“And you won’t have to suffer anymore,” she said. “Just think, from now on, you can have anything you want. Just say the word, and it’s yours.”
“Just how rich is this family you married into?”
She smiled. “Very.”
“What’s that like?”
“It was strange at first,” Nora admitted. “And Fredrick’s parents weren’t thrilled about the match when we announced our courtship. They paid for my freedom but wanted a girl who had a proper education for their son. So they started the scholarship program at Rosehaven Hall so I could attend and become worthy of their son.” She shook her head and sighed. “Having money is nice, I won’t lie about that. But it also comes with its own set of problems.”
“I can imagine. Is that how you pay all the bounties?”
“Yes. Fredrick’s family is very well connected and donates to all the right places. He’s set up enough foundations and scholarship programs that they can basically do whatever they want, and if they get caught, they buy off the right people. But I can’t complain—I used some of the money to find Papa.”
And here I was thinking that all this time, my sister had been in any number of dreadful situations.
“Why did you set the bounty on me?”
She looked at me as if I’d sprouted wings and begun to fly. “Ambrose said there was some crazy young boy trying to put a bounty out for Papa, and I’d just gotten him out of that work camp a few years ago. At first, I assumed the boy who approached Ambrose was a middleman working for someone trying to get their slave back.”
“No slave owner would put down that high of a bounty for a slave that cost a fraction of that price.”
Nora nodded. “True, and I did think about that. Then I wondered if it was a kidnapping attempt. If someone knew howhard I’d worked to rescue Papa, they might want him as leverage to blackmail the Employer and I couldn’t let that happen. But Ambrose said Gil was a boy who was one of the Syndicate’s bounty hunters, and that was what really stumped me. It didn’t make sense. So I set a bounty on Gil just a few days ago so I could do an interrogation to discover why he wanted to find Papa so badly. Ambrose said one of his favorite bounty hunters would easily be able to bring you in. But the Nightsworn raided right after Ambrose said he gave the bounty to Elvin. Looks like Elvin got to you in the end.”
“I let him bring me in.” That tripped a switch in my head and I actually turned to look around, waiting to see if there were rangers hiding among the trees, waiting to pounce. “The Nightsworn actually got to me first. They’re using me as bait right now to catch the Employer—you.”
I waited for Nora to gasp or look in any way shocked, but she simply smiled. “I assumed they would eventually catch up. Let them come.”
“But—”
“I told you, gold talks in ways that nothing else does. Here we are. Ready to see Papa?” We’d come upon a building that was larger than the average house but also much smaller than a manor. It was in good repair and immediately, I forgot any concerns I had about Nora’s methods and shivered with excitement. I was going to have my family back.
Nora pushed the door open to reveal an interior that was tidy and efficient, with many cabinets, trunks, and storage compartments. It wasn’t quite a cozy, homey feel, but it was comfortable. “Papa, I brought someone who wants to meet you.”
“I’m almost done with our customer,” a voice called from the back. My heart nearly exploded. I recognized that voice, even though I hadn’t heard it for more than sixteen years. I wanted to run toward that voice but felt rooted to the spot and foundit impossible to move another step. “We are just finishing up payment and the delivery should arrive within the hour.”
“This is more important. Come here.”
It sounded like some papers were shuffled, followed by a slight grunt as someone got up, then footsteps.
A man in his mid to late fifties appeared with a good-natured grin on his face. “What’s so important?”
Nora gestured to me and I choked down the lump swelling in my throat. “Hello, Papa.”
Emotions flashed across his face at lightning speed, first confusion, followed rapidly by shock, disbelief, then elation.
“Jillian?” He was across the room in a few short strides, wrapping me in a hug so tight that I thought I might never breathe again. He and Nora and I all began speaking over each other, each explaining in a rush about everything that had happened in the last sixteen years.
When I was finally released, I couldn’t stop looking at them. My smile stretched so widely from ear to ear that my cheeks hurt. I wanted to hang on to their hands and never let go.
Someone behind me cleared his throat, and Papa straightened up and spoke to the man over my shoulder. “I’m so sorry about leaving in the middle of our negotiations. Please meet my daughters, Nora and Jillian.”
I turned to greet his customer and saw Peter Pan, who was leaned against the doorframe and staring in a shrewd way that made my stomach clench.
“Your daughter Jillian, you said?” Peter asked, looking at me unblinkingly. “Strange. I’ve always called her Gil.”
“She and I haven’t seen each other since she was a very young girl.” Papa looked back and forth between us. “Do you two know each other?”
“We’ve worked together a few times,” I said. All the muscles in my shoulders and neck tensed up. It shouldn’t matter ifeveryone knew I was a girl now. I had my family back. What did I care if Peter found out? It wasn’t like I’d ever go back to him and Roderick. My mission was complete. I was free from needing to live in disguise. But…why was he here? I would’ve remembered if he’d told me he was working for the Employer.
