Rogue Read online

Rogue waited until the table was flung out of the way and then struck the miner with a jab to the face. The blow struck the miner hard, opening a cut on his cheek.

  Coming forward, Loron slipped his hand into his pocket.

  Rogue waited as the big miner put his brass knuckles on. The miner was a sloppy fighter. He’d built his reputation in mining camps, and by using the brass knuckles. Rogue almost felt sorry for the man. After tonight he’d have no reputation and would have to fight every miner to once again prove himself the toughest. But Rogue also hated bullies, and there was no doubt Loron fit that bill. So whatever empathy he felt for what was about to happen to the would-be tough miner was outweighed by the desire to hurt the big bully.

  Loron swung a haymaker with the brass knuckles but, as Rogue had guessed, the wild punch wasn’t accurate, and he easily slipped under it. Rogue then landed a crushing blow to the miner’s kidneys. He followed up with another jab to his face.

  The big miner roared in frustration and then lunged at Rogue, trying to grab him and pin him against the wall.

  Rogue greeted the lunge by grabbing the big man by the ears and pulling his head down while bringing his knee up. The crushing blow sent the miner reeling, and before he hit the ground Rogue hit him with a devastating right hook that caught the miner on the side of the jaw. Several of the miner’s teeth flew out as he fell to the ground. The heavy blow had knocked Loron out.

  Rogue looked at a pair of the older miners who’d warned Loron not to look for trouble with him. “How about you load up your friend and take him back to camp. I think he’s had enough of Riverside for now. He can come back when he’s learned some manners.”

  “Why, we should beat your thieving ass,” said one of the other new young miners.

  One of the older miners slapped him along the side of the head. “Shut your mouth. If you say one more word you’re going in the wagon with Loron. I’m not having a full crew beaten up because you can’t keep your mouth shut.

  “Sorry, Rogue, sometimes these youngsters need to learn things the hard way. We told him you weren’t interested in being the toughest man in any town and he could keep the title without involving you.”

  “It’s fine, Cameron, no harm done. But if no one else has any objections, I think I’d like another beer, unless someone else thinks that is ladylike?”

  “I do,” said a sultry voice from above. “Sam, bring two beers to Rogue’s table.”

  Rogue looked around the room, daring anyone else to comment. Most realized the show was over and turned back to their tables. If they waited long enough, more entertainment would show up in the form of another fight, but no one else wanted to mess with the man who’d decimated the tough Loron so easily.

  Sherry Sweet smiled as she walked down the stairs. “Rogue, you old hermit you, it’s good to see you.”

  Rogue pulled out a chair for the beautiful woman. “It’s good to see you too.” Sherry Sweet was the most beautiful woman Rogue had ever met. Tall, curvy, with high cheekbones and a pair of eyes so deep he could drown in them.

  “I see you’ve been getting along with the boys as usual,” Sherry said as Loron’s body was dragged outside.

  Rogue shrugged. “You know how it is.”

  Sherry sighed. “Yes. Even when you are behaving, trouble finds you.”

  Sam came to the table with two icy cold mugs of beer. “Here you go.”

  Rogue put a gold coin on the table. The gold coin could buy a week’s worth of beer. “Thank you, Sam.”

  Sliding the coin into his pocket, Sam nodded and headed back to the bar.

  “Am I mistaken, or was that a Vaton gold coin?”

  Rogue lifted his mug. “A toast to the Kingdom of Vaton, long may they have excess gold to give to poor reprobates and scoundrels.”

  Sherry touched her mug to his. “To reprobates and scoundrels. May they long avoid the noose.”

  Rogue chuckled at her toast. Sherry knew him well enough to know how he’d gotten the coin, and her reminder about the noose served its purpose. He did need to be careful, but as far as he was concerned, the Kingdoms of Vaton still owed far more than he’d taken.

  Around the bar, Rogue was getting a variety of foul looks. Some of the miners were obviously unhappy that one of their own had taken a vicious beating, but most of the glares and stares came from the fact that he was sitting with Sherry. Sherry was special, and he knew the looks of jealousy and resentment. He didn’t blame the men. But he also didn’t give a damn. They could scowl and glare all they wanted.

