Page 33 of Roses and Murder
“Fuck. Does my family have to come out?”
“Depends. Are they kind of violent and want justice?”
“I’d rather keep them away from all of that, but I do. If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, I’m not sure how you intend to pull this off.”
I shrugged. Neco was a man of few words. I knew he was expounding on my plan, but not where he was going from here.
“Just trust us.”
“Looks like he got you pretty good, girl.”
Shit. Even with Neco’s shirt being huge, he could still tell I had tits. I wasn’t going to Baron lands until I had my bandage. I just lifted my chin.
“I got him better.”
We stepped out into the pelting rain. Lightning lit up the sky again. Neco was illuminated standing over the Ghoul in the street. He must have dragged him out of the alley and thumped him again.
“Neco Argent. We need to gethimto the wedding in this town.”
“Goran White. Why do we want him where people are?”
I grinned. I got where Neco was going with it.
“Street justice. He’s got Black Paranoia. I’ve already been exposed, but I can’t carry him.”
“Well, I’m not offering my cart. I’d have to burn it after and I can’t afford to replace it. One of my horses is nursing her filly, and the other gets stubborn about leaving her.”
“Then, you’ll help me carry him and swing by Guttertown for the cure to Black Paranoia,” Neco growled.
Yeah, Neco wasn’t giving him the option to say no. At least, Goran would have to be pretty fucking stupid. No one knew Neco was the Blight, but I wouldn’t fuck with a giant, scarred man with that look on his face.
“She’s already been exposed,” Goran whined.
“She was the one who got sliced up stopping the Ghoul from breaking into your house and killing your whole family. I got hereaftershe knocked him out. You owe her. Nut up and help me lift him.”
I’d never say anything in this exact moment, but I was grateful. The cut on my chest burned like fire and I couldn’t check it to see if it needed to be stitched up. I could tell it was still bleeding. It would have beenmuchworse if not for my bandages. I wasn’t going to be able to take care of it until we were finished.
Goran tried to help, but he was completely useless. Neco was getting annoyed. I got it. Black Paranoia was terrible, but I also knew it didn’t have to be if you got over your pride and went to Guttertown.
“Are you serious right now?” Neco growled. “Just swing by Guttertown and get the cure. You won’t have to deal with all the nastiness if you take it right after you know you’ve been exposed. Look at his clothes. If I leave him here to wake up and tell the Barons, they are going to give him their cure. They aren’t really going to give a shit if he comes back to kill your whole family on his way to Guttertown. Use your brain. What’s worse? That or crossing the town line to Guttertown?”
“His clothes are expensive, but they don’t fit and they are dirty. Are we sure he’s a Baron?”
“They don’t even breathe the same air we do,” I said. “They don’t do hand-me-downs and if their clothes get holes, they don’t sew them up until the garment itself falls apart. They also never wonder where their next meal is coming from. If they lose or gain weight, it’s because theywantedto or they are waiting for a remedy their healer gave them to kick in.”
“How does Guttertown have a cure for Black Paranoia if the Barons clearly don’t? They wouldn’t let one of their own get like this.”
“I own the Whispering Raven. I grew up next door to the brothel. The Madame is a friend of the family and she’s not a liar. She also takes care of the girls andshesays there is a working cure. Help Neco and then swing by Guttertown for the cure and something to drink at the Whispering Raven. The rest of Nestran is trying to copy my new drink and I’m telling you theyneverwill.”
Goran sighed, but hefinallystarted pulling his weight. Getting the Ghoul to the wedding in a huge storm without himwaking up again was only one problem. The plan had been altered, so the rest of it was going to be up to me.
I wasn’t big on public speaking. They didn’t exactly teach that in Guttertown schools. I grew up in a tavern. I wasreallygood atdeescalating a situation.
We were about to find out how good I was at escalating one.
We were really bad at this and it was basically no contest when Caitrin wandered downstairs and into the kitchen and realized Basselt and her daughter were missing. Lucy told Caitrin everything, but sometimes, she didn’t tell her until after she did it.
Caitrin was a Mama Bear, and she was downright terrifying when it came to her child. Ronan and I knew that. Caitrin didn’t even have to say a damned thing. She hauled us into the kitchen and just glared. The Barons hadn’t realized people would say anything under torture. They really just needed someone’s pissed off mom to come in and glare because we immediately spilled everything.
