Hunt for Justice Read Free Page A

town," she growled.
    "Yes, but at least they have beds."
    "Beds that we could get our throats slit in--"
    "I don't think it's that dangerous. I'm sure at worst we would just get robbed."
    "At worst? It's not like we have an unlimited supply of money any more. If we lost--"
    "Hush. Someone is coming out of the inn."
    Hush!
    It took all of her willpower not to kick his cane out from under him. Clenching her fists to help hold in her anger, she returned her attention to the street. Sure enough, four bald men were walking out of the inn and into the light of the lanterns by the door. They looked younger than the men Ezzy had gotten into a confrontation with, and they were all dressed in similar dark green shirts and maroon pants. Each man also wore an orange headband around their bald heads. With a dismissive wave of her hand, Ezzy rounded on Nolan.
    "Now listen here, I will not be hushed--"
    "Esmerelda! Quiet!"
    The combination of his tone and his use of her full name got her attention. She gave him a questioning look, and he pointed back towards the street.
    "I think those gentlemen are going to be more trouble than the drunks you angered inside."
    Ezzy watched as the three men made some sort of hand signal towards the other side of the street. A moment later, seven more men wearing similar colored clothes walked out from various alleyways and joined them. They started talking amongst themselves, with one man pointing directly to where Ezzy and Nolan were hiding.
    "Lookouts." Nolan said, lightly grabbing her arm. "We need to go. Now."
    "Agreed."
    Moving as fast as Nolan's bad knee would allow, they hurried down the confining paths between the buildings. The alleys really were a maze, and as they took random turns left and right, Ezzy lost all sense of direction. With barely enough room for the two of them to walk comfortably shoulder to shoulder, she felt like the walls were closing in on her. It also didn't help that the alleys were devoid of any lanterns. They couldn't even rely on light coming from a window--all of the buildings were windowless. More than once they walked straight into a wall when the alley branched off suddenly.
    After their seventh turn down an alley that looked the same as every other one, Ezzy called for a halt. They had to have lost the men by now. They had taken turns at random and bypassed other alleys. It might take them all night to find a way out, but at least they were safe.
    "Do you really think it's a smart idea to stop?" Nolan panted, his head swinging about as he tried to watch both directions at once.
    "I'm sure we're fine. I didn't see anyone following us as we moved, and it's not like their outfits would be that hard to spot." She let out a short laugh.
    "This is no laughing matter. You realize, of course, those 'outfits' signal membership in one of this town's many gangs?"
    "Yes, which means they are a bunch of thugs and not very bright."
    "Just because they are thugs does not mean they are all idiots. I think we should keep moving before it's too late."
    "I t i s too late," a voice said from above them.
    Snapping her attention up, Ezzy gasped as men dressed in the garish green shirts, maroon pants, and orange headbands began to drop from the roofs of the smaller buildings on either side of them. By the time Ezzy had backed up against Nolan, fourteen men had both of the exits from the alley effectively blocked off. And each man held a blade in their hand.
    "Nolan, have I ever told you I hate it when you're right?"

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TWO
    Trapped in a Maze
    "Well, at least it's not thirteen thugs," Ezzy said, trying to keep her voice calm. "That would be unlucky."
    "Yes. Quite." His tone told her exactly what he thought about her observation. Nolan never could look on the bright side.
    "Gentlemen," she made a slight bow towards the thugs. There was no way to tell who the leader was, so she did her best to address everyone at once. "We are