“Upstairs then,” she said. “You may keep your blades if you so desire. I only repeat what Billy tells me. You should know that.”
Aaron followed his father up the stairs. Red fixed her clothes, straightened her hair, and then went back to work.
Billy was a fat man, astonishingly so for how short he was. When the Felhorns entered, the man stood, his gut swishing like it was made of curdled milk. His hair was cut short at the ear and dyed a pale brown. When he smiled, his two missing teeth made him look like a gaping schoolchild. Aaron wondered how in Dezrel a man like that could run a brothel. If he had not been commanded against speaking, he would have asked.
“Welcome, welcome,” Billy said, clapping his hands as if excited. He had been seated in a chair woefully small compared to his body. Behind him was a thick ornate railing, and beyond that, a spectacular view of the city. “So good of you to join me in my humble establishment. The Bloodshot rarely gets company of your esteem, my great and powerful master of guilds.”
The compliments flowed like honey from his tongue and sounded as natural as running water. Aaron felt like part of his question had been answered.
“We come on business,” Thren said, his hands resting on the hilts of his swords. He leaned forward just enough so that the sides of his cloaks hid the movements of his hands.
“Yes, of course, why else would such a noble man bother yourself with a worm such as I? Why else would you dirty your hands with the doorknob of my wretched abode? Sit, please, I will not have you stand. Your son as well.”
Thren remained standing, but he nodded at Aaron, who obediently sat down.
“I have looked over your books,” Thren said. His face was a cold mask. “Something is odd about them, Billy. Perhaps you know what?”
“Odd?” Billy said. His smile was grand, and he wasn’t even sweating, an impressive feat for a man his size. Aaron watched him for all the signs of guilt he had been taught to look for. So far, he saw none.
“Of course things should be a little odd,” the fat man continued. “I run an odd place where men ask for odd things, gross things I wouldn’t dare discuss in front of your boy. But my payments are in full. I dare not cheat, not when dealing with a man as skilled in blade as you.”
“It is your coin that intrigues me,” Thren said. “And how much you have paid.”
“What could possibly be the matter?” Billy asked. “At risk of sounding proud, I pay you more than any other brothel in this city! I know, for I hear the other owner’s whining, but I smile and think that I spend my money well for Thren’s protection.”
“That is exactly the matter,” Thren said.
Aaron saw a tiny twitch at the right corner of Billy’s mouth. His father had finally struck a chord.
“How is that the matter?” Billy asked.
“How does a pathetic little brothel like The Bloodshot manage to outperform much grander places like The Silk or The Dandycushion? Your women are no prettier, your beds certainly not cleaner. Tell me, do you have an answer?”
A drop of sweat. Aaron grinned. Billy had no answer for the question. Before he could begin a wave of groveling and worship, Thren held up a hand and continued talking.
“For the past week I have had your building under watch. Most brothels have their men come to them, but you send out your girls to other places, drab places owned by men of no worth. But the men who own those places, or have loaned money to them…”
Aaron tried to make the connection. He had an idea what his father was getting at, but something was missing, some piece. Billy, however, clearly knew what the matter was. Aaron saw him grab at a dagger strapped to his belt, then stop. He must have decided, wisely, to not fight if things went poor. He did not look like a man who could last long in swordplay.
“I strictly forbid selling whores to the Trifect,” said Thren. “All the others have agreed. The influx of mercenaries has kept them afloat. But you…your vaults overflow with gold.”
“I charged them triple,” Billy said. All false affection and worship was gone. He was pleading now. “I’m practically stealing from them. All that money I send to you, to help