The Serpent's Curse by Lisa Maxwell (read an ebook week .TXT) 📕

Nitemarket, looking for North’s contact. They didn’t talk much, and Everett—thank heavens—did what North had told him: He kept his eyes down and his hands tucked into his pockets.

North had never been a fan of visiting the market, even if it did provide their family with a good living. Between Maggie’s formulations—at least the ones she was willing to part with—and the goods North was able to liberate—like the Nitewein from that very night—the Nitemarket provided the Northwoods a steady stream of income, which helped augment whatever breeding horses on their ranch outside Kansas City brought in. And the market kept them connected to the Antistasi. Neither North nor Maggie had any desire to be drawn all the way back into the Antistasi, but if they kept one foot in the game, North hoped they could maybe see danger coming long before it arrived.

Like he’d told Esta and Harte, the Nitemarket wasn’t a safe place. A person who knew where to look could usually find one of the many entrances in any good-size town—well, any town except New York City—but the market itself never seemed to be in the same location twice. It moved from place to place each night, presumably to avoid detection, but the market didn’t limit entrance to Mageus, which made it even more dangerous in North’s estimation. There were any number of Sundren who had managed to find their way into the cramped aisles of vendors and goods over the years. Usually, the outsiders were well-intentioned folk interested in family lore, or sympathetic souls looking for the thrill of brushing up against the old magic. Occasionally, though, there were Sundren who found the market specifically to cause problems. You never knew when you might run afoul of the occasional raid or groups of Sundren vigilantes playing at being heroes.

North probably shouldn’t have brought Everett. Maggie certainly wouldn’t have let the boy come if she’d been there to have a say. But with Esta’s warnings about the tower—however unlikely they seemed—North felt better having his son by his side, even in a place as dangerous as the Nitemarket.

In one of the last stalls at the back of the long, cavernous hall, North finally found the contact he’d been looking for. Dominic Fusilli was an older man with a middle like pudding and hardly a white hair left to cover the mottled scalp of his head. They’d met about five years before, but North still didn’t exactly trust Dom. Still, the older man had his uses.

“Northwood,” Dom said, seeing the four of them approach. “I see you brought Junior.”

“This is my oldest, Everett,” North said, reluctantly making the introductions.

“He’s the spitting image of you, isn’t he?” Then Dom realized that Harte and Esta were also with them, and his eyes narrowed. “And a couple of others as well?”

North stepped in front of Esta, blocking the peddler from examining her too closely. It had been years since the Devil’s Thief had disappeared, but it wasn’t worth taking the chance that Dom might recognize Esta. The old guy pretended not to know what was going on, but North hadn’t been green enough to buy that act five years ago. There wasn’t any sense underestimating Dom now.

“Just some friends visiting from out of town,” North said, dismissing the pair as he tried to change the subject to something safer. “I got a shipment recently that you might be interested in.”

Dom was still trying to see around North without being too obvious about it, but the mention of more goods served as enough of a distraction to draw his attention back to their conversation. “That so?”

North nodded. “Nitewein. Prime vintage from what I can tell.”

“Interesting.” Dom scratched at the day-old stubble on his chin. “Word is the Chicago Outfit got raided earlier tonight. A lot of the product went missing. Turns out, though, it wasn’t actually the Feds.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know anything about that,” North said easily, hooking his thumbs through the loops of his jeans. “I doubt the shipment I’m looking to unload is anything as powerful as the stuff from the Green Mill.”

Dom’s expression turned wry. “Especially not after you dilute it.”

Since there wasn’t any heat in his words, North took it to mean Dom was interested and that he didn’t particularly care about the source. “I’ll put you down for a case or two.”

“Best make it three,” Dom said. “Demand has been up lately. I assume we can discuss the price when you deliver? Or did you want to settle that now?” His gaze again traveled to the others with North.

“Later is fine,” North said, trying to draw Dominic’s attention back. They made a few quick arrangements for the delivery, and then North held out his hand and Dom took it, sealing the deal between them. “There is one other thing.…”

Dom’s bushy brows rose a little. “Oh?”

“Everyone at the market knows that if there’s something happening, you’re the first to know,” North said, laying it on thick. He could sense Esta and Harte growing impatient behind him, but he ignored the two of them and focused on Dom. North knew the old man well enough to handle him.

“I can’t deny that I tend to know a thing or two,” Dom preened.

“It’s just that, well… usually I wouldn’t pay rumors any mind, but since I brought my boy with me, I feel like maybe I should be a little more careful. Maggie’ll be none too happy if I let anything happen to him. You know how she is.”

“Your Maggie?” The old man shook his head, probably remembering the one run-in he’d had with North’s wife. “I sure do.”

That’s what Dom got for trying to swindle his girl, though. Maggie had torn the old man up one side and down the other when she realized he’d been trying to get out of paying her for a delivery of some Quellant. After that, Dom wouldn’t have anything to do with Maggie, and she didn’t want North to have anything to do with