Lando didn't look happy to see me at all. What a great sight.

"Gerard," he said when he finally spotted me, "there you are. You always make me wait. I know I've told you how much I like the red light district, but it's broad daylight. Why did you even have us meet here?"

"Not my idea. They wanted it. Sorry you got involved." I subtly guided us toward where I'd seen the men earlier.

"No you're not." He threw an arm over my shoulder. "But I'll take it. It'll be good to have you back, Gerry. Father wants a feast to celebrate your return."

The alleyway was well-lit but claustrophobic. They were big guys, so I'd have the advantage here even if I was still aching everywhere. I wrapped an arm around Lando's waist, and although he glanced at me in surprise since it'd been a few years since I'd been affectionate like that, he gave me a large smile.

"Speaking of feasts!" he said. "Why don't we have one last meal before we leave Brugge?"

"Two meals with you?" I asked, keeping my tone light. I even smiled at him. "I guess you weren't just saying all that yesterday."

He laughed. "You're such a pessimist sometimes. Of course, I wasn't just saying all that! I meant every word." He ruffled my hair.

Two steps. One step. My raven overhead cawed twice.

Their approach was quiet, I'd give them that, but their shadows fell over us. I shifted so that they'd reach Lando first, hoping they'd rough him up or intimidate him a little before they got to me. Was that cruel of me? Maybe.

Thankfully, one of them grabbed him from behind and slammed him against the wall. He made a startled yelp and then a pained groan before he seemed to even register what had happened. In my first life, I'd thought both my older brothers were both accomplished fighters for some reason because they'd had the education, the training, while I hadn't. My oldest brother might be strong, but Lando had really prescribed to Father's ideal of nobility.

"Where do you think you're taking our money?" the man barked out as the other one put me in a loose enough chokehold that I could breathe. I supposed Arne told them I was precious cargo or something. Not to be damaged and all that.

But why would he have done that? Shit.

"What do you mean?" Lando asked, rasping. His eyes were wide, his face flushed as he struggled in futility. "I gave you your money!"

"That is our money." The man pointed at me.

Perhaps Arne wanted to take my favor and turn it into an opportunity for himself. I could appreciate that, but I hadn't quite wanted to deal with that. It'd been a possibility but I'd hoped Danio had been likable enough to convince Arne that it was best not to cross me. No matter, I'd deal with it either way.

"What do you mean?" Lando asked, confusion so heavy on his brow that he looked more like our older brother than I'd ever seen him look. "I paid off his debt! He's coming home with me!"

Did he really think yelling would make these men do what he said? The man must've tightened his grip around Lando's neck because his eyes bulged, his mouth opened but nothing came out, and he pried at the man's fingers desperately.

"Hey," I said. This hadn't been part of my plan but Lando dying here wouldn't help me either. "I'm who you want, right? I'll go with you. Whatever you want. Let him go."

The man behind me scoffed and the chokehold grew less loose. "Two nobles are better than one, isn't it?"

"We'll let one of you go for a price," the man holding Lando's neck said, looking to him with a sinister smile. He pulled a knife from his clothes and licked it for no reason. Who the fuck had Arne sent for this job?

Lando cried out. Fear had chased away his flush, made him pale as a cloud. The man must've released his grip a bit because Lando was able to get out four whispered words hoarsely.

"What do you want?"

"Go tell Duke Viscoti that we've got his youngest and we've got some demands. He can send 1000 gold in exchange for the demands. Got it?"

Lando nodded, and unexpectedly, my stomach dropped a little. "Yes. Yes, of course! Whatever you want!"

Was I disappointed that he didn't put up a fight? Or was I disappointed that someone who'd caused me so much torment--caused the original Gerard so much heartbreak--was so weak-willed?

The man let him go, then fixed his clothes and brushed off his back. "Nice doing business with you then. Hope we have a long, fruitful relationship going forward." He put his large hands on Lando's shoulders and shoved him toward the entrance of the alleyway.

He ran and didn't look back. Not even once. Fucking coward.

"And you." The man turned from watching Lando's retreating form to study me. "Do we need to tie you up?"

"No," I said. Fighting two big men right now wouldn't be great for me, and something told me I should save my energy. I realized why when they started guiding me in the opposite direction of Kashana Casino.

Were these not Arne's men? Who had I pissed off as Gerard that they'd send two men after me and extort the Viscoti family? If I let them take me to my destination, would I regret the work I'd have to put in to escape? But at least seeing where they led me might tell me who the fuck these people were, even if they were just Arne's men after all.

The two men started talking in another language, though I didn't understand it nor could I place it. Which was surprising because original Gerard had studied quite a few languages since he hadn't been able to study magic. They didn't seem to want to hurt me, though, because they led me without pushing or shoving. One just kept a hand on my shoulder from behind.

My raven above followed us, cawing incessantly. Then the bird dove down to us, flapping its wings in the man's face before taking off again. A higher-tier warning. What a shitty time to have such bad luck.

A figure dropped down in front of us from above. They wore all black, dressed as if they belonged to the criminal underworld more than the two men escorting me to Ket'ha knew where. They wore a hood and a mask over the bottom part of their face. Everything about them screamed at me that this was the person Arne had sent to kidnap me.

And they did not seem happy that their target had been poached. They stood there staring at me while I stared back. Then their eyes shifted to the man behind me. My heart thundered in my chest, wild with excitement as they slipped out a hidden knife and sent it flying into the man's face in one fluid, beautiful motion.

If it'd been me, I would've caught it. This man did not. His hand fell off me, and I reached for a knife of my own, aiming for the spot between the other man's eyes. He went down almost at the same time as the first. Then the black-clad figure came for me, swung a knife toward my neck.

I grabbed their wrist, sore muscles in my arms protesting as I twisted until their dagger fell free from their grasp. Before they could go for another hidden weapon, I caught their other wrist and yanked until they tumbled forward over themself. The moment they lost balance, I kicked them hard in the stomach. They doubled up and groaned. I shoved them against the brick building. One punch to the jaw and they crumbled to the ground.

"Stay down," I said, all but spitting.

They did not. They rolled onto their hands and knees. Their arms rose, ready to attack. I stepped closer. When they lunged at me, I ducked low. Then I spun around and pushed off the wall and jumped high into the air, used a little wind magic to lift me up and over them. I grabbed their shoulders from behind on my way down, using my weight and gravity to slam them to the ground.

They landed with a loud groan. They tried to get up but seemed they'd lost too much equilibrium. They gasping for air, probably had the air knocked out of them too.

I knelt next to them. "You're lucky I don't feel like torturing anyone today," I said. "You're one of Arne's people?"

They said nothing, only looked at me with hatred.

My raven swooped down again, cawing to warn me of more danger, flapping its wings frantically around me. Not just one person. Not even two of them. There were many people coming. My first instinct was to run, find a way to escape, but I realized that I was probably already surrounded.

And I was. A group of them emerged from the shadows from either side of the alleyway. Some carried swords and others spears. From above, I spotted a few archers aiming down at us. This wasn't a small number either. There must've been close to thirty.

All for me? They shouldn't have.