Chapter 10

As they rode into town early that morning, right up to the Inn where they were staying even after being gone for five days, they could see Gary and Maria standing outside anxious for their return.

The returning six rode right up to them and they both could see the bandages on Beth's arm as well as the one on Ayden's hand. They were curious but said nothing as they waited for them to respond.

"We have the wagon and the crate back, but we need to talk," said Beth as she swung down from her horse, as everyone else followed suit.

Everyone filed into the Inn to take a table in the back to talk

"So we were shipping some kind of plague across towns that could have killed us all if we had gotten any of it on us? And because you did get some on you, you almost died as a result?" asked Gary in wide eyed shock as he looked Beth over.

He had always thought that if he hadn't been married ... something about her made him want to try his luck with her the moment he saw her. But as he heard this, he felt it would have been a shame to have lost her to something like that. Even now as he looked at her, she didn't seem too bad off from having been as close to death as she claimed now.

"Yep, if it wasn't for my boyfriend here saving my life I'd be dead," said Beth smiling at him, and by extension Maria, as she reached for Ayden's un-bandaged hand.

The two of them weren't the only two to be shocked by that revelation, as everyone else around them looked at her strangely too

"Boyfriend?" asked Maria slowly, as she looked hard at Beth and Ayden.

"Apparently I wasn't aware that we were still a couple, but Beth saw fit to remind me we used to be when she last saw me, and she wants me to start living up to my duties," smiled Ayden as he picked up on what Beth was doing.

He could see that she wanted Maria to leave him alone and give her a chance to win him back, and she figured this was the best way to do it. He had no problem with giving her that chance.

"You weren't a couple before we started out," said Maria starting to fume.

"No we weren't, but almost having her die on me made me want to see if what she was trying to pull on me as a kid was worth waiting to see how it ended," smiled Ayden.

He didn't want to hurt Maria, but they were never really an item yet. She couldn't be that hurt when they had only known each other less than two weeks so far.

"Fine, but if it doesn't work out between you and this female gladiator, and you want someone more feminine, you know, someone without such heavily calloused hands to rough up your skin when you're touched in those intimate moments, you know where you can find me," said Maria with a smile, right before she got up from the table to leave.

Almost as an after thought she turned back around and grabbed and kissed Ayden squarely on the mouth quickly and said "Just so you have something to remember me by and so you don't forget me," as she smiled big and then left to get her things from her room.

Michael, Ariel, Gem, and Haley, were smiling at a now fuming Beth, as Ayden looked at her retreating form.

Beth wanted to say something about all the insults Maria just threw her way, but she wanted to prove to Ayden she had changed, so she let them pass.

Ayden for one was shocked Maria had the balls to say that to Beth, given how dangerous she was. Beth could have killed her with a half hearted attempt.

Only Gary laughed out loud when he thought it was safe. Maria didn't look to quite be ready to give up the fight.

Everything was quite uneventful on the way to their final destination of the city of Johnson's Crossing.

On the way Maria tried to subtly talk to Ayden when she could and cut Beth out, but Beth didn't rise to the occasion. She realized that Maria was trying to make her look like a jealous girlfriend again, and so Beth took her time and talked to Ayden as if they were already a couple.

And Beth instead always used that time to get to learn all about him again since they had been separated.

During the nights when they stopped Maria was forced to respect their time together as a couple, and sat back and watched as Ayden let Beth hold and kiss him anyway she wanted. Maria wasn't happy about it, but by the time they arrived at their destination she had to concede her defeat. Ayden responded far better to Beth than he ever had to her.

Especially when Ayden did nothing to stop what Beth did, and even seemed to respond to her like he did the first night she saw him get kissed by Beth. It was nothing to see her grab and hold his hand while they ate.

Even she had to admit there was something between them.

Once they arrived, Beth switched back to all business and the hunt for who was responsible began. She still wasn't happy about almost being killed.

They headed to the business that was supposed to receive the crate.

Beth and the others asked who was getting the final delivery, but the receiver didn't want to give out the name. They were pretty much rushed out as the receiver put the crate up on a warehouse shelf, easily seen where from the front warehouse door as they left.

Beth discussed it with the others and they decided to stick around and see who came to pick up the crate once they were notified that it had arrived in the town. Gary and Maria also decided to hang around and wait to see what happened.

They had another shipment to take back to their hometown, but they didn't want to travel without an escort, and since Beth felt this wasn't finished, they choose to wait in town until they did.

Beth and her team, along with Ayden and Michael, waited outside the shippers to see who came in to get the crate.

It might have been easier, but the first week they ran into a tiny problem.

As Beth and Ariel took their turn watching for the fifth night in a row, the others were resting in a nearby Inn.

Gem had managed to put a ward around the warehouse that would be undetectable, as well as one on the crate after she sealed it with magic, in case they needed to find it later. But no one seemed to be coming to get the shipment.

No one would be able to open or remove the crate from the building but a high level mage. Someone at least seventh circle or higher, so Beth felt sure that it would be relatively safe from prying eyes.

