17. Lucy

M aybe it should say something about me that my nemesis were a mountain of a man with one eye and a donkey. Or you could just say they were both asses. I liked that better. Mom bought Petunia when I was thirteen and that fucking donkey had hated me ever since. If she wasn't trying to kick me, she was biting.

I gave Ollie a hard time about his connection with our idiot donkey, but I was grateful he could get her pulling the cart. I managed to get the potatoes bought. I didn't haggle much with Ollie's uncle because he was a good man who needed the money. I also didn't buy all his potatoes because he needed some of them. We came to a fair price.

I managed to get Petunia back home and in her pen. She only tried to bite me and kick me twice. Fucking ass. Ronan came out to help me load everything into the basement. The tavern was starting to get busy because people were getting off of work.

When I went upstairs to check on Mom, she was taking a nap. She had a handkerchief in her hand and that was when I saw it. She had been coughing up blood. That did it. I was getting a healer in here tomorrow. I'd start with a Guttertown healer first. I wasn't going to wake her.

Ollie and Ronan had the tavern covered. I snuck out the back and caught Athan on his way out the door. He was Ilyn's brother. Their sister was also a healer. Athan agreed to bring Tarja tomorrow if I paid them both. Mom would be pissed, but she was just going to have to deal with the expense. I wasn't going to lose her. She'd do the same if it were me and she fucking knew that.

I tried to run all the way back to the tavern because I really needed to get that vodka started if I was bringing in healers. I'd start with Guttertown and if that didn't work, I'd ask Aimes to use his connections to get me another one.

Everyone was getting off of work. They were hitting up the market for dinner, going to the brothel, or headed to my tavern. I was dodging bodies left and right, but in dodging one, I ran face first into a giant with a hard chest. I hoped it wasn't Neco. I wasn't a short person, but I only knew a few people that much taller than me.

The person grabbed me so I didn't end up on my ass in the dirt. When I looked up, it was Leodos, not Neco.

"If you're running from the law, I don't want to know," he said.

Leodos wasn't from Guttertown, but he was decent like that.

"Running home. Mom's sick. Hey, if I have to get a healer outside of Guttertown, do you think you could get me the same one the king and princess use? I might be able to pay for it if my experiments pay off."

Because that would solve everything with my father for now. I might need him again, but not any time soon.

"Let me see what I can do. It'll have to be in secret or everyone will want their healer. Joron and Esylle are great and I'm pretty sure they'd want to loan out their healer, but they can't be seen playing favorites and they don't know you. What experiments?"

"I've got one called a Bloody Mary that we're going to be serving soon. Come by and I'll let you try one on the house. I've also got a new spirit that I'm experimenting with infusing fruit in it."

"You know I'm never going to let you give me a drink for free. I told Caitrin the same."

"Might as well since you taught us how to cheat on our taxes."

Leodos ruffled my hair. If my father had to be any Baron, I wished it was Leodos. I was pretty sure he was desperately in love with the Princess Esylle based on how he talked about her. I'd never say that to him, though. His secrets were his own.

"I taught you all how to survive the ruling class."

"Same thing. Gotta go," I said, zipping away again.

"Watch where you're going this time!" Leodos called.

The next time I ran into someone, it wasn't super great. It was another giant, and it happened to be Neco. As soon as he realized it was me, he shoved me into the dirt. He stood over me clenching his fists.

"Are you trying to start shit with me, Lance?"

"First of all, fuck you. I'm trying to get home to take care of my mom. She's got the same cough Theda does."

Neco narrowed his eyes at me and offered his hand to help me up.

"The soup changes nothing, but thank you."

Ugh. I swatted his hand away and got to my feet.

"I didn't make it to change anything. I made it because I like your mom and sister. And fuck you again, but if she needs anything, we'll be here for her. Just send Rowena," I said, stomping off.

My arse was killing me because Neco shoved me pretty hard. Dick. I needed to spend the rest of the night making vodka. I had enough squirrelled away to pay the healers tomorrow, but if I needed another one, I'd need more money. I knew it was an enormous risk asking Leodos, but I got this far taking risks.

I had potatoes and a healer. I was pretty set to work for the rest of the night.