Page 16 of The Thief's Mark

four

Cal

Cal’sstomachsankashe took in the Brotherhood goons crowding the entrance to his safe house. It figured. He should’ve known he was due some ill luck.

He shot a quick glare at the inspector’s turned back. He didn’t care how attractive Griff was, with that handsome face and firm muscles hidden beneath his drab trench coat. Without his meddling, none of this would’ve happened. Cal had been free and clear with both his hefty payday and that void relic in hand. Leave it to a Dark-cursed inspector to ruin everything.

After meeting him at the Siren’s Call, Cal had wondered if his newfound reputation had truly been earned. Now, he had his answer. No wonder the Watch had failed so spectacularly to catch a single thief when their top inspector couldn’t even conduct a simple investigation without being followed.

If you thought about it, this was really the inspector’s mess to clean up, not his. Lethimdeal with it.

Moving as quietly as he could, Cal kept up his disguise as an elderly woman while he hobbled away from the door deeper into the apartment. He knew of at least three different exit points he could use to slip away the instant he was out of view.

Hewouldmiss this safehouse, though. The apartment itself was nothing special, but the location near the docks had been mighty convenient. Plus, one of his downstairs neighbors routinely baked him sweets when he was around.

He’d only taken a handful of steps when the head enforcer’s beady eyes narrowed on him. “Hold up!” she said loudly, speaking over the inspector and her companions. She jerked a finger toward Cal. “Who’s that?”

Griff’s fingers hovered near his belt…and the artificer revolver holstered there. A handy tool, that. Cal might need to look into getting one himself someday. Though if things came to blows in his line of work, that usually meant he’d already messed up.

“An innocent bystander,” Griff said. “Whatever business you have here, you can take it up with me.”

“You ain’t the one in charge here, Inspector,” the woman snapped.

A gesture from her sent two of the Brotherhood goons stalking forward. They sneered down at Griff as they passed by, as though daring him to try and stop them. The inspector’s jaw tightened, but he made no move to intervene.

So much for my knight in shining armor.

Not that Cal had expected anyone else to fight his battles for him. As usual, he’d have to rely on his own wits to get him out of this mess.

Adding a quaver to his voice, he put on his best terrified face and gazed up at the two goons. “Oh, please, don’t hurt me. Can’t we talk this out? I don’t know what this is about, but I’ve never met a problem that couldn’t be solved with some tea and fresh biscuits.”

The two henchmen glanced at each other, clearly unsure how to deal with him. He smothered a grin. It seemed even hardened criminals didn’t much like threatening a defenseless old woman.

“Sorry, granny,” one of them muttered. “Just sit tight ‘til we get this sorted out.”

The Brotherhood thugs might have had qualms about attacking an old woman, but they didn’t seem nearly so concerned about an inspector. The remaining four enforcers fanned out to surround Griff, boxing him in. The woman in charge ambled up to stand in front of him, smirking at him.

“Let’s try that again,” she said. “You’ve got something of ours. Tell us where it is, and this’ll all be over.” She jerked a finger toward Cal. “Is this woman a contact of yours? Some sort of Watch asset?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Griff gritted out. “But I can assure you that, whatever you’re looking for, this woman had nothing to do with it.”

Cal muffled a wince.Oops.Guess he really had been super believable during their chat.

The woman, however, didn’t seem nearly so convinced. “Last chance, prottie. Hand over the orb, or we’ll do this the hard way.”

Griff didn’t blink, nor back down. Watching the determined set to his face, Cal couldn’t help admiring his courage—foolish though it might’ve been when he was so heavily outnumbered.

“This isyourlast chance,” Griff said, his voice calm. “Leave now, before I arrest you for breaking and entering.”

The woman snorted and shook her head. “You protties are all the same. You think that badge you hide behind can protect you? Things are changing around here, Inspector.” She grinned and loudly cracked her knuckles. “You know, I’ve always wanted to know what it feels like to punch a prottie.”

Her blow came lightning-swift, so fast that Cal almost thought it enhanced by soulflame. Yet Griff appeared to anticipate it. He twisted to the side, letting her punch pierce the empty air in front of him. Spinning, he brought his shoulder up and rammed it into her gut. She stumbled back with a wheezing cough.

“Get them!” she bellowed.

Cal didn’t wait for the two goons with him to obey. In the split second they were distracted glancing toward her, he made his move, slamming a palm into the face of the closest brute. The brute cried out, reeling back. Cal felt the satisfying crunch of snapping cartilage amid a warm spurt of blood.

While that first brute stumbled away, clutching his face, Cal wasted no time rushing the other. His sudden speed caught the brute off-guard, and he slammed into him, deftly hurling him to the floor with a twisting motion. The brute hit the ground hard with a muffledoof.