Book 02 - Bitter Gold Hearts by Glen Cook Read Free Book Online Page B

old enough, plain enough, and poor enough
to suspect that maybe my profession has more to do with you being
here.”
    “Maybe.” She went on trying to flirt. I had a bad
feeling she might be one of those who couldn’t deal with a
man until she proved to herself she could lead him around by his
hopes and fantasies. That kind regards consummation as something to
avoid at all costs. She was young but she knew her men well enough
to know actually giving in would dilute her power. I assumed she
was playing that game, so I did my best to let her think she might
get what she wanted without stretching her virtue.
    She did appeal. A whole damned lot. But I’ll have to know
a Stormwarden’s daughter a lot better before I take the risks
inherent in such a situation.
    “There is one thing you could do,” she admitted.
“But that can wait. Don’t you feel crowded in here?
Isn’t there somewhere else? That old man could walk in
anytime.”
    At which point I made the mistake of sitting down. My sitter was
barely in place when a hundred pounds of potential parked
her
sitter on my lap. So much for Garrett’s
infallible estimates of members of the female species. She had me
going for a minute—until she giggled. I don’t like my women
to giggle. It makes me doubt their maturity. Still, when the
culprit is sitting on your lap, wagging her
tail . . . 
    “Mr. Garrett.” It was that old man. “Mr. Dotes
is here. He says it’s important.”
    Saved!
    Damn it.
----

XI
    “Do you have to, Garrett?”
    “You don’t know Morley Dotes. If he comes here,
it’s important.”
    I had Amber about half pried loose when Dotes blew in. He
stopped and gawked, then that sparkle flashed in his eye. I’m
going to throw pepper in there someday just to get tears to wash it
out.
    “Down, boy. What’s going on?”
    Amber made a show of neatening herself up. I guess she knew she
had it and couldn’t help flaunting it.
    “Your pal Saucerhead. He’s in the Bledsoe carved up bad
enough to kill a mammoth.”
    “Bound to happen in his line of work.” Which was
pretty much the same as Morley’s less public line, so he gave
me a sour look when he could steal a second from appreciating
Amber. “How did it happen?”
    “Don’t have much yet. He staggered in from somewhere
way the hell out in the country. They say he shouldn’t have
made it, but you know him. Too stubborn and stupid to die. They
don’t think he’ll make it.”
    “Who does, down there? What the hell was he doing out in
the boondocks?”
    Morley gave me a funny look. “I thought you’d know.
He left the place early last night because he had a job. Said you
recommended him.”
    “Me? I never . . . Oh. Damn. I’d
better get down there.” I had butterflies the size of horses.
Amiranda. Had to be.
    “I’ll stroll along with you, then. I haven’t
had my exercise today.” Far be it from Morley Dotes to admit
he had a friend anywhere in the known universe. As he turned to
leave, Amber whispered, “Wait, Garrett.” The music was
out of her voice.
    “Is it critical?”
    “To me it is.”
    “Wait for me at the front door, Morley. So. Tell
me.”
    “My brother came home this morning. They let him
go.”
    “Good for him.”
    “That means Domina paid the ransom.”
    “Seems likely. So?”
    “So there’s two hundred thousand gold marks out
there somewhere that belong to my family, that somebody
couldn’t yell about if it got taken away. Do you think you
could find it?”
    “Maybe. If I wanted to bad enough. A chunk like that, in
the hands of amateurs, would leave a trail like a rogue mammoth.
The trick would be getting to it before all the other sharpshooters
in town.”
    “Help me find it, Garrett. You can have half.”
    “Whoa, girl. That’s asking for big trouble with no
guarantee of any—”
    “This may be my first, last, and only chance to make a hit
big enough to get away from my mother. If I could get that money
before she comes home, I could disappear