D. Jackson - Thieftaker

The truth was, though, all he wanted to do was go to the tavern, eat a bit of stew, and be with her. So that was where he went.

She made no effort to hide her surprise, or her pleasure, when he walked in.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon,” she said from behind the bar.

He crossed to the bar and sat on an old stool. “I talked to Berson and visited Thomas Hutchinson’s estate in the country. The only place I could go to top that was the Dowser.”

Kannice stared at him openmouthed. “You were at Hutchinson’s estate? In Milton?”

“Yes,” he said, as if it was nothing unusual.

“HiEthan,” Kelf said, emerging from the kitchen.

“Hi, Kelf.”

“Is it beautiful?” Kannice asked. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

Ethan nodded. “It was very nice. I wouldn’t mind living there myself.”

“Ethan went to visit Thomas Hutchinson in Milton,” Kannice told Kelf.

“Nice,” Kelf said, sounding unimpressed.

Kannice stared at the barman for a moment before facing Ethan again, her eyes narrowed. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“I swear I’m not.”

She regarded him briefly. “And you didn’t go anywhere else?”

“I went home and changed my clothes. But I didn’t go to Elli’s if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking away. “I shouldn’t-”

“It’s all right,” Ethan said, touching her chin so that she would face him again. “I had Hutchinson’s driver drop me here, because this is where I want to be.”

Before Kannice could reply to that, the tavern door opened and Sephira Pryce walked in, followed by Yellow-hair and Nap.

Ethan stood and took out his knife. Kelf stepped out from behind the bar, and though Ethan put out a hand to keep him back, there was a part of him that would have enjoyed watching him and Nigel have at it. Ethan had seen both men fight and he would have been hard-pressed to choose a likely winner.

“I don’t allow their kind in here,” Kannice said, eyeing Sephira with open hostility, and pointing to her toughs. “I’m not sure I allow your kind, either.”

Sephira smiled and sauntered to the center of the room, ignoring Kannice, her boot heels clicking loudly on the wood floor. She surveyed the tavern, her gaze coming to rest at last on Ethan.

“What a charming place, Ethan. It’s like a stable, but for people. I can see why you like it so much.”

“What do you want, Sephira?” he asked.

“I just came to congratulate you,” she said, flipping her hair. “It’s not every day that a man kills someone as well known as Peter Darrow and gets away with it. I’m very impressed. I’d show you how impressed, but I’m afraid your little friend might get jealous.”

Kannice stalked out into the main room. “His little friend?” she repeated. “I’ll show you just how little I am, you ha’penny whore!”

Ethan grabbed Kannice’s arm and pulled her back. Nigel and Nap took a menacing step forward, as did Kelf. For a moment Ethan thought he might actually have to conjure to keep Kannice and Kelf from getting themselves killed.

But though Sephira’s mask slipped for an instant, she recovered quickly. “She’s fiery, Ethan. I like that.”

Ethan stared back at her, toying with his knife. “I think you had better go, Sephira.”

She flushed, looking daggers. Ethan couldn’t imagine she was accustomed to being dismissed.

“All right,” she said, her voice tight. “Remember, though: You might have defeated Darrow, but you’re still nothing more than a poor man’s thieftaker. You work in this city because I allow it.”

“So you’ve told me.”

She eyed him for a few seconds more before flashing one last smile at Kannice and turning on her heel to leave.

“Why did you care about this, Sephira?” Ethan asked her. “What was Darrow to you?”

Her grin was taunting, and he thought she would leave without answering. But then she said, “He was nothing. A means to an end. I like things as they are, as they’ve been. Change…” She shrugged. “Change could be bad for business.”

Ethan gaped at her. “You knew he was working for the Crown?”

Sephira sighed and shook her head. “Ethan, the sooner you understand that I know everything that happens in this city, the easier life will be for both of us.” She opened the tavern door. “Until next time,” she tossed over her shoulder, and was gone.

Nigel and Nap followed her out into the street.

Once they were gone, Ethan took a breath and sheathed his blade. Kelf watched the door, as if he expected them to storm back in at any moment.

“She’s got some nerve coming in here like that,” Kannice said. “She may be the Empress of the South End, but if she comes in here again, I’ll wipe that grin off her face myself.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always telling me that I need to be more careful?” Ethan asked her. “Don’t you always tell your customers to leave their fights out in the street, away from your tavern?”

Kannice turned her glare on him. “What of it?”

Ethan threw his hands wide. “You just called Sephira Pryce a ha’penny whore!”

“Kind of liked that myself,” Kelf said, heading back into the kitchen.

Kannice smiled grudgingly. “She deserved it.”

“You’ll get no argument from me,” Ethan told her. “But now you’re going to have to watch yourself, too. You made an enemy today.”

She stared into his eyes. “I’m not afraid of her,” she said, dropping her voice. “I share my bed with a conjurer.”

“And I share mine with the most fearless woman in Boston.”

Kannice took his hand. “You want some stew?”

He shook his head. “I need a coat. Come with me?”

“A coat? A nice one this time, or another rag like that last one?”

“Rag?” Ethan repeated. “That was no rag.”

“Hmmm.” She retrieved her own wrap from behind the bar, took his hand again, and pulled him toward the door. “I’ll choose this one,” she said. “I know just the place to get it.”

He halted, forcing her to stop as well. He pulled her close, and kissed her.

“What was that for?”

Ethan brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “For being willing to take on Sephira Pryce to defend me.”

“That wasn’t for you,” she said, tugging him toward the door again. “I didn’t like her calling my place a stable.”

Ethan laughed and followed her out into the city.