The woman stared at the deed that had been pressed into her hand.
Annan continued, "Where's the man of the house?"
A complicated look crossed the girl's face. "He died in your dungeon..."
Annan said nothing about that. Instead, he said, "I came to let you know that I'm the new peacekeeper. Starting today, I'll be responsible for keeping the peace on the Three Holt Streets. If you encounter any unlawful behavior, you can tell us."
"I won't disturb your rest. Good night, all three of you."
Annan politely stepped back, then turned and left.
"Mom, he..."
A cold wind swept past, and the closing door shut out their soft conversation.
"Is this why you humans were able to build such a great nation?" Maria mused.
"Why do you say that?"
"You're willing to help strangers you've never met. That would never happen among Ratfolk. Two strangers would only be wary of each other and betray each other."
"Maybe."
Annan had intended to bring Schofield over and let him expand into Holt Street. Without the deed, though, he could only take his men to seize the local gang's territory the next day.
The gang had committed countless crimes and was a breeding ground for disorder. Crushing one gang would keep the Three Holt Streets in line for a long while. No one had done it before because an organization without powerful backing simply couldn't survive.
The nobles didn't want to dirty their own hands, so they had gangs do their dirty work while they stayed behind the scenes and collected the money.
Annan wasn't afraid of that. When the gang leader named the noble backing him, Annan turned to his men. "Remember that? Question him, then take the evidence and go make trouble for them."
Clearing out gangs wouldn't earn