  Sherry pushed aside her half-finished beer. “Why don’t you take me upstairs?”

  Rogue gulped down the rest of his beer and stood. He followed Sherry up the stairs, admiring her curves as she moved.

  ...

  Rogue dressed as Sherry watched him from the bed.

  “You have to go already?”

  He nodded. “No rest for the wicked.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “You be a good girl while I’m gone.”

  Sherry laughed. “I think your definition of a good girl is much different than most. Is there anything a good girl can’t do?”

  Rogue paused. “Yes. Good girls never let anyone else define their self-worth.” He then put a small handful of gold coins on her dresser.

  Sherry shook her head. “You’re a strange man, Rogue.”

  Closing the door behind him, Rogue left Sherry. He still had one last stop to make before leaving Riverside.

  After he stepped out the back door of the Wretched Wench, he stood still and listened to the morning sounds while watching the shadows of the nearby buildings. You never knew when someone was watching or waiting for an opportunity to slip a knife into your back. Satisfied that the alley was empty, Rogue continued on his way.

  The merchant store was just opening when Rogue walked in. Trevlan, the owner, looked up from his notes. “Rogue. Wasn’t expecting to see you for a couple weeks. What can I do for you?”

  “The usual.”

  Trevlan chuckled. “I don’t know why you bother buying those darn blankets. If it weren’t for you buying them, I wouldn’t even bother carrying them. It’s beyond me why you’d want a stinking Chambian blanket when a blanket from Vaton is almost half the price.”

  Rogue’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer to Trevlan. “You’re right, I shouldn’t bother buying them from you. After all, what is your markup? I’d be better off just buying directly from the stinking Chambian.”

  Trevlan leaned back, nervous at having Rogue that close to him. “No need to be hasty. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve nothing against the Morton family.”

  “Answer my question. What is your markup?”

  “I pay them twenty-five bits per blanket sold.”

  “So, they do all the work and you get all the profits. That is right neighborly of you, Trevlan.”

  “It’s just good business. I negotiated with them in good faith.”

  “Really? You take the lion’s share of their profits, but you also insult them and promote those stolen blankets you bring in from Vaton. That doesn’t sound like good faith to me.”

  Trevlan bristled. “Now see here, Rogue, those blankets from Vaton are not—”

  “Finish that sentence and you’ll be calling me a liar,” Rogue said, interrupting the flustered store owner. “And I know who you bought them from. The blankets were stolen. Now, I don’t really care about that, but it does bother me that you are more interested in sullying the name of a hard-working family than promoting the local product, which also happens to be of a finer quality. I think it is time I took my business elsewhere.”

  “No, wait. I’m sure we can come to an agreement. Perhaps it is time I renegotiated with the Mortons, gave them a better cut of the price. I’ll even put their blankets on our front display.”

  “You’d do that? That is awfully square of you. How many bits you going to give them per blanket?”

  “Fifty sounds fair,” Trevlan said nervously.

 
; Rogue frowned.

  “Seventy-five. I can do seventy-five bits per blanket.”

  “Now that sounds like a fair deal. How many of those stinking Chambian blankets you have in stock?”

  “Ten,” said Trevlan, wincing at the way Rogue was using his words against him. “But I wouldn’t call them Chambian blankets. The Mortons have been here for a few years now and they do excellent work. I’d call them high-quality Riverside blankets.”

  “High-quality Riverside blankets. I like the sound of that. I’ll bet you sell a lot more of them once you start calling them that. Those miners get awfully cold in the winter and I bet they’d rather have a high-quality blanket made right here in Riverside than one from Vaton. Don’t you agree?”

  Trevlan nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “And if I buy any of these blankets, the Mortons get the new price?”

  “That is correct as well.”

  Rogue rapped his knuckles on the counter. “You’ve got a deal, Trevlan. I’ll take all you have. You might consider going and seeing the Mortons and telling them you’ll be needing more of their blankets. And give them the good news on your generous decision to adjust how much you pay them for their high-quality goods.”

