Page 52 of Wicked Enemy

She chuckled, and then tipped her head at me. “Good answer.”

In truth, I hadn’t bothered Maggie because I knew just how dangerous, and how useful, she could be. If I had harassed her about the extra money she made from her side hustle, she might have started to sell information about me to my enemies. And if I had just decided to kill her in order to eliminate the threat, I would have lost a valuable source of information that I might need at some point. Like, right now.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a massive stack of cash and placed it on the counter in front of her. “I need you to find me a healer.”

“A healer?”

“Yes.”

She grabbed the pile of cash, but didn’t put it in the pocket of her apron. Instead, she placed it on the small shelf below the counter, presumably so that it wouldn’t be seen by any curious passersby. But the fact that she hadn’t pocketed the money meant that she still hadn’t accepted the assignment.

“They don’t grow on trees, you know,” she said, fixing me with a penetrating look. “You have the only one in Malgrave.”

“I’m aware. I need the location of another one.”

A knowing glint crept into her eyes. “Well, since you spirited Gemma out of the city and into the hills in the middle of the night, I would assume so.”

Panic shot up my spine. No one was supposed to know where Gemma was. I knew that Maggie was good, but how the hell had she found out that Gemma was no longer in the city? No one knew that. No one except for me and Shinji.

“If you ever tell anyone else where Gemma is,” I began, my voice dripping with threats. “I am going to—”

“I don’t respond well to threats, young man,” she interrupted. “Consider that before you finish that sentence.”

My fingers itched to draw my sword and ram it through her damn throat. But I needed her, so I stifled the impulse and instead worked my jaw in order to loosen the tension in it.

“And I need you to tell me why,” she continued before I could figure out what to say. “Why do you need me to find you another healer?”

Laughter erupted from my left. I slid my gaze to the mixed group of men and women that staggered out of the red door a short distance from me. They shoved each other and giggled again while drifting down the street. I waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to Maggie.

The distraction had at least given me a few seconds to gather myself and to decide how to play this. Since I was pretty sure that Maggie could see through most lies, I decided to go with the truth.

“You’ve heard about the worldwalker, right?” I began.

“I have.”

“He wants a healer, so he is targeting me because he wants Gemma. That’s why I had to get her out of town.”

“I assumed as much.”

“Then you probably also know that he is now coming after the rest of my people instead.”

She nodded.

“Every day that I don’t hand her over, he comes back and slaughters more people. My cooks, my cleaners, my runners, all the ordinary people who work for me. Until I give him Gemma. But I can’t give him Gemma!” Desperation and frustration washed over me, and I curled my hand into a fist. “So get me the location of another healer so that I can trade that information to him in exchange for Gemma’s safety and my people’s lives. Please.”

Silence descended on the food stall. Above our heads, the oil lamps swung gently again, making the colorful light sway across the stones.

Maggie watched me with those perceptive eyes of hers for another few seconds before stating, “You never sayplease.”

A flash of alarm speared through me. The word had just slipped out without me even realizing it.

Still watching me, she cocked her head. “You act like a brutal and heartless villain, but you really do care about your people, don’t you?”

I scoffed while trying to suppress the flare of panic in my chest. Narrowing my eyes, I leveled a hard stare at the old lady. “If you ever repeat such a ridiculous notion to anyone, I’ll—”

“Bah!” She waved a hand in front of her face and then wiggled her eyebrows at me while a knowing grin spread across her mouth. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Before I could protest or threaten her again, she scooped up the pile of cash and slid it into her apron pocket. I raised my eyebrows in silent question.

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