The Prince Deceiver (The Silk & Steel Saga Book 6) by Karen Azinger Page B

iron door knocker was shaped like two lovers entwined. He rapped on
the door, wanting to be heard without making too much noise. No one answered.
Twice more he knocked.
    A bolt slid back
and the door eased open. A sleepy-eyed woman in a drab velvet robe peered out.
Her brow furrowed. She took one look at him and began to slam the door.
"We're closed."
    He thrust his
foot into the opening. "I just need a room to rest for an hour."
    "Get an
inn, grandfather."
    He flashed a
fist full of gold coins. "I'm not paying inn prices."
    Her eyes
widened. She reconsidered, slowly opening the door.
    He slipped
inside. "Close and bolt it."
    "Are you
bringing trouble to this house?"
    "I'm
bringing gold to this house."
    Her avarice won
out. She closed and bolted the door.
    The master
sagged in relief. The small parlor smelled seedy, a mixture of sour ale and
cheap perfume overlaying other smells he did not care to name.
    The woman gave
him an appraising stare. "Yer a bit old for an early morning romp."
    "I'm not
seeking a romp. I just need a room on the second floor with a window
overlooking this alleyway." He held three golds towards her. "Show me
to the room, and when I leave, I'll put two more golds in your hand."
    She gave him a
petulant pout. "Three."
    "Done."
    Snatching the
coins from his hand, the madam scowled, realizing she could have bargained for
more. "This way." She led him to a stairway. "You can use
Lucinda's room. But if you so much as touch the girl, you'll pay double the
golds."
    "Agreed."
He followed her to a front room. She opened the door without knocking, ushering
him into a small bedroom. A girl with hair dyed scarlet red peered from tussled
sheets. Instead of looking startled, she looked mildly annoyed.
    "Relax,
Lucinda, he's just here to look." The woman's voice held a hint of wry
amusement. "If you can get the old man to touch you, there's two golds in
it for ya."
    The master
crossed to the window. "I'm just here for the view."
    "So you
say." The madam lingered by the door, a shrewd look on her face.
"I'll leave the door open." Her look turned hard. "Don't leave
without paying."
    "I
won't." The windows were heavily curtained, shielding the daylight.
Instead of opening the heavy damask, the master stood pressed to the wall,
peering behind the faded curtains. Dirt encrusted the window, tinting the pane
brown, but it gave a decent view of the alleyway below. From his angled perch,
the master kept watch, his anxious gaze scanning for the dwarf.
    "Wouldn't
you rather come to bed?"
    Striking a
suggestive pose, the girl had dropped her sheets, displaying her naked wares.
From the stretch marks, he judged she'd already had a babe or two. Such a hard
and heartless life, he pitied the girls who thought a brothel was their only
choice. "Thank you, child, but there's no need. I'm really just here for
the view."
    "But Minara
said..."
    Hearing the pout
in her voice, he extended his hand toward her, offering two gold coins.
"For you. Keep them for yourself, I won't tell the madam. Now, please just
let me keep watch."
    She took the
coins, planting a tender kiss on his hand.
    The delicacy of
her kiss surprised him, but he refused to be distracted. "Cover
yourself." His words were harsher than he intended. Turning back to the
window, he resumed his vigil. Leaning against the wall, he pondered the riddle
of the dwarf. In his dash through the back alleyways, he'd recalled a vague
rumor in the monastery, something about a creature who sniffed magic. He
shuddered at the thought, making the hand sign against evil. Such an ability
would make any disguise impossible, destroying the Order's hidden ways. Enemies
came in many guises, even dwarves. He wanted to believe the dwarf's nearness to
his focus was only a coincidence, but wishful thinking could be dangerous, even
deadly. Either way, he needed to know.
    For the turn of
an hourglass, he kept watch. Just when he thought it was safe, he saw the dwarf
slink into the alleyway, his head slewing