  “I’ll add the blankets to the rest of your supplies.”

  “Good. And Trevlan, I don’t have to remind you I don’t want anyone knowing what I buy here?”

  ...

  As Rogue left with his goods, Trevlan wiped his brow. The man was a good customer, but every time he came in, Trevlan felt like he was dealing with the devil. He knew the stories of the men who’d crossed Rogue and he had no intentions of being among them.

  “Was that reprobate Rogue just in here? Did he buy another of those stinking Chambian blankets? I hope you sold him one of the ones from Vaton instead. You should help your brother-in-law out more, you know,” said Mrs. Trevlan as she walked in from the back.

  Trevlan’s face went red and he whipped around to see if Rogue was within hearing range. Luckily, the man was gone down the street. “Damn it, woman. We don’t speak of the Mortons like that anymore. If I hear you or your damn brother muttering such nonsense, I’ll be done with the lot of you. And if that no-good brother of yours sells me stolen goods at full price again I’ll whip him myself.”

  “What crawled up your butt?” she asked.

  Trevlan shook his head. He loved her dearly, but she’d be the death of him. It was her and her family that were prejudiced against the Mortons because they were originally from Chambia. It was baseless and annoying, but he’d put up with it because he loved her. But Rogue was a devil and to utter his name with such disrespect was asking to end up face-down in a gutter. And as much as he loved her, he wasn’t going to die for her. “First off, I don’t know how he knows, but he knows your brother is a thief. And second, I don’t intend on dying because you can’t keep your opinions to yourself. That man is not someone you want to get on the bad side of.”

  “And?” said Mrs. Trevlan, her chin up stubbornly.

  “And he likes the Mortons. If he finds out it’s you spreading rumors about their blankets being lice-filled garbage, you will end up like Aaron McNeilly.”

  Mrs. Trevlan’s face went white. “Aaron McNeilly? He was hacked up and one of his body parts left in every room of his house. Are you saying Rogue did that?”

  “I’m saying McNeilly beat a whore who was friends with Rogue. The next time Rogue came to town, Aaron disappeared. You do the math. And now he’s made it very clear he has an interest in the Mortons. You think your disapproval of anyone from Chambia living in Riverside is worth risking ending up like McNeilly?”

  Mrs. Trevlan shook her head. “What did you say to Rogue?”

  “I said what he wanted to hear. From now on, we’re the Mortons’ best customers.”

  4

  Jasmin

  Bringing her basket of fresh-picked vegetables to the house, Jasmin whistled a pleasant tune. She couldn’t remember the name of the tune—it had been so long since she’d last heard its name, and she didn’t even remember all the words—but the melody she’d never forgotten.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Lilly Kerr said with a smile.

  Jasmin shrugged. “Am I?”

  Lilly laughed. “Oh please, you always whistle that tune when your spirits are high. Now, tell me what has you in such a good mood?”

  “I’m not like you, Lilly. I don’t need anything in particular to make me happy.”

  “You mean you don’t need a man to make you happy? Pity, you should try it sometime. Men can be a lot of fun,” Lilly said with a wink.

  Jasmin blushed. “As you are always telling me. How did your weekend with the handsome new miner go?”

  Lilly’s brow furrowed, and she waved her paring knife in the air. “A complete disaster. We went for lunch Saturday and were supposed to meet up later that night after he went for drinks with his mates from the mine. I waited for him for hours and he never showed up. It turns out he was attacked by that bastard Rogue and beaten near to death. I wish our sheriff would do something about that brute. Poor Loron had to be hauled back to his mining camp.”

  “One should be careful when repeating barroom gossip.”

  Lilly’s head swiveled around at the sound of the new voice. “Good morning, Lady Grant. What do you mean?”

  “What I mean is your new friend Loron is a bully who goes looking for fights. He is another of those young men who wanted to be known as the toughest man in Riverside. He antagonized Rogue into a fight after Heath Brown declined young Loron’s invitation for a fight. Rogue gave Loron every opportunity to walk away unscathed, but he refused.”

