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“My room. We went to get some things and then he was going to hide me outside of town, but Ali was there. The guards at D1219 didn’t tell him they had taken me, so he was angry…”
Her hand rises to her cheek though it’s hard to tell what marks are new and old. I sigh.
“Yes, I see. But where have you been? You know Ethan’s been arrested?”
She nods miserably. “They won’t let me see him. They said The Watch will be here tomorrow, maybe the next day.”
I curse under my breath, my eyes darting back to the street where Brutus is waiting.
“Are you coming with us?” I ask bluntly and her eyes widen.
“You mean, but Ethan, and, you still…”
“Haven’t we been through this already? Besides, you told me you were ready to make a choice. So, what is it?” I ask with the hint of a smile on my face and I see the same mirror on hers. I don’t need any more answer than that.
“Come on, we need to go find Ax and the others. Tell me everything you know about the prison here and The Watch. We’re getting your man out of there.”
Sammi's smile is brilliant and she nods eagerly.
“Okay. I have an idea, there’s something I think who can maybe help us. A woman I know who works in this—”
“Ceyda?” I guess and Sammi looks at me quizzically. “I was looking for you yesterday.”
We make our way over to Ceyda’s brothel at the end of the row and I notice that the “girls” out in the streets right now are much older than the day before.
“The less desirable patrons are usually in the morning, so the older girls get those shifts.” Sammi tells me, pulling the thought from my mind. A woman with leathery skin winks at me as we pass, and I shudder.
When we get to Ceyda, I immediately remember the strong incense and sickness from the day before and ask Sammi to go to the side door. She raises an eyebrow at me when I tell her why but says nothing. I direct Brutus to wait in the alley again, which he doesn’t seem to mind as he waves at a hooker across the street. I chuckle and make a mental note to get some money from Ax to get Brutus a woman once we’ve gotten Ethan.
“Ah, you found her!” Ceyda bolsters when we walk in together, standing to wrap her arms around Sammi in a hug. I note how familiar the two women seem and wonder what it’s like to have a female friend. My eyes dart to Sammi and I realize I am slowly finding out, whether I wanted to or not.
“Just happened to bump into her, luckily,” I admit, taking the proffered seat. Ceyda claps and a moment later the same young girl from the day before comes out with a tray of coffee and snacks. Despite having had breakfast not long before, my stomach growls loudly at the smell. I grab a cup and pile a few things onto a plate, not caring how it looks. Ceyda gives me a wry and knowing smile as she watches me stuff my mouth full of biscuits.
Once the girl leaves, Sammi turns to Ceyda, all business.
“What have you heard?” she asks in a low voice. Ceyda takes a sip from her own mug and sets it down before leaning forward.
“Your man is still in prison,” Ceyda tells us. “I suppose you heard Ali is dead, Aarush is away right now, lucky for you.”
“Aarush?” I interrupt and Sammi flushes lightly, obviously not completely comfortable with talking to me about it.
“He owned the brothel I worked at,” she admits. “Ali ran it, but Aarush owns several and isn’t always in town. He’s the one who made the deal with the prison guards for my visits.” Her face reddens slightly, I’m guessing because she realizes she’s talking about the visits where she used to go fuck Axle. I’m surprised by my own lack of jealousy, honestly.
“Why is it good he’s away?”
“He’s got a reputation for being ruthless and punishing his girls,” Ceyda answers for her and Sammi whitens. “If he were here, Sammi would be punished, if not outright killed, for what happened.”
My lips pinch together and I nod.
“What can you tell me about the jail Ethan’s in? The guards? Anything?” I ask them both and Ceyda raises an eyebrow at me but doesn’t comment.
“They are good men,” Sammi replies. “Not like The Watch. They handle the town's affairs easily enough and do what they have to in order to keep The Order and The Watch away, but they are powerless really.”
“Anyone else who runs the town? Some kind of mayor or leader?”
“No, nothing. We run our own affairs mostly, though there are influential people such as the guards who are basically ourpolicia. For the most part, they are well respected and listened to.”
“And tell me about The Watch in this area?” I ask, a pang in my chest at the brief interaction we had with them so far. I’ve barely given Theo’s death a thought since that day, burying my grief deep for a time when I can mourn him properly.
