Page 61 of Bloody Business

“Quiet, you!”Hur barked.

“Hiring a kid for an adult wage!She'll take the money and run, and then you'll still stink like fish.”

The two in the back stared at him, offended.

“She'll take one look at your greasy shack and decide she's better off in an alley,” the pilot predicted.

She didn't.Years later, she reminded Uncle Q how wrong he’d been.

He'd laughed.“I had to make it sound like a challenge or you would have run for sure.I knew what I was doing.The old coot needed someone to look after him.”

Lily sighed.He'd been right.Here she was, years later, taking care of her guardian in a much nicer, cleaner house.They had a housekeeper now, but Lily was in charge of Uncle Hurdle’s health...a challenging task to be sure.

“Here's the pain medicine,” she said, putting a wooden tray with a cup of medicinal tea and a pill on the side table by his couch.

He glared at the medicine, but reached for it anyway.It had been days since he had broken his knee, and it was unbearable without medication.

She wasn't sure what had caused the accident, but she had her suspicions.Uncle Hurdle wasn't saying.

He settled back on the couch while he waited for the medicine to kick in.“Draw anything lately?”

She brought him her sketchbook to admire.He always enjoyed that, and her cooking.

“Looking good.How are the lessons going with Madam K?Last time I talked to her, she said you were quite talented at household accounting.”

“It's going well.She helped me to open a small trading account.I've done pretty well in dyes and textiles.”

“When did this happen?”he asked with interest.

“Oh, a couple of months ago.You know her father is a trader, and she gets the papers.It's pretty interesting.”

“Hm.Smart girl.”He wasn't very good with anything other than bashing heads or fishing, but he recognized her talent.She had potential.

Unfortunately, people like his brother were beginning to notice.

Evil Uncle Zul Kan

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