As they were waiting that night though, Ariel felt that something was off.

It came to her attention while both of them were casually sitting outside the warehouse, just with-in the shadows between buildings, waiting as people passed them by. She knew by experience Beth felt it as well.

Without a word she nodded at Beth and got up and headed down the street as if she was heading for the nearest Inn. Once past the front of the Inn she quickly, quietly, and stealthily darted into the alley on the other side of the building.

As Beth waited, after a few moments, there was a loud commotion further down the alley near the back of the building, and she got up and raced down the side to find Ariel grappling with someone.

Once she reached them Ariel seemed to quickly roll over on to her back, and Beth could just make out a flash of her red hair as she then flipped the person up and over.

Meanwhile she rose up at the same time, and ended up on top now pinning the person to the ground, with one of their arms behind their back and one leg also now in the air and the other one pinned behind them.

Beth slowed to a walk as she saw that.

No one could take Ariel in hand to hand combat. As good as Haley was with weapons, she still wasn't a match for Ariel when it came to that.

As the person struggled Beth squatted down to get a good look them. She could see it was a young man, roughly about their age she would have guessed, and he was very cute with dark wavy hair.

If she was generally into chasing men again and if she didn't have Ayden as what she really wanted, she could see where she might find him attractive enough to spend an evening kissing on him. But even if she didn't have Ayden those days were long over Beth realized.

He was dressed in a loose blue shirt, now out of his pants, and homespun brown pants. He didn't look rich, but he didn't look poor either. While he might have the look of someone who gave a good hard days work, something told Beth that ground floor break-ins might be more his style.

"So why are you here, and what do you want?" asked Beth as she looked down at the young man while Ariel still had him pinned.

"Taylor, my name is Taylor. I was just watching you, I swear to you that was all. I thought you both were cute and I just wanted to meet you," said Taylor as he stopped struggling.

"You didn't really answer my questions. Why are you here, and what do you want?" asked Beth again

"I told you already. I saw you yesterday and as I said I thought both of you ladies were cute and I wanted to ask either of you to dinner, but I didn't know how. So I thought if I watched you long enough I might find something of interest to you that I could use to start a conversation. Is it so hard to believe that men find you both attractive?" asked Taylor

"You expect us to believe that?" asked Beth

"I'm sure your partner here has finished checking me for weapons by now and she knows that I have none. I'm unarmed and currently pinned to the ground in the most painful way possible by a beautiful woman. What more do I have to lose but my pride at this point by being honest," smiled Taylor at Beth.

"He's clean," said Ariel as she got up. Somehow she managed to wrestle with him and pin him, and yet neither one of them became entangled with the swords at her waist.

"This is not quite what you had in mind when you started watching us was it?" asked Beth with a chuckle.

"Well, having a pretty girl pin me to the ground like this isn't something I'm upset about if that's what you're asking," smiled Taylor

"Why should we trust you?" asked Beth

"Because I'm from around here. You can ask anyone and they will vouch for me. I just really wanted to meet you all," said Taylor with a disarming smile.

While they both smiled back at him, Ariel caught Beth's slight nod. They would verify his story later about being a local.

"What can you tell us about the warehouse over there?" asked Beth suddenly.

"Not much. It's public knowledge that it's owned by the Stoltus family. They ship anything for anyone no questions asked. Nothing so far can be pinned on them as illegal," said Taylor with a smile.

"I don't suppose there is any way for you to help us get inside so we can find out who is supposed to receive a shipment recently received by them is there? I'm sure a thief like you knows some good ways to get inside, right?" asked Beth as she looked him over.

Her look was a knowing one that pretty much said she expected his help.

Taylor smiled nervously for a bit before he finally broke under their gaze said "Fine you got me. What gave me away?"

"Your hands. While you're dressed like you work hard, your hands don't have any calluses on them and your clothes are a little too clean," said Ariel as she stayed just off to the side of him watching.

"Not to mention you realized she was checking you for weapons and not just getting in a better position to hold you down on the ground," said Beth with a smile.

Smiling Taylor said "Fine. Let's get this over with. You might as well quit watching the building. No one is going to come to pick up anything at night. Other than the guards it's bad for business to be seen working after hours and the town guards watch for things like that."

As they headed away from the warehouse with Taylor between them he said "But for the record, I do find you both attractive and that was why I was trying to approach you," as he turned to look them both in the face as he spoke.

They both just gave him a smile that quickly disappeared from both of their faces as he turned and looked down the street.

"Everyone this is Taylor," said Beth as she took a seat.

Everyone was surprised to see her and Ariel enter the Inn, and then for Beth to approach them with a strange man and take a seat with them.

Ariel when they entered split off and let Beth take him over to the table

"Taylor is going to help us do something and we'll see who the shipment was for and get to the bottom of this," said Beth.

As they sat Taylor pointed out that after the midnight hour would be the best time as the guards normally took a break to visit a few whores and that would allow them time to get in and then get back out.