Read Online In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener - Free Book Online
Authors: Michelle Diener
Ads: Link
better. “Someone needed her dead, and I knew the lay o’ the land.”
“Why do they need her dead, Gripper?”
Gripper was silent, his eyes closed, his body trembling.
He wasn’t going to answer.
He’d given himself up for dead at Parker’s hand, which told Parker he’d decided he was a dead man either way, and Parker’s way would be the less painful one.
Parker pushed the thirst for revenge aside. He’d love to put the worm out of his misery, but they’d keep sending people to kill Susanna. Until he knew why, he couldn’t make it stop. And for all his vigilance, someone just might get lucky.
Gripper almost had.
He needed to get him alone. In a way that made these other two louts believe talking was the last thing on Parker’s mind.
“I’m going to kill you, Gripper,” he said, and he lifted him by the neck and swung back his knife hand to open the door.
Gripper was fighting for air, his hands clawing at Parker’s arm as they backed through the kitchen, his heels kicking uselessly against the floor as Parker pulled him along.
“Keep still, you idiot,” Parker hissed in his ear. “I’m not really going to kill you.” He hauled Gripper over the threshold and dragged him down the steps. “At least, not yet.”
9
The Chiefe Conditions and Qualities in a Courtier:
No lyer.
Of the Chief Conditions and Qualityes in a Waytyng Gentylwoman:
To do the exercises meete for women, comlye and with a good grace.
G ripper fought him all the way, until eventually Parker cuffed him. Hard.
Gripper had never been anything but trouble. And he’d never failed to betray Parker. Since the beginning of their association, if there was one thing Parker could count on, it was for Gripper to lie or deceive him in some way.
The first time, it had near killed him. He’d never been taken in again, although Gripper had tried.
Gripper suddenly bit down on Parker’s hand and, losing patience, losing all sense of restraint, Parker threw him into the back alley he’d chosen for his interrogation.
He heard Gripper’s head smack against the wall as he tumbled to the ground, and the groan he gave was genuine.
Good.
Parker drew his sword and gently touched the tip to the hollow of Gripper’s throat as he sat up.
Gripper shook his head, blinked, and then looked bleakly down at the sword.
“They’ll kill me, Parker. Honest. They will.” The fight went out of him.
“And I won’t?” Parker flicked the sword up to tap Gripper under the chin, forcing the man to look him in the eye, then rested the tip back at his throat.
Gripper shrugged. “If I die by your sword, it won’t hurt. They’ll do it slow and hard, call it a lesson to others or summat.”
“Gripper, you are a bastard.” Parker gritted his teeth, hating what he was about to say. “But I can make you disappear. They can think I killed you. And when I have every one of them at the gallows, you can return.”
“What’s the price?” Gripper sniffed and looked at him from under his bushy brows.
“Who are they?”
“Dunno.” Gripper gave a little shriek as Parker pierced his skin and drew blood. “I swear, I don’t know. They’re dock-hands. Got a bit going on the side. Some o’ the merchandise falls out o’ its barrel, they profit.”
“They don’t sound very organized. What do they want with you?”
“I know what’s what around here. All the good hiding places. And I can shift the stuff sometimes.”
“And this morning?”
Gripper pulled his legs up to his chest, careful to keep his neck still. “Said they’d heard I knew you. Knew where you lived an’ all.”
“So you grabbed up a knife and went off to kill a woman, just like that?”
Some of what he was feeling must have come through in his voice, because Gripper went very still.
“I thought … thought it’d be easy. I didn’t know her. And the money was … good.” He swallowed. “Then she lay there, trying to breathe, and those boys and your cook—all shouting
“Why do they need her dead, Gripper?”
Gripper was silent, his eyes closed, his body trembling.
He wasn’t going to answer.
He’d given himself up for dead at Parker’s hand, which told Parker he’d decided he was a dead man either way, and Parker’s way would be the less painful one.
Parker pushed the thirst for revenge aside. He’d love to put the worm out of his misery, but they’d keep sending people to kill Susanna. Until he knew why, he couldn’t make it stop. And for all his vigilance, someone just might get lucky.
Gripper almost had.
He needed to get him alone. In a way that made these other two louts believe talking was the last thing on Parker’s mind.
“I’m going to kill you, Gripper,” he said, and he lifted him by the neck and swung back his knife hand to open the door.
Gripper was fighting for air, his hands clawing at Parker’s arm as they backed through the kitchen, his heels kicking uselessly against the floor as Parker pulled him along.
“Keep still, you idiot,” Parker hissed in his ear. “I’m not really going to kill you.” He hauled Gripper over the threshold and dragged him down the steps. “At least, not yet.”
9
The Chiefe Conditions and Qualities in a Courtier:
No lyer.
Of the Chief Conditions and Qualityes in a Waytyng Gentylwoman:
To do the exercises meete for women, comlye and with a good grace.
G ripper fought him all the way, until eventually Parker cuffed him. Hard.
Gripper had never been anything but trouble. And he’d never failed to betray Parker. Since the beginning of their association, if there was one thing Parker could count on, it was for Gripper to lie or deceive him in some way.
The first time, it had near killed him. He’d never been taken in again, although Gripper had tried.
Gripper suddenly bit down on Parker’s hand and, losing patience, losing all sense of restraint, Parker threw him into the back alley he’d chosen for his interrogation.
He heard Gripper’s head smack against the wall as he tumbled to the ground, and the groan he gave was genuine.
Good.
Parker drew his sword and gently touched the tip to the hollow of Gripper’s throat as he sat up.
Gripper shook his head, blinked, and then looked bleakly down at the sword.
“They’ll kill me, Parker. Honest. They will.” The fight went out of him.
“And I won’t?” Parker flicked the sword up to tap Gripper under the chin, forcing the man to look him in the eye, then rested the tip back at his throat.
Gripper shrugged. “If I die by your sword, it won’t hurt. They’ll do it slow and hard, call it a lesson to others or summat.”
“Gripper, you are a bastard.” Parker gritted his teeth, hating what he was about to say. “But I can make you disappear. They can think I killed you. And when I have every one of them at the gallows, you can return.”
“What’s the price?” Gripper sniffed and looked at him from under his bushy brows.
“Who are they?”
“Dunno.” Gripper gave a little shriek as Parker pierced his skin and drew blood. “I swear, I don’t know. They’re dock-hands. Got a bit going on the side. Some o’ the merchandise falls out o’ its barrel, they profit.”
“They don’t sound very organized. What do they want with you?”
“I know what’s what around here. All the good hiding places. And I can shift the stuff sometimes.”
“And this morning?”
Gripper pulled his legs up to his chest, careful to keep his neck still. “Said they’d heard I knew you. Knew where you lived an’ all.”
“So you grabbed up a knife and went off to kill a woman, just like that?”
Some of what he was feeling must have come through in his voice, because Gripper went very still.
“I thought … thought it’d be easy. I didn’t know her. And the money was … good.” He swallowed. “Then she lay there, trying to breathe, and those boys and your cook—all shouting
Similar Books
