by Randi Darren
“I’m good! Thank you for asking. I’m excited to be married. Mother said it was the best thing in her life.
“Daddy said he was glad you accepted me, though was confused that I didn’t have a contract yet. He thinks I misunderstood, but I think he just doesn’t understand our connection.”
“To be fair, Anna, I haven’t said I’d marry you,” Alex said amicably. She was hard to be mean to, but he didn’t want to mislead her.
Which was a new feeling for him.
“I know, but it’s only a matter of time. You need someone to talk to, if only to work your thoughts out. I’m a great listener, and I don’t judge,” Anna said, folding her hands in front of herself.
“And if I told you I had one of the other interviewees eat Two out,” Alex said, indicating Carla. “Just to get to the next stage of the interview?”
Carla ignored him, her face looking towards the door.
“Which means she’s now one of your conquests, and not your wife. There’s nothing to conquer with me, because I’ll give all of myself and my love to you, because I want to. I’ll be your wife.
“Though I must say, your obsession with deals, most pointedly so with Leah, does make me wonder. Especially with the way you word them.
“Daddy does something similar when he’s trying to get the best deal from clients, and he changes his personality accordingly. It’s almost as if you were—”
“Anna!” Alex hissed. He’d been holding up his hands this entire time, trying in vain to shush Anna.
Glancing up, he found Carla still focused on the door.
“Yes, husband?” Anna asked, smiling at him. Her eyes were innocent, her demeanor unchanged.
“I think perhaps talking about my secrets might be a betrayal of my trust, no?”
“But it’s only you and me, silly. Unless she doesn’t know everything?” Anna asked, glancing at Carla.
“She does not.”
Saw right fucking through me.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have someone to confide in. To—
A screech from the main hall cut through his thoughts. It was a shriek of pain, really.
Then it was followed by shouts and screams.
Putting on his mask, Alex stood up from his seat.
“Put your mask on, Anna, quick.”
Anna got her mask on and stood up, immediately moving behind him.
Carla was already peeking through a gap at the door.
“Armed men with masks over their heads. They… I don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re rounding everyone up. If I were on that crew, it’d be rob, rape, kidnap, ransom, and murder. In that order.
“We should escape, or move into the group of others. We really shouldn’t be identified if we can avoid it,” Carla said, looking back to him for direction.
Alex shook his head.
No, this wasn’t a normal bandit group. Attacking a hall like this, in the city, means that people got bribed.
Someone paid for this.
Carla’s right, though. Need to escape, or get into the group and be anonymous.
“Husband, I think it’d be best to go stay with the group. We can pretend to be a merchant husband and wife. They’ll believe me,” Anna said, grabbing his arm and pressing her breasts into it. “Everyone always does.”
“Seems like a decent plan,” Alex said, not really having a better idea.
Escaping wasn’t going to happen. He imagined the exits were all guarded. And if the guards weren’t coming, they might actually be helping route traffic.
The lengths coin travels.
Let’s hope Rudolph saw this go down and is already arranging a rescue.
Rather than lying dead in an alley.
Chapter 12
Alex, Carla, and Anna quickly melded into the group. Carla drifted behind him, and a glance back revealed her standing directly on his heels.
Probably trying to watch my back.
Thanks, Two. Need to make sure your collar is especially pretty.
Apparently their timing had been pretty on point with deciding to join the crowd. Groups of men with swords and hoods stormed into each interview room, quickly pulling all the occupants out.
Then there was some shouting from the middle of the hall. Everyone was looking in one direction, but no matter how he tried, Alex couldn’t understand anything.
The chatter and panicked talk of so many people was simply overwhelming.
“Goodness, is it a robbery? I don’t think I’ve been robbed in a year or so,” Anna said idly, patting his arm. Snuggling in closer to his left side.
“This… is a common occurrence for you?” Alex asked, somewhat surprised.
“Daddy employs a lot of guards. It usually turns out badly for the robbers. But they still try.
“I was kidnapped once. The kept a bag over my head. I think Daddy paid them, then tracked them all down and had them killed.”
Her father is… not someone to bother.
Someone bumped in close to his right side and practically curled into him.
Glancing down, he saw Holly’s mask staring up at him.
Ah. I imagine she’s as concerned as I am.
Subtly as he could, he reached out and took her left hand in his right, then gave it a squeeze.
She immediately latched onto his hand and just about broke it in her grip.
Before he realized why or what was happening, everyone had seemed to filter out into rows.
“—e sack!” shouted a voice from the side, heading their way.
“Oh it is a robbery, how exciting,” Anna said, bouncing a little in place. “I wonder if Daddy’s guards will show up soon.”
I certainly hope so. But I think this might even be beyond his budget.
Two men were coming down the line of people towards them. One accepted items from the guests while the other simply held the sack open.
The items handed over were money, jewelry, and anything of value that could be taken quickly.
