The Stone Wolf (The Chain Breaker Book 4) by D.K. Holmberg (digital book reader TXT) 📕

“You’re getting in late,” she said.

“We were out at another tavern,” Wrenlow said, smiling sheepishly. “Don’t tell Jessica, though. She might get upset.”

Rebecca leaned forward. Her dress wasn’t all that low-cut, but it was enough that it drew Wrenlow’s attention. Gavin chuckled.

“Your friend looks like he’s had too much already. Are you sure you should let him have anything else?” she asked.

“Oh, I think he can have a mug of ale. Not much more than that,” Wrenlow said. “I can’t have him stumbling all over the city. Something like that is only going to draw the attention of the constables.”

Rebecca laughed softly. “We wouldn’t want that, would we? I think Jessica would be upset if we had the constables here. Do you know that they’ve stopped by three times this week?”

Wrenlow frowned. “Have they?”

“I don’t think Jessica likes to talk about it, but I’ve seen them. They come through here, and they check the tavern, then the rooms up above. I don’t think she’s upset by it since she doesn’t ever say anything.” Rebecca stood straight, wiping her hands on her apron. “If it were me, I’d get angrier at the fact that we have the constables coming through here like that.”

“You know Jessica,” Wrenlow said. “She just wants to make sure her business thrives.”

Rebecca nodded. “She’s been good to me. I’m glad they guided me here. I wasn’t sure where I would work.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Maybe we could have a little food, in addition to the ale?”

“You’ve got it.” Rebecca spun and headed away.

“Now you really are going to have some explaining to do to Olivia,” Gavin said.

“And I said—”

Gavin chuckled. “I know what you said. And I’m just ribbing you. Can’t I do that?”

“You can so long as you don’t spread the wrong kind of rumors to Olivia.”

“I know how to keep my mouth shut when it has to do with my friend and his dalliances.” He started to laugh and realized that it sounded wild. Almost unhinged.

Wrenlow sighed. “What do you think is going on with the constables?”

“Probably what I asked them to do.”

“You asked them to come through here and harass Jessica?” Wrenlow frowned. “I know the two of you have been a bit out of sorts, but I thought that you wanted to make sure that her tavern thrived.”

Gavin grunted. “We haven’t been out of sorts.”

“You haven’t come around here the way you used to,” Wrenlow said.

“Because I’ve been searching for other things.”

It was more than that, and Wrenlow knew it, just as Gavin knew he didn’t have to explain it to his friend. But there was some truth to it. When he had first come to Yoran, the Roasted Dragon had been the place where he spent most of his time. It was somewhere he’d felt comfortable, somewhere he’d felt protected.

But then he’d ended up inviting attacks upon the tavern. Because of him, the Dragon was in danger. Now that he knew that Tristan was active in the city, he wasn’t about to leave the Dragon as the target of Tristan’s attention.

“You’ve been searching, but what have you been finding?” Wrenlow asked.

“I haven’t found anything lately,” Gavin muttered.

Rebecca returned to the table, carrying two large mugs of ale, which she set on the table in front of them. “The food should be out soon.”

She smiled at Wrenlow, then turned away, heading back to the kitchen.

“Stop looking at her that way. You’re old enough to be her father.”

“I’m not that old,” Gavin said. “Though I feel like it because I have to deal with a pain in the ass like you as often as I do.” He let out a long sigh, rubbing his eyes and trying to pull on his core reserves. It was difficult to do. A surge of energy came through him, and his mind cleared a little.

Wrenlow laughed and took a drink of the ale. “You might say you haven’t been finding anything lately, but I know you have. I know you’ve detected magic in the city.”

Gavin shrugged. “I’ve detected it, but I haven’t been able to find much of anything.”

“Much of anything like today?”

Gavin leaned back, and he took a sip of the ale. It was warm—a bit bitter, but tasty. Try as he might, he hadn’t found many places in the city that had ale as good as Jessica’s. Not that he had tried all that hard. He still did like the Dragon the best of all the places he’d visited in Yoran.

“Today was unusual,” he said.

“Because you brought me along?”

Gavin shook his head. “I’ve offered you the opportunity to come along before.”

“Right, but this was the first time you managed to actually get me out.”

“I brought you on another job.”

“Really? You mean the time you had me come with you to scout the edge of the forest?”

“Scouting is part of the job,” Gavin said.

“The boring part,” Wrenlow mumbled. He took another drink and glanced up as Rebecca returned and slid two trays of food to them.

She leaned up against the table as she looked at Wrenlow. “Where was the other place you visited tonight?”

“I don’t want to get any other taverns in trouble,” Wrenlow said, flicking his gaze across the room toward Jessica. “Most of the time it depends on where my friend likes to go.” He glanced at Gavin. “He gets me into trouble.”

She frowned a moment, looking at Gavin askance. “He does?”

“Too often,” Wrenlow said. “And as much as I tried to keep him from some of the things he likes to do, he has a penchant for taking me to some dangerous places.”

“Really? Some would say you should leave friends like that behind.”

Wrenlow grinned at her. “I couldn’t leave him behind. He needs me.”

Rebecca regarded Gavin for another moment, as if trying to decide how to feel about him, before walking away.

“Great,” Gavin muttered, taking another drink.

“What? I figured that with all the times you’ve harassed me, it only makes sense I get to do the same