21. Beck

H alf of Guttertown couldn't stop talking about some weird new beverage Lance cooked up that sounded a lot like drinking alcoholic soup. Lance had a head for business. Ollie would be the soul of the Whispering Raven who flirted with everyone and made it a pleasant place to eat and get drunk, but Lance was the brains and that had everything to do with Caitrin.

I was planning on swinging by because I was just as worried about Caitrin as I was about Theda. Our mothers had all been friends, and that was how we ended up a group when we were younger. My mom helped raise my friends just as much as Caitrin, Theda, Ollie's parents and then aunt and uncle, and Ronan's parents raised me.

Theda wasn't doing that great. Mom wouldn't let her work. Athan said she wasn't contagious, but the cough could get worse and kill her. Mom took care of her girls, so she wasn't going to kick Theda out or force Rowena to do anything. She'd been paying Neco as a bodyguard as long as she'd been paying me.

I checked in on Theda and tried to comfort Neco and Rowena. Neco tried to pull me aside.

"Ollie has a big mouth," Neco growled.

"That's not new."

"I know you know."

Ah, fuck. I really didn't want to deal with a cornered killer who seemed to be really good at it.

"I don't care. In fact, the next time they are in here hurting our girls, I wouldn't mind tagging along."

Neco just smirked at me and he had no right to be that sexy.

"You'll have to ask your Aunt Keeva to train you so you'll be good at it."

What.

The.

Fuck.

Aunt Keeva was a marshmallow who always had sweets for me. She was one of the kindest people I knew. When I was little, I found a bird with its wing hurt and I bought it straight to her because I thought she was the best person to fix it. She did.

"Don't talk about Aunt Keeva like that."

"I asked Panas to train me to be an assassin when he was teaching me to fight. He sent me straight to Keeva. Panas said the people of the Jagged Key Isles had certain skills when they came to Nestran. Your family was a mix of warriors, assassins, and business people. They passed those skills down through the generations just in case."

"I liked you better when I thought you were just a serial killer. I can't believe you just told me that my favorite aunt trained you."

"Your aunt is fierce, and she also makes a mean cookie."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"You're right, I don't. Anyway, none of us are going to betray you."

"Lance might if he finds out."

I didn't think Lance and Neco actually hated each other. Lance wouldn't turn him in if he knew. They were both pig-headed and had hurt each other. Neither were willing to apologize because they thought they had been wronged worse.

If Neco wasn't a serial killer and Lance wouldn't cut me off at the Whispering Raven, I'd thump them both in the head and tie them up in the basement until they worked their shit out. But like, thoroughly tie them down because I knew about my Jagged Key Isles ancestors and if Keeva taught Neco to be an assassin, she's probably taught him how to slip bindings.

I was having a serious talk with my aunt tomorrow.

"Lance won't. How's Theda?"

"Too early to tell if the herbs are working or not. My father is a total shit, but I have no problem asking him for the compound if needed. I just have to negotiate me paying it back and him never coming for Rowena. If she ever works for your mom, it's going to be because she wants to, but right now, she's got an apprenticeship lined up with Ollie's uncle with his horses."

"Well, half the men who come in here to pay for sex are terrified of her. The horses wouldn't stand a chance."

They were. For a ten-year-old, she was pretty formidable.

"I know, right?" Neco said, puffing up his chest.

"I'm going to check on Caitrin."

"Let me know how she is? I might hate Lance, but Caitrin was always good to me."

Liar. Lance and Neco told anyone who didn't ask how much they hated each other. I'm pretty sure there was something more going on there, but Neco and Lance were both impossible to read most of the time.

"Will do. And I know you love to talk about how much you hate Lance, but he's gifted with spirits and recipes. He's got some new weird drink that has Aimes's seal of approval."

"That doesn't count. He'd drink piss if it got him drunk."

"No, he wouldn't. You're still mad he pulled you aside and tore you a new arsehole after you broke Lance's nose."

Neco just grunted.

"Why does everyone side with Lance about that?" he grumbled.

"You had every right to break his nose. He was a shit for what he said. You're both dicks for letting this feud go on this long. Ronan has been helping out in the tavern and Lance has mostly been in the basement making spirits. You could come with me. It's Tuesday, so it's going to be slow and mostly Guttertown regulars. Panas can handle it."

"Deal, but if Lance is there, I'm leaving."

It was a start. Some of the girls in the brothel were in relationships. I had no idea why I could fix it when someone's boyfriend had done something really idiotic, but I couldn't mend the relationship between my oldest friends.

We walked next door to the tavern, and I was shocked when we got through the front door. The tavern was usually busy around this time, but it was outright packed tonight. There were bodies smashed everywhere together drinking what looked like blood and everyone was pretty drunk. Ronan was running around like a chicken with its head cut off and Ollie looked overwhelmed at the bar.