Surprisingly, the man was inspecting each ring he was given. Actually taking the time to look at the crests themselves.
Damn. Are they looking for me?
While I regret losing a signet ring, I can always have another made and report the other as lost.
Walter will be annoyed though.
Any item you can’t get rid of, though, is a chain to weigh you down. And if I can’t dump a ring that would tie me to my persona… well.
I don’t have anything else on me that’d identify me, thankfully.
As subtly as he could, he lifted his hand with Holly’s in it and pulled his signet ring off with his other.
Holding it in his left hand, he moved his boot out a few inches. Holding the ring in a way he hoped would allow it to roll away from him on a bounce, he let go.
Tumbling through the air, it hit almost perfectly in the way he wanted.
Bouncing off the stiff leather of his boot, it made a soft pop and practically jumped away from him.
It clacked as it hit the wood floor and rolled rapidly away from him. He watched it vanish between the feet of the people several rows in front of him.
Holly had noticed, of course, but said nothing. Unsurprising, since he’d had to move her hand.
Anna was still blissfully unaware, cuddling away at his arm.
When the men collecting their spoils got closer, Alex released Holly’s hand, just in case.
Both men turned to Anna, their hoods shifting, to which she gave them a smile and a shrug.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything on me today. My husband and I were simply attending to meet a second wife for him.
“Not a thing on me,” she said with another shrug of her shoulders.
Both men’s heads dipped down—probably looking down her dress, Alex figured—before moving on to Alex.
“Cough it up then, sir,” the first man said. Giving him the appellation with a sneer.
“As my wife stated, nothing on us but our clothes,�
� Alex said. Holding up his right hand and the lack of a signet ring, he wiggled it helplessly at the man. “We left it all with the coachman.”
The man in the lead looked to Alex’s hand, as if to make sure there was no ring there, and then finally moved on.
Holly had nothing to offer up either, though the two seemed genuinely less interested in her.
In fact, they were less interested in all the women.
They really are here for me.
Holly’s hand slipped into his again and gripped tightly to him.
“Is she the second wife for me?” Anna asked from his other side. “The one who’s a conquest? She seems nice and I think she likes you. She’ll be a good selection for us.”
Alex just couldn’t keep pace with Anna anymore. Turning his head to her, he stared at her mask, wondering if she was a genius or an idiot.
“What’s her name?” she asked, her mask tilting to one side.
“Holly.”
“Holly…?” she said, her mask still tilted.
“Holly Lin.”
“Lin… Lin… I think Daddy does business with them. Or he used to. He said their coin dried up and he ended the contract, I think.”
She nodded her head once, then shrugged and looked ahead again.
Huh. Might be able to use that to my advantage if—
Wait, we’re not marrying Anna. We’re marrying Holly. Can’t use that to my advantage because having one would negate the other.
Looking straight ahead, Alex tried to get his mind back on track. He needed to focus on the task at hand.
Getting out of this.
The men with the sacks and loot were still working their way down the line in the other direction. Eventually passing behind Alex and going through the next row as well.
After a time, they returned to what Alex could only assume was where the rest of their band was.
He could hear muttering and two people arguing, but not much else.
“Could they hurry this up a bit?” Anna asked. “I’d really rather spend time with you and our second wife. This is just… annoying.”
Is she real?
There was a commotion in the center.
“Enough!” a man shouted over everything else.
“All men, step forward and come over here! And yes, we’ll be going around to make sure everyone does this! You don’t want to be the one guy hiding, ok?”
“Don’t make us kill you!” someone shouted.
Yep. There ya go. Their intent is pretty clear at this point, I’d say.
Sighing, Alex extricated his hand from Holly’s and his arm from Anna, then stepped forward.
Taking a moment, he looked over his shoulder as he went.
Anna had scooped up Holly’s arm in her own and was now crushing her breasts to it the same way she’d done to him.
And Carla was tailing him.
Looking ahead, Alex slipped through the rows and made his way to where the voice had been yelling.
Joining the group of men milling around near the center, Alex noticed the band of armed and hooded robbers.
Each wore a sword at his side and carried a crossbow. Alex didn’t like the odds of attempting to resist them physically with them armed as such.
That they have swords is already strange enough. Bladed weapons aren’t allowed in the king’s territory, punishment by death.
This isn’t normal at all.
Pressing into the mob a bit, Alex tried to lose himself in it.
Carla joined him, moving right in front of him. Practically standing on his feet, her broad shoulders more than likely hid him from view.
Need to really buy you a great collar and some lovely clothes. An armored uniform as well. Doing your job incredibly well, Two.
Carla still had her mace, holding it like the cane it was disguised as.
There was a scuffle somewhere in the crowd of women on the other side, followed by a hollow thud.
Alex peeked out around Carla to see what was going on.
The two bag-men were dragging an unmoving guest between them. They unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground in front of the group of men.
