“Now that I have you captive,” Marius began, “are you going to tell us what’s been up your ass the past week or so? You’ve been in a mood for days.”
He’d asked her before, but she’d evaded the question. Well, she couldn’t avoid it this time. What was she going to do, dive out the door?
She leaned back against the velvet seat and stared at the ceiling. “Personal stuff. It’s depressing, honestly. You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.” Of course he wanted to know.
Brantley nodded, backing him up. “Try us. I’ve been worried about you for weeks.”
She groaned. “You know how my parents and I have been trying to find work?”
They both nodded.
“We’ve applied everywhere. Everywhere. Even the quarry. No one will hire us.”
Marius narrowed his eyes. He’d wondered why she hadn’t snared another job yet, but he’d assumed she was finishing the work he’d paid her for before starting another position. Never had he suspected that no one would hire her.
“That’s impossible,” Brant said. “They take everyone down at the quarry. They’d allow whelps to work if it was legal.”
“Not us.” Harlow sighed. “They said they were fully staffed.”
“That’s narwit fodder. They’ve been trying to hire anything that walks for months.”
Harlow’s gold eyes turned stormy, and her previously jovial mood became pronounced with frustration. “I think we’re blacklisted. Every day for the past two weeks, I’ve applied at business after business in Paragon. No one will even talk to me, let alone hire me. I know my dad supported Eleanor, and some of it is deserved, but we’re one bad bet away from not being able to feed ourselves.”
Marius’s eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Huh?” Harlow tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Darium’s punishment for supporting Eleanor was losing his license to sell doors. There’s nothing in the sentence that doesn’t allow him to work or sell something else. Other business owners were never encouraged by the crown not to hire him. And you, Harlow, you were found innocent, as was your mother. Why would you be blacklisted by anyone?”
“I don’t know. All I know is I’ve been busting my ass to find work. So have my parents. No one will hire us. Not even for the jobs no one else wants.”
Marius frowned at the glint of tears in her eyes. He’d known she was struggling, but she’d hidden her frustration well these past weeks. Seeing her like this made him want to shove every business owner who had ever rejected her up against a wall and show them personally what a need for mercy felt like.
“Sorry, Hairy,” Brant said. “That’s a tough deal.”
She rubbed a hand over her face. Suddenly she looked thinner to Marius, more fragile. He watched her pull herself together and force a smile. “The good news is, I’m just as much an ace at the pits as always. And once Marius is back in the ring, I’m sure to make a mint betting on his fights.”
Marius snorted. “Will you be betting for me or against me?”
“Depends on your competitor.” She laughed.
“Ouch.”
The carriage halted, and they all piled into the Silver Sunset and got a table near the back. Marius pointed toward the bar where Roosevelt was busy stocking shelves. “I’ll get the first round.”
Brant and Harlow were all too eager to agree. He understood. Money was tight for both of them. He was a royal ambassador, but he wasn’t so removed to not understand what it was like not to have anything.
Roosevelt wasn’t just a friend. He’d been a member of the resistance, working with Sylas and Colin to build up the Defenders of the Goddess in Paragon. The man had his ear to the ground. Nothing happened in Hobble Glen without his knowing.
Marius approached and tossed a handful of dragmars on the bar. “Two pints and a tribiscal. And some of those elderbeast sliders for me and my friends.”
“Anything for a Treasure of Paragon,” he said with a wink. “If you don’t mind my saying so, it’s good to see your face in here. I started to worry you’d never come out of the palace.”
He shrugged. “Some things take time to heal.”
“That’s the truth.” Roosevelt started preparing the drinks and called their food order back to the kitchen.
