“Daffin is my… friend.”
“You have horrible taste in friends.”
“How do you know Daffin?” She watched as Quintonmade his way over to the window and stared at the street below.
“Let’s just say I’ve run into Oakleaf before. Criminals and lawmen tend to be at odds, you know.”
“Why have you been trying to hurt me?”
“I haven’t been trying to hurt you,” he answered.
“Then why did you shoot at me?”
He laughed. “I was shooting at Oakleaf. Hit ’im too, I reckon.”
“What? Why?”
“For fun, of course. I hit him, didn’t I?” He chuckled to himself. “He’s been a damned nuisance.” Quinton scratched at his dirty chin. “When I learned Oakleaf was involved, I doubled my fee.”
“Fee?” Her mouth dropped open. “You’re doing this for money?”
Quinton turned toward her and took a bow. “Why else would I do it? It’s my profession, my lady. One I’ve become quite good at over the years. In fact, I’ve dealt with Oakleaf more than once when he didn’t even know it was me. You see, Oakleaf and I are two sides of the same coin. I do favors for aristocrats who pay me indecently large sums of money, and so does he.”
She scowled at him. “Daffin investigates crime and brings criminals to justice.”
“And I do the opposite. We’re not so unalike.”
Regina didn’t know why Quinton was talking to her now when he hadn’t before. Possibly because she’d been unconscious then, but she needed to ask him all she could while he was willing to speak. “You’re not alike at all,” she spat.
“I think we are, my lady.” He sauntered toward her.“Oakleaf merely likes to believe he’s better than me. We both perform tasks for bounties. Mine just happen to be…”
“Illegal and immoral?” Regina offered.
Quinton tossed back his head and laughed. “There is a fine line between good and evil. The right purse makes all the difference. I daresay Oakleaf would turn to crime himself if the price was right. We’re cut from the same cloth.”
“No you’re not. Daffin would never do any of the things you’ve done. He’s a good man. You’re… scum.”
Quinton’s face twisted into a scowl of rage. “Spoken exactly like someone who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth and has never wanted for money a day in her life. Oakleaf might have fine friends, but he had to find his own fortune in this world, just like me. Especially with his upbringing.”
“What do you mean?” Her heart pounded. What did this awful man know about Daffin’s past?
“You don’t know? I thought you werefriends.” His laugh was filled with scorn.
She straightened her spine. “It doesn’t matter what his upbringing was. He’s a good man.”
“Well, well, well, why do I suspect you fancy the good runner? Now that’s interesting, indeed. Apparently Oakleaf can get a high-class bit of trim these days.”
Regina clenched her teeth. Whoever this man was, he was evil and he knew Daffin and someone—who?—had paid him to hurt her. Regina had to keep him talking, keep asking him questions so she could tell Daffin the details after she escaped.
“Daffin Oakleaf is a good man.”
Quinton’s smile faded. “No he’s not. He’s a liar and a fake.His name isn’t even Oakleaf. Did he tell you that? How long have you known him? I’ve known him since he was a child.”
Regina sucked in her breath. It couldn’t be true. Daffin’s name wasn’t fake. But even if it was, it didn’t speak to his character. How had this horrible man known him since he was a child? She didn’t have time to think about all of that at the moment, however. “They’ll never pay you for me, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she shot back.
Twisted humor spread across Quinton’s lips. “Should I kill you now, then?”
Regina swallowed hard. She lifted her chin. “Is that what you’ve been paid to do? Kill me?”
