When he turns away, I go to reach for one of the remaining glasses of liquor, but they’rebothempty.
So he took them for himself. What an ass. I glare at his back as we press our way out of the crowd.
After the heat and stench and clamor of the tavern, the night air feels like a cool balm against my skin. I’m tense and irritable after being chastised over drinking, and I’m practically stomping alongside Lochlan like a child.
He has no patience for it. “Are you going to tell me what she said or not?” he demands.
“She said Cheeke keeps ledgers at the dock. But she warned me that Crane has eyes all over the harbor, waiting to intercept.”
We’re passing a crowd of older men who are loudly arguing about a woman named Bertha, so Lochlan says nothing until we’re well past.
When he does, he comes to the same conclusion I did: “So when we kill this man, there could be witnesses from both sides. Crane said Cheeke was well guarded.”
I nod. “Very likely.”
“So Crane did set us up.”
“Probably.” I shrug a little, because I’m not surprised. “Maybe he really does want Cheeke dead, and this is an easy way to get someone else to do it. If we’re caught by Redstone’s people, it looks bad for Kandala. There are already enough people here who think my father and my grandfather defaulted on their promises and worked shady deals. It wouldn’t take much to spread rumors that my brother and I are just as underhanded—especially if I’m quite literally caught in the act.”
“But if we get away with it, Crane’s people will think we’re trustworthy. We’ll be aligned with the pirates.”
We.Ifweget away with it. I snort derisively. Lochlan has made no secret of who he expects to do the killing here. I could have left him on the ship with Crane, and the outcome would’ve been no different.
But Lochlan is silent, working this through. “But enough people know you’re here now. That you ‘worked’ for the prince. Ifwe’realigned with the pirates, thenKandalawill be seen as aligned with the pirates.”
“I’m glad you’ve caught up,” I say flatly. “As usual, I’m confronted with horrific options, yet I’ll be judged for whichever choice I make. I hope you enjoyed the drinks. I rather wish you’d left meone.”
He frowns. “I didn’t drink those. We need a clear head for this.”
“Then what did you do with them?”
“I poured them out so you wouldn’t grab them when I turned my back.”
Oh. Considering I was going to do exactly that, I don’t know what to say.
He glances over. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you limping?”
I look right back at him. “We’ve been walking all day. Some self-righteous rebel told a mob to beat me to death a while ago. My right ankle is starting to give me trouble.”
“Oh, right. I know how you feel.” He holds out his hand and flexes his joints gingerly. “Some stupid prince broke my wrist a few weeks before that.”
“That isnowherenear the same and you know it.”
“It’s exactly the same.”
He’s so exhausting. I want to shove him into the wall. “I didn’t assault you out of hand,” I say sharply. “You were trying to kill Consul Sallister.”
He glances at me, annoyed. “Would you keep your voice down?”
We’re passing a pair of young women who give me a lingering look. Once they’re gone, I turn my head to glare at him, and I fight to keep my voice low. “I am the King’s Justice, Lochlan. I couldn’t watch you attack a consulright in front of me.”
Now it’s his turn to snort derisively. “You should have let me keep going.”
“I did.”
He looks at me in surprise.
I shrug and look back at the darkened streets. The scent of the harbor is getting closer. “I didn’t know what he was doing to the people yet, but I’ve never liked him. I could have stopped you more quickly. I took my time.”
