Chapter 5

By the time I reached the guild house the next morning, my jaw ached from clenching my teeth so hard. I shoved open the heavy wooden door with a bang and stormed up the staircase, my pounding footsteps echoing my frustration. When I reached Lorget's office, I flung his door open with a force that surprised even me.

Lorget peered over his glasses, seemingly unperturbed by my intrusion. "Remy," he said calmly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I stalked into his office and dropped the jewelry box on top of the cluttered chaos that covered his desk. A piece of parchment floated off the edge and drifted toward the floor. Lorget deftly plucked it from the air and placed it just so on the desk in an organizational system that only he could discern.

"I assume this is the Quinlins'?" he inquired.

I nodded curtly and folded my arms over my chest.

He tugged on an ear while regarding the box thoughtfully. "Why bring the entire thing instead of just the necklace?"

"There was a complication. In the form of a girl you also sent on the job." I glared down at him.

His gray eyes snapped up to mine and his brows drew together. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't send a second person to retrieve the necklace?"

"Of course not," he said, sounding offended.

The anger left me in a whoosh, and I collapsed into his armchair, deflated. "Some girl was in the dressing room when I arrived. She'd already picked the lock and was about to reach into the box. Lucky for her I arrived when I did." I laced my fingers behind my head, stretched out my legs, and crossed my boots. "She hadn't noticed the enchantment across the opening." I grinned at him. "She'd have been on her cute little ass on the other side of the room if I hadn't stopped her."

If I hadn't been so furious at her interference, I might have paid attention to more than just her cute ass. But I had no interest in acquisitive females hell-bent on improving their own fortunes.

Lorget laughed, but then his eyes narrowed as he grew serious. "Why did you think I'd sent her?"

"She said you did."

His eyebrows flew up and he leaned back in his chair. "Did she now."

"So, who is she?" I demanded.

"No idea. What did she look like?"

"Small, slender, red hair pulled back, delicate features, big eyes."

Lorget sighed and a pained expression crossed his face. "Oh, dear."

I just stared at him and waited.

"That sounds like Ziola. She was in my office and must have seen the paperwork on my desk." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Snooping through documents is not only acceptable, it's expected. Trying to horn in on someone's assignment is not." I stabbed a finger at him in annoyance. "What are you going to do about it?"

Lorget smiled indulgently. "I'll talk to her."

Apparently, Lorget had a soft spot for this woman. I grimaced and waved my hand dismissively. "Bah. Sounds like pretty girl gets a pass." I stood to leave.

"She's just ambitious. That's not a bad thing."

I rolled my eyes. "Until you start stabbing your colleagues in the back."

He held up both hands and patted the air. "I will talk to her. Sit back down."

Exhaling noisily, I sat and ran a hand through my hair. I reined in my irritation and forced myself to speak calmly. "Do you have another job for me?"

Lorget rested his arms on his desk and leaned forward. "The board would like you to take on some managerial responsibilities. We want you to be a team lead."

I interrupted before he got any further down that path. "Thanks for the vote of confidence and all. But no."

"Why not?"

"I work alone."

"Remy," Lorget said with exaggerated patience, "the bigger jobs require teamwork." His paternal tone grated on my nerves. I'd never known my father and didn't need a replacement now.

"Maybe I don't want bigger jobs." I raised my chin.

"That's not true. You thrive on challenge."

"Not challenges with people I don't trust," I shot back.

Lorget tried again. "You know you could have had master status long ago, if only you would agree to either mentor an apprentice or lead a team."

"I don't need titles, just jobs."

He threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine. But at least think about it. You can't work alone forever."

I nodded but didn't mean it. I'd grown up on the streets of Sageport, one of the many homeless children who learned to hustle and steal to survive. We formed gangs for self-protection, but knew that when it came down to it, you could only rely on yourself. I could count on one hand the number of people I trusted not to slip a knife between my ribs if it would benefit them in some way.

I stood and stalked out of his office.

A few hours later, I was brooding over a mug of ale at a corner table in The Stony Mug. Lunch was almost finished, and cutlery clinked against dishes as one of the tavern servers cleared tables. Boots thumped on the wooden floor, punctuated by the creak of the door, and conversation dwindled as the working-class patrons headed back to their jobs. A few months ago, pixies had enchanted the Mug's floor to repel stains and fairies hung twinkling lights in the rafters, giving the tavern a more magical and refined appearance. I guessed it was an improvement, but I missed the grit of sawdust underfoot and the smoke of candelabras above.

Everything was changing. The evolution of The Stony Mug's décor, while trivial, seemed to reflect my world in general. My friends had married, and their lives now revolved around family. My career—if that was the right word for thieving and spying—had stagnated. Guild assignments had become routine and my various side hustles lacked their former sparkle. Now the guild was pushing me toward greater responsibility. Soon they'd probably try to trap me behind a desk.

I would do anything for my closest friends, but I didn't want random people relying on me. And I absolutely didn't want to be stuck relying on them. I enjoyed being carefree and independent with few responsibilities. My life was like an old shoe—worn and shabby, but comfortable. Now, evidently, the gods had decreed I needed new boots, and I wasn't happy about it.

"Yo, Remy!" Fingers snapped in front of my face.

With a start, I yanked my gaze out of my drink and blinked up at the towering frame of the tavern owner now sitting across from me. Ralph's short, dark hair curled onto his forehead and his hazel eyes studied me with a mixture of concern and amusement. He waved a massive, calloused palm back and forth.

