Page 27 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

BILLY

THE EMERALD CITY, THREE YEARS BEFORE…

M y gaze flitted from person to person as I strode across the busy street. An older, bearded man with a gold-encrusted cane? I stepped right around him, pushing the thought aside.

Too worldly.

I eyed a nervous looking lad in a stylish turtleneck, a stack of books pulled tight to his chest. I edged toward him, biting back a curse as an older woman—likely his mother—stepped in beside him.

Disappointment gave way to a flash of excitement as I saw him. A bespectacled young man, jacket even deeper green than the city itself. And that ring on his finger…He clearly came from money. Seeing that he was too busy talking to a vendor to notice, I beelined toward him.

“But how much for two of them?” he asked as I moved into earshot.

“Eighty,” the vendor answered, reaching out to grab a second of the tawny fur rugs. “Fine Virukian mink. Soft, yet sturdy.”

It took all I had not to laugh out loud. Fine Virukian mink my ass. Knowing that shopkeeper, it was almost certainly muskrat fur. Hell, even if it was mink, I’d have decked the bastard for asking half that much.

But Pretty Boy had other ideas. He nodded, stuffing a hand into his pocket to pull out a small pile of coins.

I peered through the crowd to find that Paddy was doing such a good job blending in that it even took me a few seconds to spot him.

Not bad, little brudder.

He dipped his head in recognition, and I cracked my knuckles, stepping the last few feet forward.

My new mark accepted his rugs in exchange for coin, grinning as he swiped a hand across the fur. “Fine indeed,” he marveled.

Ugh. This was going to be so easy it’d almost make me feel guilty.

Almost.

I made a show of peering down to inspect my fingernails, bumping into him just as he strode away from the vendor. I staggered back, glancing down at one of his rugs as he dropped it.

“Oh, what have I done this time? I’m so clumsy.” I pitched my voice to make it high and breathy and then forced a giggle. “Please, accept my sincere apology.” I moved as if to grab the rug, stopping short as he picked it up himself.

“No harm done.” He smiled, wiping a bit of dirt from the fallen rug. “See? Good as new.”

“I really should pay more attention to where I’m going.” I held my breath then, sending a red flush to my cheeks. “Are you new in town?”

“Is it that obvious?” he asked, chuckling. “Yes, my father and I just got here. Working on a new project.”

We stepped out of the way, moving around the corner as a couple approached the shopkeeper. I spared the briefest of glances behind him, seeing that Paddy was still quite a distance away. I had to keep the conversation going. “Ooh, what kind of project?”

“We just opened up a new factory, just a few miles out of town.”

“A factory that makes what?”

He paused, considering, and his voice went softer. “We’ve developed an amazing new medicine. It helps with all manner of things, from nausea to fevers. But it’s tough to make, and demand is growing. We need loads of workers from the city.”

“S—sounds like it’ll be good for jobs,” I said, faltering slightly. “What’s your name, by the way?”

He straightened, extending a hand. “Emerson Jones. Nice to make your acquaintance, Miss?—?”

“Albright,” I answered, using my standard fake name for jobs like this. “Rachel Albright.”

“Well, Miss Albright, I really ought to be going. I’ve got a lot of items on my list today as we try to outfit our home, but if you know anyone who might be interested in working at the factory, don’t hesitate to send them my way.

We hire every Saturday. The pay is ten gold per day, and they’ll really be able to make a difference in people’s lives. ”

“I’ll do that.” It was hard to smile through the pit forming in my stomach.

It wasn’t just guilt—The O’Donnellys did whatever it took to get by—but it’d been years since we’d given the straight life a go.

Was I really going to rob a guy who was making medicine for people, and was also willing to pay a good wage to boot?

Ten gold per day for each of the five of us was worth a hell of a lot more than whatever was in his pockets right now, no matter how rich he was.

I caught sight of Paddy just a few dozen feet away, but ignored him, catching hold of Emerson’s arm before he turned to go.

“Sorry, but you said the factory is just outside the city. Are there any fears about…trouble?”

“Ah,” he said, expression going grim. “The Wicked Witch, you mean? We have ’round-the-clock guards. Plus, she’s been so quiet of late, I’m not even sure she’s still around. Things have gone smoothly so far, I can tell you that.”

I nodded, sucking in a long breath. He was right about that. There were times when she wreaked havoc, and other times we started to wonder if she’d died up in that tower of hers, she was quiet for so long.

This was bigger than paying for tonight’s dinner—it was a chance. A chance to get out of this life, once and for all. I owed that to myself and to my brothers.