We had to squeeze into the bar, but everyone knew who we were. They parted for us and gave us a space. I wasn't even sure most of these people knew Neco was murdering people in the Trulos District, but they knew not to mess with either of us. Neco because he was giant and intense and me because I was of Jagged Key Isles blood. They knew we were fierce fighters.

And apparently, my Aunt Keeva could bake an amazing cake and slit a man's throat without leaving any evidence. I was still reeling from that. I shouldn't be shocked because I knew my people had that knowledge, I just didn't think it was Aunt Keeva who knew that shit.

"Guys, you know how Lance gets crazy ideas sometimes? I thought he was insane, but the new drink tastes amazing and it'll fuck you up fast. He's working on a sweet version, but the recipe isn't to his liking yet. Ronan and I got here early and mashed tomatoes for hours. If you want a Bloody Mary, get on it now because we're almost out and I'm not mashing more tomatoes."

"I'll take one."

"Me, too," Neco said.

Because Neco might talk about how much he hated Lance, even when no one asked him, but even Neco could admit Lance had magic when it came to spirits. It wasn't the same kind of magic the Tempris or the shifters had, but it was still magic.

"Coming right up!"

Ronan flew up to the bar looking harried.

"Are we out? Everyone is drunk and in love with Bloody Marys. They may start eating people if we don't have anymore. I don't want to get eaten, Ollie!"

"Beck and Neco got the last of it."

"Good! Everyone is scared of Beck and Neco. If they get the last of it, they can protect us when we tell everyone we're out."

Ronan hated fighting and avoided it when he could. I got it. He made his living with his hands and made beautiful things. Ronan didn't hit people like the rest of us. He played the long game and got people back later.

"We'll do it," I said.

"Same. I owe you for Rowena's party."

None of us would ever be able to afford Ronan's art. Not the way he deserved to be paid for it. We could make damned sure he could continue to make it, though. Ollie slid the beverages over.

"Take it slow. Lance cooked up something more potent than Caitrin's whiskey."

Trust Lance to try to do that. Leodos grew up with everything Baron life had to offer and he currently lived in the palace. He swore by Caitrin's whiskey and wouldn't drink anything else. He said the quality was better than anything in Nestran and the people he shared his flask with agreed with him until they found out he bought it in Guttertown.

I was looking at the Bloody Mary suspiciously, but Neco had always been a little unhinged. Ollie warned him, but he just upended the tankard and gulped it down. He slammed the tankard down and his whole body shuddered.

"So, Lance is still a shit and I hate him, but that is potent and tastes amazing!" Neco yelled, hooting.

Fuck me. We had a drunk serial killer in a crowded bar. I took a sip of mine because I really didn't want one of these drunk people to start shit with me over what was the last Bloody Mary and at least one of us needed to be sober.

It shouldn't taste good, but it did. You could barely taste the alcohol, but you could certainly feel it. Lance was a genius, but I wasn't here to get drunk. Lance would also break my nose if I disturbed him while he was working in the basement to ask about Caitrin. Ollie would know. He knew everyone's business.

"It's the same thing Theda has. Athan and Tarja are working on something, but it's experimental and could do more harm than good. They'd prefer testing it on themselves, but they don't have the same sickness. It's messy. Caitrin can either risk it and take the experimental remedy or Lance can contact his father for a cure everyone knows works. I get the feeling Caitrin told him who his father is, and he's particularly bad as far as Barons go."

"Who is Lance's father?" Neco demanded.

We'd seen the man who kept coming around Neco's when we were kids. We knew he was a Baron because of his clothes, but Neco refused to tell us his name before he pulled away. He was only ever in Guttertown for Theda and no one spoke to the Barons if they deemed us worthy of their presence unless they spoke to us first. We only got their names if they gave it to us.

I knew what Neco's father looked like, but I still didn't know his name. Ollie didn't, either. And Ollie also didn't know who Lance's father was. Which was weird because Ollie tended to know everyone's secrets.

"No idea, man. He hasn't said. Just like you haven't."

"Is Lance going to hit me if I go down there?"

"Wait until closing," Ollie said. "He's been working himself to the bone with this new spirit and he hasn't been in a good mood. We'll go down there with you. If you promise to behave, you can come with us, Neco."

"Nope," Neco slurred. "I don't want to damage that pretty face breaking his nose again."

Neco was drunk as fuck and seemed really annoyed Lance was so good looking. Yeah, I knew the feeling. We all wanted to kiss Lance, but we didn't want to ruin our friendship.

I wondered if Lance felt the same way about Neco's face and they might eventually hate fuck their way back to each other.