“Alright! You lot, off with the masks, and make a line. And you, ladies. If you want out of this easy with your… selves… intact and no issues, I need you to point out Count Brit,” said a man, walking out between the two groups.
That’d be the group leader, then.
“It isn’t every day we have a count we can hold for ransom,” the man said, as if needing to clarify his reason for wanting Alex.
Uh huh. Lapdog to the king. You just want to put me in a cell until my due date expires.
Looks like I need to speed up my timeline after this and just get married.
Stepping around Carla, he took up the position directly to her left.
I wonder what Carla will say when they see her face and realize she’s not a man?
With a sigh, he pulled off his mask and put on a different one. A merchant of Ulles and husband to the lovely and simple Anna.
She’d already given him an easy enough background to work with. He just needed to roll with it.
There were only three bride candidates who knew him here. Anna he was certain wouldn’t say anything. Holly he was reasonably sure of as well.
The only problem was Eugenia.
Though he didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to bet her oath to Leah wasn’t real or firm enough to take her life and soul.
Looking to his sides, Alex waited as all the men lined up in either direction.
“Alright ladies. Who here can spot Alex Brit? Count of Brit?” the ringleader said, pacing back and forth.
Then he stopped over the unmoving man and flipped him over, pulling the mask off his face.
Wincing, he drew back.
The man’s head was clearly cracked open. He’d not be waking up ever again.
Maybe I can use that to my advantage later? Somehow stage it that the dead man is Alex?
That’d probably ruffle them up. Accidentally killing the target. Wouldn’t it?
An entire minute ticked by and the situation hadn’t changed. The men stared at the masked women, and the masked women stared back at the men.
I sure to high hell hope no one recognizes me. That’d be all I need.
“Fine. I’m going to pick a number of young ladies out of the crowd and we’re going to have a party with them real quick right here in the center. Then you can all figure out if you know the count or not.”
“I know him!” shouted a female voice.
A recognizable voice.
Eugenia’s voice.
The woman stepped out of the crowd and marched up towards the man who was clearly the leader.
“I know Alex,” Eugenia said. “He’s a pig of a man who propositioned me.”
Turning her head, she started to scan the line of men. And stopped when she saw Alex.
Looking back to the brigand, she started to lift her arm, then frowned.
Her head dipped down, as if she were suddenly winded. Her arm pointed halfway between the floor and Alex.
“That’s… him… there,” she said through clenched teeth.
Apparently, she was very determined to point him out.
Except, she fell over backward. Her head cracked into the ground, and the resounding pop was audible to everyone.
She lay still and unmoving. Her arm still pointing to the dead man she’d been pointing at the entire time.
“Ah shit, we killed him?” shouted a hooded man.
“What do you mean we? You did!” shouted a second.
“I didn’t do shit, you’re the one that whacked him with your pommel!”
“Oh my god, that really is Count Brit,” Alex shouted, pointing at the dead man. “You killed a count!”
Now everyone was riled up, the shouts and cries from both sides of the room threatening to turn into an uproar.
A member of the peerage getting killed was news indeed. It would norma
lly be met with a grinding of bones on the part of the king and his guards.
Even if it was a member who had fallen out of the peerage, the royal family always met a death of one with hundreds.
“Gods damn you!” shouted one of the robbers, who stabbed a second.
A third bandit stabbed the first, and a fourth jumped on the second one.
Then all hell broke loose.
A number of men rushed towards the bandits, apparently seeing their chance as the bandits began to fall on one another.
Carla grabbed him by the hand and charged forward into the group of women, scooping up their masks as she went.
She stuffed his into his hand and pulled hers down over her face.
He wasn’t sure where she was going, but he wasn’t about to doubt her. Her dedication to him had been unquestionable so far.
As they whipped through the lines of women, he suddenly found Holly and Anna in front of them.
Carla corralled them like a sheep dog and guided them back towards the interview rooms.
In all the confusion and people rushing back and forth, Alex wasn’t really sure what was going on anymore.
Almost as if they were breaking free of a fog, they slipped through the women and popped out into the open.
A man with a sword stood a foot away, seemingly unsure what to do with himself.
Not wasting any time, Carla released Alex’s hand and jogged up to the man with the sword. She didn’t hesitate, immediately clubbing him in the temple with her mace.
As the man stumbled to one side, she slammed her weapon down into the top of his head.
With a wet thunk, his eyes bulged out of his skull and he hit the ground.
Carla wound back her arm and smashed the back of the man’s head in with a third blow.
Grabbing the sword, the crossbow, and the quiver of quarrels, she pointed to the closest interview room.
Alex got the hint and herded Anna and Holly there.
Holly opened the door and everyone rushed in. The three of them didn’t stop till they got to the back wall of the room, where Alex turned to ask Carla what the plan was.
She was busily shoving a cabinet in front of the door, followed by a desk, then a chair she physically hurled atop the rest.
“Don’t be a bunch of ninnies. Push every goddamn thing in front of that door,” she growled at them.
