“What are you looking for?”
“Any distinct marks.”
She moved toward the short sleeves on his shirt, about to pull one up. I reached out to stop her, but she was too quick. She lifted the left sleeve, revealing an intricate tattoo that looked like the compass rose. North pointed toward the man’s triceps, as if he were leaving it behind.
Shite.
“That’s a strange tattoo,” she murmured.
“It is.” A familiar one, in fact. One I’d hoped she wouldn’t see. One connected to my past. “Just a bit of pretty artwork.”
Her gaze flicked to mine, suspicious.
Damnation. I’d laid it on too thick.
“How did you know he might be a threat to Guild City and not just your empire?”
“They’re one and the same.”
“Hmm.” The suspicion didn’t fade from her eyes.
“When you’re done here, we’ll need to prepare for a visit to La Papillon.”
“Prepare?”
“Dress for it.”
“What do you mean, dress for it?”
“You aren’t with the police anymore, Carrow. We can’t walk in there dressed in our street clothes.”
She looked me up and down. “Those are your street clothes?”
“It’s a casual suit. And we need to blend in to get our information.”
“Hmm. I don’t have any clothes that are posh enough for that place.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll drop you at a shop that specializes in the kind of clothes you’ll need.”
“I also don’t have any money.” She grinned and shrugged.
“It won’t be a problem. Tell the proprietress that it’s on the Devil.”
“Just like that? I don’t need to give her a card or some fancy password?”
“That will do.”
“Wouldn’t people in town just charge stuff to you all the time?”
I laughed. “No, I’m not worried about that.”
“They wouldn’t dare, would they?”
“They wouldn’t.”
“All right then, but beware, I’m going to be expensive.” Her eyes gleamed. “And I prefer to shop with friends. Mac is going to join me.”
“Fine.” She was going to ring up a serious bill, I could already feel it. I didn’t mind a bit.
Carrow
The Devil walked me to a shop near his tower that looked like the poshest dress boutique I’d ever seen. I’d called Mac, and she was waiting for us when we arrived, leaning against an ancient tree that grew out of the pavement.
I turned to the Devil. “See you in an hour.”
He nodded, then strode back toward his tower.
“What’s going on?” Mac asked.
I looked at her, my brows raised. “We’re going on a shopping spree.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Which is the second reason I asked you here. The first one is that I’ve got info. I wanted to be able to tell you, and this was the best way.”
“Works for me. What’s going on?”
I filled her in on the explosion, watching as her face went pale. “Really?” she said.
“Really. But we’re going to stop it.”
“Hell yes, we are.”
“There’s another thing, though. I don’t trust the Devil.”
“Good.” She drew out the word in a way that implied that was the obvious thing.
“The guy on the table had a tattoo that the Devil didn’t want me to see. And I still don’t get how he knew that this guy was a threat to Guild City. He says that the city and his empire are one and the same, but…”
“It’s too much of a coincidence.”
“Exactly.”
“And you’re still going with him to this bar?”
“The alternative is Guild City blowing up, so yes.”
“Fair enough. I’ll ask around and see what I can find out about this, but I bet’s its nil. The Devil keeps his business close to his chest.”
“I can imagine.”
“At the very least, I can snag a transport charm from Eve and be ready to come get you if something goes wrong in Romania.”
“Thank you.” Relief surged through me. Something deep in my soul told me that the Devil wouldn’t hurt me. But the situation we were walking into was totally unknown and seemed to be related to magical criminal underworld dealings. I liked the idea of having a way out.
So, are we doing this or what?
Cordelia’s voice sounded from down below, and I looked down to see the little raccoon. “You’re coming with us?”
I’m always here for the good stuff.
“And the bad stuff.” I thought of Black Church, of her worriedly watching from the shadows.
I looked at Mac. “Can Cordelia come in the shop?”
Of course I can!
“Don’t sound so offended!” I said. “In the human world, raccoons aren’t allowed in shops. They aren’t even allowed in this country, in fact.”
Cordelia huffed.
“She’ll be allowed in this one,” Mac said. “Guild City doesn’t have restrictions like that. Too many familiars.”
“What is this place?” I looked up at the sign, which read Fae Couture.
“The nicest shop in town, if you want a deadly dress.”
“Deadly dress?”
“Yes. The Fae are known for their beauty and style. They use that to their advantage, along with their charm and quickness. Their guild tends to sell spy services and other types of physical intelligence gathering. Not all of them are spies, though. Some turn their talents towards shops like these where you can look your best and be your most dangerous.”
“Interesting.” I didn’t understand entirely what she meant, but the proprietress of the shop had come to stand in the window and stare at us. “We’ve been gawking at her shop too long.”
“Let’s go in.”
The door opened automatically in welcome. As I entered the airy space, birdsong hit my ears. It filtered through the rafters high above, making it sound like we were in a fairy glen. I looked up, spotting the colorful creatures.
I hope they’re toilet trained.
I grinned down at Cordelia.
The Fae woman who stood to the side turned to us with a smile. “Welcome.”
Her voice sounded at home with the birdsong, and it was impossible not to be impressed by her. For one, she was astoundingly beautiful, with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. Her pointed ears were studded with gems, and though I couldn’t see her wings because she had them magically hidden, I could only imagine that they were stunning. The dress she wore was a liquid, glittery thing that fit her like a second skin.
“Are you in the market for a dress?” she asked.
“Two.” I pointed to Mac. “One for each of us, on the Devil.”
Her brows rose, interest gleaming in her eyes. “All right, then, let’s get started.”
She waved her hand, and three champagne flutes floated over from the back of the shop. Golden liquid gleamed within, bubbles rising toward the surface. A glass stopped in front of each of us, even Cordelia, who plucked it out of the air.