"You OK?" he asked.

Summoning a weak smile, I responded, "Yeah, Ralph, I'm fine." But I slumped further in my chair.

Ralph rested his powerful tattooed forearms on the table. "You never let someone sneak up on you. And I wasn't sneaking."

I squinted at him. "Can you sneak?" Ralph was half-troll and built like a mountain.

"No." He stuck out his leg and pointed to a foot the size of a dinner platter. "These don't sneak. But you didn't even notice when I was right in front of you."

"Just lost in thought."

He lifted his brows. "Oh?"

"I do think on occasion, you know," I said with a note of sarcasm. "When I can't avoid it."

Ralph boomed out a laugh. "So, what are these deep thoughts?"

"Dancing girls, booze, knife fights… you know, the usual."

We both looked up as another man strolled to our table and pulled up a chair. Tall and broad shouldered, with long dark hair and brown eyes, Alix was a wolf shifter who worked as a bounty hunter. Or at least he did until he got married and became soft. Now he primarily took investigative jobs.

"What's this about dancing girls and knives?" Alix asked.

"I was just thinking Ralph should host a fight night for exotic dancers. He could offer prize money to the champion."

They both stared at me, jaws hanging open, and I suppressed a smile. I wondered if they knew how much I loved reducing them to stunned silence.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I'm sure it would be a great success."

Ralph looked pained while Alix just shook his head. The conversation drifted to other topics, and I returned to my musings about the future and my meeting with Lorget. If I had to put together a team, who would I include? In a perfect world, it would be the two men sitting with me, but they had neither the skills nor the inclination to join in my line of work. Storm a castle or take down a demon? Ralph and Alix were the ideal partners. But neither one was sliding through an open window with me to clear out an art collection. Even if they hadn't been too big for this type of work, their morals weren't flexible enough. Such a shame.

I started going through my mental catalog of possibles. Unbidden, Ziola's face popped up in my mind. Hair pulled back in a high ponytail with bangs was not how most human women wore their hair, but it suited her. Her wide green eyes had sparked with defiance when she had challenged me. And her slim, agile body—

"Remy!" Fingers were snapping a mere inch from my nose again.

"If you don't get those fingers out of my face, I'm going to bite them off," I snarled.

Alix snatched his hand back. "I asked what you thought."

I stared blankly at him. "About what?"

He regarded me for several moments, brows furrowing. "Doesn't matter. What are you stewing over?"

"I'm not stewing. I'm just quiet."

"You're never quiet," Alix retorted. He leaned forward. "Half the time we can't shut you up."

Alix wasn't wrong. I had something to say about everything, but rarely was it serious and never about myself. I had come to the tavern because I wanted company, but now I wished they'd just leave me alone. Ralph put another mug of porter on the table in front of me and I glanced at the dark brown dregs in the bottom of the mug I was holding. I hadn't even noticed him get up or that my mug was empty.

I leaned back in my chair and blew out a long breath. "The guild wants me to become a team lead and take on bigger jobs."

"And this is a problem?" Ralph asked.

"It means I have to work with others."

"That is generally what a team means," Ralph said with a shrug. "I still don't get the problem."

"You were a soldier. You like all that camaraderie and bonding shit."

"That's how you learn to trust your team," he replied.

"There's no one in the guild I can trust. So, I don't want to work with them."

"Why can't you trust them?" Alix asked.

"Are you serious? They're all thieves and spies."

Alix and Ralph goggled at me in silence for several moments. Then Ralph said carefully, "Isn't that what you are?"

"Yes, but I trust me."

"Um, has anyone given you cause to not trust them?" Alix asked.

"Just yesterday," I admitted. "I was relieving a high fae household of an extravagant diamond necklace and arrived to discover someone there before me."

"Did you kill him?" Ralph asked with a frown.

"I haven't fallen so far as killing everyone who annoys me." I glowered at Ralph but jabbed a thumb at Alix. "When I do, he'll be the first in line."

Alix rolled his eyes. "Good to know."

"Anyway, it was a woman."

Ralph's brows shot up. "I didn't know there were women in the Guild of Thieves and Spies."

"Don't be sexist. Of course, there are."

Ralph looked chastened and toyed with his mug.

"Some of our best spies are women," I added with a sly grin. "Men like to talk to beautiful women who are spilling out of their bodices."

Alix laughed and punched Ralph lightly on the shoulder. "What's the story on this woman?"

"She snooped through one of the director's desks and found the details on the job. Then she decided beating me to it was a good way to boost her reputation."

"She must have some skills. Surely, entering a high fae's house can't be easy," Alix observed.

"She does, and it isn't." As furious as I had been, I had to give her that much credit.

"Did you tell the guild what she did?" Ralph cocked his head to one side.

"Yeah, one of the senior masters."

"And?"

"He blew me off. Said she was just ambitious." I swirled the ale around in my mug, watching the foam spin. "But I think he's sweet on her." I took a mouthful and swallowed slowly. The more I thought about it, the more that made sense. Did she like gray hair? No, Lorget was too old for her. Wasn't he?

Ralph pursed his lips. "Maybe teaming up with a director's pet would get you those bigger assignments."

I scowled at him. "Are you telling me to suck up?"

Ralph sighed and threw up his hands. "It was just a thought."

It probably was an excellent suggestion, but the farther I stayed away from Ziola, the better. I didn't need complications like her.