Page 35 of Claimed By Her Forbidden Duke
He was not looking for someone specific but for somepeople. He would know when he saw them—and he finally did, right where his instincts said they would be.
The shadier men strayed to the far, darkened corners of an establishment so they could remain out of direct sight while getting the advantage to survey the room. The far tables also provided cover to escape down quieter hallways or through back entrances should trouble occur.
So, that was where Edmund started, spotting a group of rougher-looking men.
A crooked nose, a cut eyebrow, and a bruised lip—each man bore telltale signs of a scuffle, but the one with the crooked nose was the man he was looking for in particular. A tip-off that had been fruitless at first, but upon closer inspection, Edmund realized had some merit.
They might know something about James Logan—at least far more than Lord Bailey near the main door, who should not have been seen within a mile of the place if he wished to remain an eligible bachelor at the ton’s gatherings.
Edmund strode over, noting Benjamin’s hard, nervous swallow at the sight of them.
He did not balk. He approached their table, waiting until all three pairs of eyes were on him, and then he spoke before any of them could.
“I am looking for information regarding James Logan. I believe you knew him.”
His gaze rested heavily on the man he had been tipped off about. Mr. Laurel Kerry, an Irishman who had sought business in London and had simply decided not to leave, having found himself a small empire for his dark dealings and a good partnership with Mr. Haddon.
Mr. Kerry looked back at him—not in a challenge or offense, but mere discomfort. He did not speak. For a man who said so much to those he dealt with and made promises of better substances, connections and pay, he was very, very silent.
Edmund’s assessing eyes flicked to the others. They remained silent as well.
“Very well,” he said, with faux politeness.
He dug into the pocket of his coat and dropped a bag of coins on the table. He was aware of Benjamin hovering behind him, and he only hoped his cousin had the sense to stay quiet.
“Whoever gives me information first—and Iamaware that you have it—gets the money.”
Pointedly, he looked between the bulging bag of coins and the small pile that was already on the table. The money would be enough.
Moments later, he was proven right when Mr. Kerry shifted, ready to speak. A dealer was always ensnared by fortune.
“Logan was a regular here,” he said, his voice throaty. “He had some dealings with dangerous people and the like.”
Edmund raised an eyebrow atdangerous people, as if Kerry himself was not of that ilk. “Did you ever deal to him?”
“I don’t deal?—”
“Do not lie to me,” he ground out. “Your partner, Mr. Haddon, sold you out quicker than I could offer him a penny.”
Haddon hadn’t, but Edmund didn’t want anybody clamming up on him now.
Fury ignited in the dealer’s eyes, his fist clenching on the tabletop. He eyed the bag of coins.
Through gritted teeth, he spoke, “Yes, I did. Once or twice. He had one loyal dealer, and everybody else only got business a handful of times before he never came back. Always on the move. But he always met every dealer in the same place. The Amber Lantern. It’s down the street from here, not far.”
His eyes flitted back to Benjamin, but Edmund was too busy trying to work out if the man had more information to give.
“What other dealers?” he pressed, needing more connections to the man who had destroyed his life.
“I don’t know,” Kerry said quickly. “We never got involved with each other. It was all anonymous, but—well, I mean, everyone knew Logan.”
Clearly not enough people, Edmund thought to himself, irritated by the dead ends.
“That’s all I got,” Kerry said. “And these two are just men I play some cards with. They’re not in the business.”
At the sight of the men recoiling, despite their tough exteriors, Edmund believed him. He still gave each man another silent glare before nodding.
“If you tell anybody I was here, I will make the beating done to your face so far look like a mere brush of a feather,” he growled at Kerry and then the other two, issuing the warning to them, too.
