Page 66 of Wicked Enemy
Once I had made sure that none of my countless enemies were moving through this particular street right now, I stepped out of the shadows and walked straight up to Maggie’s booth.
The mouth-watering scent of fried chicken and spices hung in the air as she handed two stekta to the man in front of me. He thanked her and then drifted down the street. I stepped up to the small wooden counter.
Since Maggie had sent word and asked me to meet her, she didn’t look the least bit surprised to find me leaning an arm on the counter and looking at her with raised eyebrows.
Her sharp blue eyes took in the street around us for a second. Apparently satisfied that no one was close enough to eavesdrop, she said, “I have the information you’re looking for.”
Even though I had been expecting,hoping, that she would say that, it still made my heart lurch in my chest. “You’ve found the location of another healer?”
“Yes.”
Her gray hair rippled around her face as she reached into her apron and slid out a piece of paper. With a casual look on her face, she expertly handed me the paper in a way that wouldn’t be spotted by the people walking the street behind me.
Keeping my back to them, I quickly flipped it open and read the words written on it.
The healer she had found was apparently a man in his forties, and he lived in one of the cities by the coast.
I flicked my gaze back up and met Maggie’s eyes. “How reliable is this information?”
“Very.” To her credit, she didn’t look at all insulted by the question. “I had it verified twice before contacting you.”
My eyebrows rose in silent question.
She shrugged. “I like Gemma.”
And Gemma’s life depended on the accuracy of this information. With a nod, I slipped the paper into one of my pockets. I was just about to open my mouth and thank her for a job well done when she stunned me by pulling out a large stack of money from behind her counter. As she set it down on the wooden surface right in front of me, I realized that it was the exact same amount that I had paid her earlier.
“What’s this?” I asked.
There was a serious expression on her face as she replied, “I’ve decided that I don’t want money in exchange for this information.”
“Then whatdoyou want?”
“I want to be able to continue plying my trade freely.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I already told you that I won’t take any extra dues for what you make from this.”
“I know. But that is not the same thing as a promise that I will be allowed to continue to do this.”
A smile tugged at my lips.Smart woman.
“And I know that you actually do keep your promises,” she went on. “So as payment, I would like your word that this part of my business will not be shut down.”
“Changing the terms of the deal after it has already been struck?” I arched an eyebrow at her. “Not a very polite way to do business.”
“I’m aware. Which is why I gave you the information you wanted first. You can walk away with that now, without accepting my request, and the original deal we made would still be fulfilled.” She cocked her head, her blue eyes studying me intently. “But if you were to accept this adjustment of our original deal, I would be most grateful.”
Normally I despised people who didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, or who tried to renegotiate terms after the deal had already been struck. If Maggie had tried to change the pricebeforegiving me the information, I would have broken our deal in two seconds flat and probably killed her too. But she hadn’t. She had given me what I wanted and thenasked for, not demanded, a different type of payment. I appreciated that. It showed that she had honor, and I respected people who kept their word.
“I accept the change of terms,” I said.
A brief hint of surprise flickered in her eyes, as if she hadn’t really expected that kind of generosity from me. But she recovered quickly, and cleared her throat before saying, “May I ask you to say it out loud?”
“I give you my word that you will be allowed to continue selling information without fear of being shut down by me or anyone who works for me.”
Relief blew across her wrinkled face, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips as she gave me a grateful nod. “Thank you.”
“But if you ever sell information aboutmeto someone else…”