“Thank you very much for your time,” I blurted as a figure appeared behind him.

“Of course. See you again soon, Miss Albright.”

I stepped deftly around him, smacking my shoulder right into Paddy’s and shooting him a pointed glare as I moved back toward the street. I glanced back a few seconds later, pleased to see that he had gotten the hint.

Emerson was on his way, his two overpriced rugs in hand, and, no doubt, his wallet still in his pocket.

I took a long arc through the street, searching halfheartedly for another mark while Paddy lurked in the crowd. Nothing too obvious came, though, and I found myself exiting the same way I’d come, striding down the little alley that led to the place we called home.

I loosened my corset as I walked, breathing in the sweet smell of Mrs. Bradley’s bread as I passed the little bakery on the corner. We’d have to go without today, unless I wanted to dip into our meager savings. Yesterday, maybe, but today wasn’t the time for that. It was a time for new beginnings.

“What in the seven hells was that?”

I turned, frowning as Paddy strode up, emerging from a little side street. “Change of plans.”

“I was this close!” He mimed a grabbing motion.

I raised an eyebrow. “You trust me, or no?”

He scowled for a moment, then sighed. “I trust ye.”

“Then shut your trap ’til we get home. I’d rather let you all in on it at once.”

“You sure we shouldn’t just rob the place?” Scotty asked for the umpteenth time that morning.

I frowned, slowing down to let him catch up. I’d filled them in last night, but clearly, they hadn’t taken it to heart. Annoying, since we were already nearly to the factory.

I cuffed him across the ear. “What’d I tell you? The O’Donnellys are going straight. If we put in a year of hard days at the factory, we’ll have enough to buy our whole fuckin’ block.”

“And then we rob ’em,” Andrew clapped. “Good thinkin’, sister.”

“We ain’t gonna rob them at all.” I scowled. “We’ll save up a nest egg, then roll it into some kind of business. Never gonna have to risk our necks again.”

Jacob nodded, chewing his thumbnail. “It really isn’t a bad idea. Not as fun, though…”

“It’s the plan, like it or not,” I declared. “Keep your hands to yourselves in there and hush up from here on out. I don’t want the guards hearing you talking like that.”

Scotty dipped his head, resigned. “Understood.”

The factory loomed into view minutes later, iron-and-stone amidst lush forest. As promised, patrols of guards circled the place, eyeing a crowd by the front doors.

We joined the line, my heart thumping with hope and dread. A chance—perhaps our last—to change everything.

“Remember your roles?”

Paddy sighed, flashing me an eye roll. “We get it, Billy. I’m Patrick Alton, Scotty’s?—”

“Albright,” I corrected, staring daggers at him.

“You there!” called a guard from the top of the hill. “Line up behind the others. Someone’ll be around shortly to speak with you about joining up.”

As promised, the doors swung open, and nearly a dozen suits stepped out, weaving through the crowd and conducting quick, minute-or-less interviews.

A short, weaselly man reached us first. He wiped a streak of sweat from his brow as he approached, clipboard in hand. “Names and ages?”

“We’re the Albright family.” I dropped into a slight curtsy. “I’m Rachel. Nice to meet you.”

I held my breath as my brothers rattled off their aliases, but luckily none of them screwed it up. So far, so good.

“What interests you about the company?” he asked, eyes flicking everywhere except at my face.

“It’s a chance to do something that actually matters.” But the money don’t hurt.

The interviewer nodded, not bothering to write that down. “Any health issues we should know about?”

“Nothing comes to mind.”

He finally met my gaze, teeth digging into his lower lip. He opened his mouth, snapped it shut, then gestured toward the side of the building. “You’re in. Line up over there and wait for further instruction.”

I stepped away to do as asked but paused as he called out to me. “Wait.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s hard work, you know? You sure you’re up to it?”

I forced a grin, flexing a bicep at him. “More than up to it.” Asshole.

The line grew by the second, with seemingly no one turned away. They were hiring this many in a single day? And now that I was closer, I could clearly see there were many more already hard at work inside.

“They really take anybody, huh?” Scotty muttered, elbowing Jacob in the ribs. “Lucky for you, skinny bastard.”

A voice rang out before they could continue bickering. “Right this way! Wipe your shoes as you enter and move in an orderly fashion.”

The crowd shuffled forward as one, stepping through the doors single-file. Hammers clanged, and squeaking wheels echoed around us, accompanied by the smell of grease.