  Lilly huffed. “Maybe he didn’t start it this time. But that man is trouble.”

  Lady Grant smiled. “Yes, he certainly is, but not for people like us. Jasmin, when you are done here, come to my office. I’d like to go over the numbers for this month’s shipments.”

  “Yes, mother,” Jasmin said.

  “Thank you. I’ll leave you two to your gossip now,” Lady Grant said with a wink. She then left the kitchen as silently as she’d entered it.

  “I don’t know why your mother defends that brute,” Lilly said after she was sure Lady Grant was out of hearing range.

  “She doesn’t defend him. She just doesn’t like it when people spread stories. Mother has ears everywhere, and if she says your Loron started the fight, you’d best believe she knows it to be true. And let’s be honest, you always are attracted to the troublemakers.”

  Lilly giggled. “I can’t help it. They are just so much more interesting.”

  Jasmin rolled her eyes. Lilly was shameless. “Have you thought of what you are going to wear next weekend?”

  “That’s why you’re so happy, the dance. I’d forgotten about that. No, I’ve nothing to wear. Can I borrow something from you again? Pretty please?”

  Jasmin frowned. “You know my dresses don’t fit you properly.” While Jasmin was about the same height as Lilly and had ample curves, Lilly was in a class of her own. “Your boobs will spill out of most of my dresses.”

  “That’s the idea,” Lilly said with a laugh. “Men notice things like that.”

  Jasmin shook her head. “I’m sure they do.”

  “Oh, don’t pout. Even if my chest were totally bare, everyone would still be looking at you. You’re the prettiest woman in a hundred miles.”

  Jasmin laughed at Lilly. They both knew that wasn’t true. If Lilly’s chest were bare, the whole barn could be on fire and no one would notice. They knew this from experience after an incident during a dance last year. Jasmin raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

  Lilly threw a potato at Jasmin. “I wish you’d quit bringing that up. That darn Jamie Stone tripped over his own feet and pulled my blouse down. I wasn’t responsible for old man Brien fainting and knocking over that lantern.”

  “Your boobs almost burned down the barn,” Jasmin said. “If there hadn’t been any women there to remind
the men to put the fire out instead of just ogling your chest, the whole village might’ve burned down.”

  “That’s true,” said Lilly with pride. “And it wasn’t just the men ogling me.”

  Jasmin threw the potato back at Lilly. “Hussy.”

  “Prude.”

  They both started laughing. “I’d better go see what mother wants.”

  “We both know what she wants,” Lilly said. “You’re freakishly good with numbers and she doesn’t trust the accountant from either the mining company or the lumber company.”

  Jasmin nodded. Lilly was right. Both companies had tried to use fancy math to trick her mother, but Lady Elizabeth Grant was no fool and wasn’t about to be swindled by fast-talking men. “Yes, I suppose that is the case. I’d better get to it. Talk to you later, tramp,” Jasmin said with affection.

  Lilly just blew her a kiss.

  Jasmin walked into her mother’s office. It was Jasmin’s favorite room. When she’d been a toddler she’d spent hours and hours playing here while her mother struggled to figure out how they would survive in Riverside. Gabriel Grant, Jasmin’s late father, had been a good man. What little wealth he’d owned had been in his businesses. And he was a second cousin to the king, which had given them a certain status in the kingdom. However, when he died, that status died with him. Many of the businesses who owed him money refused to pay, saying Lady Grant’s numbers were mistaken.

  When Lady Grant realized the extent of their financial troubles, she had no choice but to pack up her young daughter and move to the one solid asset they still had: an estate at the far end of the kingdom in a small village called Riverside. The estate was old, run-down, and provided little income. But it had potential. It took Lady Grant years to build up the business, but she’d done so all while little Jasmin played in the background.

  “Jas, take a look at these numbers,” Lady Grant said.

  Jasmin looked over her mother’s shoulder. She knew the company books as well as her mother now and could decipher them faster. While Lady Grant had taught herself how to run the company, the moment she could afford it she’d hired a tutor for Jasmin.