Blood Ties Read Free Page A

the hell are you doing here? Aside from the obvious.”
    â€œThe obvious isn’t all that obvious,” I said. I uncocked the trigger as a sign of good faith, but I kept my gun leveled on him. “Your lovely wife here approached me at the pub for a little tête-á-teat , but it’s not for the reason you think, or for that matter the reason I thought. The dearly, departed Meg—?” And I nodded in the general direction in which the other girl had fled. “The two of them were working together. It’s a nice little scam. Jennifer brings a guy up here, things begin getting heated, then Meg starts banging at the door, the poor sap panics, and he climbs out the window without his purse or other belongings. Then Jennifer and Meg divvy up the money and sell off the possessions for additional funds, while the poor sap is just happy to get out with his skin intact. That’s basically the extent of it, isn’t that right, Jennifer?”
    She didn’t reply. She didn’t have to. The way her gaze turned down to the floor spoke volumes.
    â€œYou bitch !” the soldier said with a snarl. His mustache was bristling even more, as if it was about to leap from his face and assault her itself. “How dare you—? I’m out serving our ruler, trying to keep Bowerstone safe from things you can’t even imagine . . . and this is how you repay me?”
    â€œI think it was more about paying herself than—”
    He looked at me with cold fury. Apparently his anger had cleansed him of his previous wisdom over not trying anything aggressive with me. “Keep your opinions to yourself. Otherwise, I’m going to take that thing away from you and shove it up your ass.”
    â€œI’ll put a bullet through your eye before you take a step.”
    â€œYou’d try.”
    â€œI’d succeed.”
    â€œYou’d be surprised,” he said, “how a case of nerves can throw off a man’s aim. How having an angry, trained soldier coming right at him can shatter his nerves. It’s easy to talk about shooting out eyes when nobody is charging you. I bet your aim won’t be as steady as all that.”
    â€œYou’ll lose that bet. I always hit whatever I’m aiming at.”
    â€œHah!” The soldier sneered at that. It was obvious to me that the one he really wanted to tear into was Jennifer, but she was his wife, and I was a stranger, so naturally I was likelier to be the target of his ire. “Who do you think you are? Ben Finn?”
    I shouldn’t have lowered the gun, I admit it. But I was so stunned by his words that I allowed my arm to drop to the side. It was unforgivably sloppy. He could have seized his rifle, aimed and fired, and I would have died with a stupid expression on my face. “Well . . . yes. I am.”
    He laughed derisively at that, but then his laughter faded in his throat and he stared at me as if seeing me for the first time. “Oh my heavens,” he said, and then again, “Oh my heavens!” He strode forward, the rifle forgotten, his hand extended. “You are ! I should have recognized you! How could I not have recognized you?”
    â€œI honestly don’t know.”
    He took my hand and pumped it furiously and with such force that he could easily have yanked it from the socket if he’d been so inclined. “Corporal Tyler Clixby,” he said. “Bowerstone First Infantry. This is an honor, sir. I saw you from a distance during the great battle. Never seen your like as a marksman. And here you are, here in my home. It’s an honor.”
    â€œYes, so you keep saying. Look, ah . . .” I managed to disengage my hand. It was pretty obvious that there was no immediate danger, and so I crouched and started gathering my belongings. As I pulled on my shirt, “I think it might be best if I got going. You and your wife obviously have issues that need to—”
    â€œMy