him peer around my shoulder, trying not to inhale that wonderful woody spice that was all Wolfe. “So, any intention of letting us go then?”
Kir turned to Wolfe and they shared a long look. “I can’t believe it’s you. How are you?”
I was surprised by how congenial the two were, considering Wolfe’s father was Syracen and the fact that Kir had had to live with the bastard for a year. There seemed to be so much more in Kir’s question than I understood.
Wolfe nodded slowly. “I’m alright, Kir. Except for being kidnapped that is.”
Seeming to shake himself, Kir nodded, a flush of embarrassment cresting his cheeks. He gestured at me. “Turn, Rogan. Let me get those off of you.”
I shimmied out from Wolfe’s embrace and managed to twist, holding my hands out behind me.
“I’m going to use a blade, so keep still.”
As soon as I was loose, Kir moved around me and freed Wolfe. He eyed the top of Wolfe’s head and frowned. “I told them not to do any damage. Mind you,” his gaze flickered over Wolfe as he slapped him on the back, “Considering how big you’ve gotten, they probably had no choice.”
Wolfe grunted and stumbled to his feet, rubbing his wrists. “Not that it isn’t good to see you, Kir… why the hell did you have us kidnapped?”
Feeling lost in this reunion, I too slowly rose to my feet, watching the two men as they faced off with another. There was no tension or animosity between them. In fact they both appeared happy to see each other in one piece. I was growing steadily more confused every second.
Kir shrugged, looking between us both. “I didn’t know it was you. I got word that a fancy gent and lady were here and I knew the Markiz would be interested.”
I gaped, feeling disorientated and lost. “The Markiz?”
Kir nodded grimly. “Things have been changing in Vasterya for a while now, Rogan.”
Wolfe growled, “Changing how?”
Gesturing to the bed, Kir slumped down into the armchair. As I took a seat beside Wolfe on the bed I realised how much older Kir looked than Wolfe, despite them being of the same age. It was almost as if Kir had seen too much; whatever he had gone through had made a physical impression on him.
“Who do you think set the rookery up, Wolfe?” Kir exhaled slowly, seeming pained to be having to explain this.
I was still completely lost but Wolfe drew in a breath, “Markiz Solom.”
“What?!” I squeaked, any colour in my cheeks surely having completely leached out now. What on haven were they talking about? Why would the Markiz create the rookery?