After a long moment, his hands gentle on my arms, and he sighs. “Forgive me.”
“I need to get back to the front.” I hesitate. “My lord.”
“I need you to find out what they want. Why they’re here.”
I want to punch him in the face. “I’ve hardly talked to Jax in weeks, because ofyou, and now you want me to suddenly ask why two lords were visiting his forge? Maybe they needed iron work.”
“Maybe they’ll visit the bakery next, and when I see you again, you’ll be swinging from a rope.” His voice is cold, but surprisingly … that doesn’t sound like a threat. It sounds like a worry. I can’t tell if it’s for himself or for me, and I hate that there’s something about him that’s even raised the question in my thoughts. “Callyn. Truly. I need to know why they’re here.Youneed to know why they’re here. Think of your home. Think of yoursister.”
I swallow. “I’m always thinking of my sister. It’s the only reason I’m helping you at all.”
His expression doesn’t flicker. “Is it really?”
Yes. No.
Maybe itwas. But it’s not anymore. I wet my lips and shake my head. “What—” My voice is breathy, and I tell myself to knock it off. “What do I do if they come here?”
He pulls coins from a pocket and presses them into my palm. “You’re going to tell the truth. I came here, gave you a few coins, and took a few pastries. You don’t know my plans.”
“Whatareyour plans?” I say.
He smiles. “If I tell you that, your answer will be a lie.”
“Cally-cal!” Nora calls from the main room. “Cally-cal, I need you!”
I glance past him. “I need to get back.”
“Of course you do.” He picks up the sack of sugar and hands it to me. “Until later, Callyn.”
“Until later,” I say flippantly. I turn away, but then think better of it, and turn back to ask what will happen if this Lord Jacob brings more than just questions.
But Lord Alek is already gone.
CHAPTER 28
TYCHO
This isn’t where I expected my day to end up. I thought I’d spend a few hours shooting with Jax, I’d find Jacob at the dice tables, and then we’d ride back to the Crystal City.
Instead, I’ve all but kidnapped Jax and left a man half-conscious in the dirt.
Jake closes the door and leans back against it, then rubs his hands over his face. “Tell me everything.”
I do.
Well, mostly everything. I leave out the moment when Jax was yelling at me to go away. I’m not sure what happened there, and he still hasn’t said. I keep thinking about the way his hand lifted to press over mine. Was that fear? A moment of vulnerability? Or something else?
Jake listens to every word, and after all that’s happened with Grey, I expect him to give me a censorious glare and insist that we leave this mess behind us while we return to the Crystal City.
But he doesn’t. “Iamgoing to the magistrate,” he says.
“It won’t matter,” Jax says bitterly. “You should take me back.”
“You’re not the only one with a shitty father,” Jake says, and Jax looks surprised that his tone is equally bitter. “Trust me. I’ll make it matter.” He looks at me. “Stay here. I’ll be back. Are you hungry? I’ll have some food sent.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer to any of this; he just goes through the door.
The air between us still feels prickly and uncertain, and I’m not sure how much of that is on my side, and how much is on his.
