Chapter 9

SWEET DEALS AND SHARP BLADES

The Crying Cat Bakery, Roya Lane, London, England, United Kingdom

Fortunately the next tasks required Gen to change the subject, easing the tension building between her and Jack. Before they went into The Crying Cat Bakery to get the sword that Subner had told them about, Gen needed to give Jack a heads up about Lee. Quickly, she explained about the assassin baker and what they should expect inside the bakery.

At first, Jack was skeptical, saying that the Rogue Riders didn’t allow murder. But then Gen explained that from what she’d heard about Lee, she only went after really awful people who were the scum of the earth. She was her own Rogue Rider of sorts, just without a dragon.

Gen was surprised when the door to The Crying Cat Bakery didn’t open, like it was locked. She glanced at the “Open” sign on the front of the door and then back at Jack. He was also wearing a confused expression.

“Bakeries are usually open for business at this time of day,” he offered, pointing. “And there’s someone in there.”

Gen peered through the glass on the door, seeing Lee standing on the other side of the door, just in front of the bakery cases. The woman had an annoyed expression on her face. Gen knocked on the door, pointing down at the door handle, motioning for Lee to unlock it.

The assassin baker seemed to consider this for a moment. Finally, after a long moment of deliberation, she huffed, striding over and unlocking the door. Lee only pulled it back a few inches, putting her face in front of it.

“What do you want?” Lee asked tersely.

“How about a pastry?” Jack quipped before Gen could reply.

“We’re all out,” Lee replied.

Jack chuckled, pointing to the case full of an assortment of baked goods. “What are those then?”

“None of your business,” Lee muttered, glancing down at Gen. “Now, get out of here. I’m busy putting new security measures on the bakery.”

“Why?” Gen asked. “And we’re here because Subner sent us.”

Lee stepped back, opening the door wide, with a look of concern. “Why? Did he find my bo staff? Is he going to make me the machete I asked for? Give me good news or I’m using the pretty boy you brought along with you for target practice.”

Gen shook her head, stepping in front of Jack in a protective manner. “No one gets hurt here. But Subner said that he needs you to loan my friend, Jack, your backup sword.”

“We aren’t friends,” Jack said, looking down at Gen with a heated gaze.

“We aren’t?” she questioned. “I thought we were…”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not friend zoning me. I’ll hang out in suitor territory for as long as I need, but I’m not resorting to being your friend.”

“Hey, Ross and Rachel,” Lee interrupted, waving her hands to get their attention. “No one cares about what romantic tension you’ve got going and decisions about when to breed. Make this about me again or I’m putting both of you in the walk-in freezer for a timeout.”

Gen sighed, hiding her annoyance about Jack not wanting to be her friend, but sort of understanding it. He wanted to be more and didn’t want her to get complacent with a friend relationship with him. She directed her attention at Lee. “I need to get Jack, a Rogue Rider, his true sword. But until I do that, Subner said you had one you could loan him that would work for him.”

“Yeah, I’m not giving up my backup for some tall, dark and blue-eyed boy to play with,” Lee muttered, grabbing the door, like she was going to shut it again.

“Wait,” Jack interrupted, holding up his hands, halting her. “Subner said that you’d have a price. We will pay it. Just tell us what it is.”

Lee considered this for a moment. She glanced around at the bakery behind her, which looked to be in the phases of a makeover with boxes of supplies scattered around. Then she sighed. “I do need something.”

“A taste tester?” Jack asked, hopefully.

Lee shook her head. “And be careful what you ask for. Those who test my concoctions have to sign a legal waiver. My ingredients have unexpected effects, especially in the initial phases.”

“Yeah, so we don’t want that as our job,” Jack quickly added, shaking his head. “What can we do for you to loan me the sword?”

“Well, I need some security things for the bakery,” Lee mused, looking around, seeming to think.

“Yeah, you mentioned putting new security measures into place,” Gen cut in, interrupting the baker’s thoughts. “What’s going on? Have you been under any attacks or crimes?”

“Not yet, but I’m preparing, just in case,” Lee answered. “King Rudolf and Sherlock Holmes were by recently. They’ve been investigating a string of strange murders that all have happened at magical bakeries. I fear that The Crying Cat Bakery might be the site of another one and that would be bad for business.”

“Because then people wouldn’t want to buy your pastries,” Jack guessed.

“No,” Lee spat. “Because then the authorities would be called in and be sniffing around here.”

“Right,” he chirped. “And they’d probably find evidence of more than one murder.”

Lee chewed on her lip, looking around, ignoring the Rogue Rider. “What I need is some Sneak’s Stain Solution. But Bep at the Rose Apothecary carries that…” Lee spun and faced Gen and Jack suddenly. “I’ve got my price.”

“What’s that?” Gen asked, a skeptical expression on her face, thinking this might be a trick.

Lee held out her hand and instantly summoned a nice, shiny sword. It wasn’t anything particularly special like the giant-made sword that Bellumferrum had transformed into, but it was definitely nicer than the weapon that Jack had, which broke.

“I’ll loan you my backup sword, in exchange for a tiny little and really easy favor.” Lee turned around the sword by the hilt, holding it out to Jack to take.

He went to take it, but Gen paused him, putting her hand out. “What’s the favor?”

“It’s easy,” Lee remarked casually. “You just have to pop down to the Rose Apothecary and pick up an anti-thief potion known as Sneak’s Stain Solution. Bep has it on hand usually.”

“You got it,” Jack said, taking the sword.

Gen shook her head. “What’s the catch? Why can’t you do this yourself?”

“I could, but firstly, Bep has refused to sell me any more potions,” Lee began, holding up a single finger. Then she ticked off another. “Secondly, she doesn’t take money, but rather operates by favors.”

“Much like most in this place,” Jack muttered, dryly.

“She’s going to require you to do something at some point for payment,” Lee stated. “And the last time I got caught in that racket, I found myself knee deep in a vat of salsa and slugs. I still can’t eat Mexican food without gagging. So I’m passing the task on to you two. If you get me the potion from the Rose Apothecary then you can keep that sword until you find a replacement.”

“Deal,” Jack said with a grin, testing the sword.

Gen, not given the chance to answer first, simply nodded. However, she wasn’t really upset about having another errand to run with Jack. Or the fact that they were racking up tasks that they’d have to complete together to repay favors. She may be undecided about a relationship, but in the meantime, she liked every chance she got to spend with him. And he was right. They weren’t friends—what seemed to be budding between them was not how she’d ever felt about a friend before.