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“It’ll be fine. She knows she owes money.”
Nodding, Briar slipped onto the curb and hurried up the steps toward the intricate wooden doors. A shadow appeared at the stained glass, and as it swung inward, I turned to Royce.
“I’m going inside. Pull around the corner and stay inconspicuous. We’ll be back out shortly.”
Royce nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”
By the time I looked back, Briar had already been allowed into the brothel, and I strode up the cobblestone walkway, entering without bothering to announce myself.
I had never stepped foot inside Henrietta’s business before, but it was like any other I’d seen. The walls were muted, lighting dim, and a distinct smell of massage oil lingered in the air.
“May I help you?” a husky voice purred at me.
I turned, and the petite blonde gasped as she recognized my face.
“Oh! You’re…”
“Could you direct me to Henrietta’s office or room or lair—whatever she’s working out of these days?” I sighed.
The scantily dressed blonde raised a blood-red nail, pointing down the hall.
“Just off the kitchen,” she said. “I think she’s meeting with someone, Mr. Corpus.”
“I’m not jealous,” I replied, pivoting to following the corridor.
I smelled Briar before I physically found the room in which the women were standing.
“Oh, but you must, my dear!” Henrietta cooed, circling Briar like a vulture as I paused in the doorway. “It’s my own special blend, and it’s rude to refuse a host’s offer, don’t you know?”
“I’m not here on a social call, Miss Henrietta,” Briar told her firmly.
Henrietta was not taking no for an answer and picked up the teacup from her desk. “I absolutely refuse to talk business without some level of decorum. Even my most brutish clients know better, my dear.”
Briar rolled her eyes and accepted Henrietta’s drink, my instincts honing in alarm.
“Drink, my dear,” Henrietta urged, her green eyes widening with interest. “And then you can tell me whatever is on your mind.”
Briar raised the cup to her lips, but I burst through the door, startling her before she could take the liquid down.
“Is that how you’ve been getting away with not paying?” I asked, half-amused, half-enraged with my men for having fallen for the fae’s blatant tricks. “By giving them blackout potions?”
Henrietta balked at the sight of me.
“Ash!” she choked, shaking her head. “I-I don’t know what you mean!”
“I should have known,” I sighed, grabbing the teacup from Briar and smashing it to the ground. “Where’s my money, Henrietta?”
The fae pouted and folded her arms over her revealing teddy, throwing her flaming red hair back defiantly.
“It’s not my fault your guards are so dumb,” she whined.
“Get my money now, or I’ll burn this place to the ground, Henrietta,” I informed her flatly.
Henrietta rolled her eyes and spun around, the hem of her sheet robe fanning around her calves.
“Oh, all right,” she muttered. “I just wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out.”
I hissed, and she tensed.
