27. Ronan

I didn't peg Lance for Lucy, but I really liked Lucy. She was basically still my best friend who I'd been in love with forever, I just had to touch her differently and I was perfectly okay with that. She basically spoke and acted like the same person I grew up with.

We slept in Ollie's uncle's barn. We did that a lot after Ollie moved in with his uncle, but it was very different this time. The Day of Respect was officially over, so Guttertown had to work extra to make up for all the tasks they didn't finish or all the income we lost when we were supposed to be paying our reverence to a bunch of people we wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.

It was a hot mess. But I had a line on a job that was probably going to be a lot of fun. Beck told me to come to the brothel after we woke up because his mom was interested in hiring me. She was probably one of the few people in Guttertown who could afford art.

The Madame was a classy lady. She never went anywhere without looking impeccable. She'd never cut her hair and wore it in locs like all the Jagged Key Isles people in Guttertown. The Madame took the same perfumed baths that Beck did. It was always great for the Guttertown economy when she wanted a little redesign on the brothel.

Ollie's aunt just assumed we were recreating our childhood sleepovers in their barn. She fed us and sent us off to work this time instead of school. We walked back into town together. Ollie and Lucy split off to the tavern and Beck and I walked into the brothel.

Yeah, the Madame was definitely redecorating. There were bolts of fabric leaning against the wall and she looked happier than usual to see me. I think all of us adored her as kids and grew up to admire her.

"Ronan, dear, come sit and talk."

On my way to join the Madame on the couch, Neco was coming out with Rowena to send her to school. A well-dressed man who definitely wasn't from Guttertown mowed right into Rowena and sent her flying on her arse. He was completely at fault and to me, it looked like he had done it on purpose. But he didn't stop there.

"Gutter brat," he said, spitting on Rowena. "You're going to end up a filthy whore like everyone here."

Rowena wasn't the kind of kid that would cry because some rich merchant spat on her and insulted her. She was madder than a wet cat and if Neco hadn't escorting him out while he was shrieking about how he was a paying customer, Rowena would have assaulted him. This was the type of man who would want severe punishment for a child that fought back after he deliberately knocked her down and insulted her.

He was also dumb as fuck because he did it in front of Neco. Neco would escort him out in a way that he couldn't press charges and then sneak into his house in the dead of night and slit his throat. This was a dead man walking, and I wasn't mad about it.

Maybe it said something about me that I didn't follow them out and try to warn this man that a giant with one eye had marked him for death, but I honestly didn't give a shit. Rowena had picked up that Neco ignored me in public and automatically assumed I'd done something horrible to her big brother.

When she was all of five, she marched straight up to me and punched me right in the dick for hurting her brother. Rowena assaulted Ollie once, too. It wouldn't shock me if she hit Lucy because Lucy and Neco fought like cats and dogs. Beck was probably the only person in our group she actually liked and that was only because she could see that Neco liked him.

Even a five-year-old's dick punch hurt like fuck, but I still liked that kid. She had spunk. If she'd hit that merchant after he knocked her down and Neco wasn't around, I would have tried to take care of it myself and probably hanged for it.

I sat across from the Madame, but my gaze was still on Rowena. She looked like she was trying to find another dick to punch, so I crossed my legs just in case she didn't know Neco and me had made our peace.

"That man doesn't realize what kind of demon he just awoke," the Madame said, clucking her tongue.

That was when it hit me. She knew what Neco's extracurricular activities were. We should have realized that. If Beck figured it out, his mom probably figured it out much sooner. That woman seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere. Sometimes, she knew about Ollie's shenanigans before he could rope us into them.

Of course, she knew Neco was murdering her clients. She just didn't particularly care to say anything to him about it because the Madame didn't want that kind of business. I couldn't say I blamed her.

"He's not going to know or realize it until it's too late," I said.

There was only a tiny bit of surprise on the Madame's face before she hid it. I was surprised I even got that. The Madame didn't fight with her fists. She was a master of wits. I wasn't about to play that game with her, so I directed the conversation away from Neco and the fact that he liked to murder people and back to what she needed from me.

"So, I'm tired of the wallpaper. It makes me angry just looking at it and I loved it two years ago. The fables of the Jagged Key Isles aren't like Nestran. There are no damsels being rescued from monsters by brave men. They are a lot racier than Guttertown stories, so sometimes, the damsel ends up happily married to the monster who treats her like a queen.

"It's all a metaphor for who the actual monsters are, of course, just like all fables and fairy tales are meant to teach a lesson. My ancestors left the Jagged Key Isles because their government was just as bad as the Barons here. It was the same thing. The Barons have the shifters painted as the monsters and the Jagged Key Isles did that to my people, so we left.

"The Jagged Key Isles fables are fun, but they would also be shocking to everyone in Nestran except for Guttertown. I've decided I want to replace the wallpaper I can't stand with murals of those fables. I'll pay you well."

Oh, my fuck, I adored Beck's mom.

"You're seriously going to pay me to paint murals on the wall of damsels getting railed by dragons? That's the second greatest thing to happen to me this week."

"What's the first?"

Finding out Lance was Lucy, she returned our feelings, and our night in the barn, but I'd never say that. Though, it wouldn't totally shock me if the Madame already knew that. She knew more secrets than Ollie.

"I can't reveal that under threat of death."

Seriously, Lance might be Lucy, but she was pretty good at outright brawling. If she wanted revenge, she could beat my arse in a fight easily.

"Then keep that secret close to you. Yes, I want to pay you for that. It's a lot of fables and I want them all over the brothel. This would be a long-term job. You let me know what supplies you'd need and I'll get them. I'm used to feeding you, so the kitchen is open to you when you need it. I'm also not going to complain if you want to take a break and unwind at the tavern. I've been meaning to walk over myself to try Lance's new drink."

"That's way more than generous."

"No, it's not. You aren't the only Guttertown artist. The rest of them are making clothes, perfumes, and metal work. You're the only stubborn individual who decided they were going to make something just for the beauty of looking at it.

"There are only a few people who can leave Guttertown and do business with the rest of Nestran. Most of them are the Baron's children they had in Guttertown and I'm one of the other ones. You managed to do it on your own. We're proud of you. This will get your work out to people outside of Nestran who treat this place like their dirty little secret."

"Oh, wow. Thank you."

Seriously. She was getting a lot of art from me, but I was also getting months of work, free food, and a lot of exposure. Sometimes, people tried to cheap out on paying me by saying people would see my art on their walls and they would want to hire me. But if everyone paid me in just exposure, I'd starve to death.

"You earned it and I'm getting plenty out of it. Get me a list and I'll send Beck for the supplies. I've hired someone to come in to pull the old wallpaper down and prepare the walls for you. You should be able to get started soon."

"I'll need to know all the fables you want. I'm pretty sure you didn't tell us the monster-fucking stories when we were kids."

"No, I definitely didn't. I'm sending you to my sister. She's a better storyteller than me and she has cookies. Take Beck. He's had a lot of questions about his aunt lately that she needs to answer."

Keeva was everyone's favorite aunt. She ran an amazing bakery, and she always had a sweet for us when we were little. Ollie might hear all the secrets, but I adored being up in everyone's business and hearing them. I wasn't going to do anything with that information, but it wasn't like I could walk to a book shop and buy something. I loved drama when it didn't involve me.

I wanted to hear Keeva tell me stories again, and I wanted to know what kinds of questions Beck had about her.

Overall, this had been the best two days of my life.