“Where are we?” Grey asked.
“The Hideout.” Neve indicated the name of the bar, backwards in the window, written in bold white playbill letters.
The bartender stopped next to our table. She propped on hand on her hip. “Your usual, Neve?”
“No, on the clock. Just squatting. Can you say we’ve been here an hour if anyone asks?”
The woman cracked a grin. “Not a problem. I’ll bring you some water.”
“Thanks, Diana, you’re the best.” Neve turned to us. “Man, I could feel the corrupted magic streaming off that book. Can you tell me what this is all about?”
I drew in a breath and met her penetrating gaze. I wasn’t sure what to make of this woman. At first glance, she seemed unassuming, if fashionable. But there was something extremely sharp about her, a hidden intensity below the surface that I sensed when we locked gazes. I recalled the vision I’d had when I shook her hand. I’d tried to avoid it, but she’d been quick. First had been the sensation of a warm, pleasant breeze, and then my stomach had lurched as though I were plunging downward at limitless speed.
The dizziness had remained even after I’d released her hand.
I had no idea what species she was, but it didn’t matter. She’d put her job on the line for us, and she deserved an explanation.
“That book is linked to something bigger in Guild City.” I spoke quickly, laying out the whole story, starting from the beginning with Seraphia and the book. As I finished, Diana stopped by our table. She sat three plates of sandwiches and three glasses of water in front of us.
“What’s all this?” Neve asked.
“If I know you, you’ve had your head stuck in a book this whole time and missed lunch. Breakfast too, probably.”
“You know I’d never miss a cinnamon bun from the coffee shop.” She grinned at her. “But thanks. Otherwise, you’re right. I’m starving.”
“Anytime, Neve.”
Neve took a big bite of her sandwich and chewed, a far-off expression on her face. I bit into mine, grateful for the sustenance.
Neve swallowed. “So, you’re out of leads, but you’ve dealing with at least three curses—one on the book and the city wall, one on Grey’s memory, and one on your friends?”
Curses on everyone except me. I was grateful, but it felt weird to be the odd one out.
“The curses are linked,” Grey said. “The magic feels the same, and it’s all tied together. We need to know what the curse is. Then perhaps we can track whoever cast it.”
Neve nodded. “Sounds like you need a Curse Diviner.”
“Is that the person you mentioned earlier?” I asked. “The one who might be able to help Mac and Seraphia?”
“Yes. Fortunately for us, they don’t work at the Order. We need to lay low there.”
“Where are they?” Grey asked. “Who is it?”
“Madame Duvoir. She lives and works in The Dens.”
Grey’s face tightened. “Who does she work for?”
“The Dockside Boss,” Neve said.
“Just my luck.” Grey gave a wry smile. “First the Order, now this. Not that any of the others would be better.”
I gave him a curious look. “What am I missing?”
“The Dens are run by the criminal underground of Magic Side,” Neve said. “It’s been around forever, but it really hit its stride in the 1920s.”
“Gangsters,” I said, remembering my earlier conversation with Grey.
“Precisely.” Neve nodded. “They run a number of neighborhoods throughout Magic Side.” She gave Grey a significant look. “If I remember correctly, your boy here is on their bad side.”
The corner of Grey’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “Not always.” He looked at me. “It’s an on-again, off-again business arrangement. Currently, we’re off, which means we need to be careful on their turf when we speak to Madame Duvoir.”
“Will she talk to us if she works for a mob boss over there?” I asked.
“For the right price,” Neve said. “She’s a woman who does what she wants.”
“Why does the Order allow a bunch of old mobsters to control part of Magic Side?” I asked.
Neve shrugged. “Why does organized crime exist anywhere? Corruption, greed. They’ve got an arrangement, and we do what we can to keep everything as safe as possible. Most importantly, they make sure their goons don’t start showing up and dropping spells in Mainland Chicago.” She met Grey’s eyes. “He’d know all about the delicate dance between crime and city.”
“True enough.” Grey shrugged. “The Council of Guilds can’t stop me.”
“That’s because you own them,” I said. “And you can control their minds.”
“It’s a handy skill.”
Neve shook her head. “Well, it’s not too dissimilar here. We definitely want to avoid their goons. They don’t like me any more than they like you, and Carrow is an outsider, so she won’t be welcome either. But I can get us in by boat once it’s dark.”
“By boat?” I asked.
“The Dockside Den occupies the area around the old freighter docks, which the thugs now use for whatever they want to smuggle. The Great Lakes reach the sea, you know.”
I nodded, finally starting to get a more complete picture of Magic Side.
Neve finished her sandwich, leaving a bit of crust on her plate. “Ready to go find a boat?”
I ate the last bite of mine and stood. Grey joined us, laying a stack of bills on the table.
“It was on the house,” Neve said. “Diana sometimes feels bad for me because of how hard I work and throws me a bone.”
“Then it will be a tip.” Grey turned toward the door.
I shrugged and followed him. The gesture didn’t surprise me. He wasn’t the type to owe anyone.
But I definitely owed him.
It took Neve the rest of the afternoon to rustle up transportation, a sleek wooden speedboat we rented off an older gentleman at the local yacht club. It cost Grey a pretty penny. By the time we were ready to depart, the sun was sinking behind the horizon. Waves gently rocked the vessel as we climbed on board.
Neve took the wheel.
From the dock, the owner scowled at us. “Be careful with her,” he said.
She saluted. “You can count on me.”
He grumbled and turned away, as if he couldn’t bear to look.
“Can he count on you?” I asked.
Neve shrugged. “I’m not bad with driving. It’s the docking that’s hard.”
The old man groaned. “Just bring her in slow.”
“Will do, Cap.” Neve pulled away from the dock and looked at the dim sky. “This timing should work well enough. The moon won’t rise until a bit later, so we should have some good darkness.”
Grey stood on the other side of the boat, staring out at the lake ahead. The cool breeze swept his hair back. He looked like a movie star headed to the Venice Film Festival. I’d always liked looking at those pictures in magazines—images of far-off travel I’d never get to do.
Now I was in America, and I’d been in Romania before that. My life had taken an adventurous turn.