The breeze was cool as the boat sped over small waves. Neve directed us toward the Dockside Den, looking like an expert at the wheel.
As twilight faded, I stared out at the city. It rose tall from the shore, shining skyscrapers reaching for the sky. Lights gleamed in the windows, more and more flicking on as the hour grew later.
“It’s beautiful.” I said.
Neve nodded. “Yes, at night. And some parts during the day. This is your first time in Magic Side?”
“Yep. It’s quite different to Guild City. The people are so open with their magic. I mean, I saw a blood sorceress striding down the street. Magic radiated off her. It was clear as day what she was. You could never be openly…powerful…like that in Guild City.”
Neve shrugged. “Never been there. Heard stories, though. It doesn’t make sense to me. This is a magical city. We’re a magical people—it’s literally who we are. Why hide our powers?”
“Except you do.” The words were out of my mouth before I had time to think. Neve’s jaw tightened, and I instantly regretted it.
She was silent a moment, then she spoke, not making eye contact. “It works for me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
There was a long, awkward silence. Grey was far enough away that the wind drowned out our conversation.
“I’m still mastering my powers.” I was trying to offer up something, but that didn’t get any result, either. She had locked up. I continued anyway, trying to smooth the moment over. “Sometimes I just sense things. About people. Objects. I wanted to join the police, be a full detective. It didn’t work out. Maybe it would have been better for me here.”
Neve gave me a sympathetic look and shrugged. “This place has its own pitfalls. I’ve been trying to make investigator for years. Haven’t managed it yet. It sounds like you have some interesting talents for it.”
“None that have helped me in Guild City. I didn’t have a lot of options, so I kinda had to strike out on my own—start my own detective agency.”
Neve gaped. “That’s amazing. Your own agency! I’m jealous. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be my own boss.”
I beamed a little at that. “Honestly, I’m making it up as I go along.”
She smiled back. “Hey, any help you need, give me a call.” She studied me for a moment, then gestured to the wheel. “Want to drive? Might as well learn some waterborne infiltration skills.”
“I’m not sure the captain would approve. I haven’t done it before.”
She stood aside. “Nonsense. Come here.”
I took her place. Beneath my palms, I felt the powerful thrum of the engines vibrating through the wheel.
Neve pointed at the controls. “Throttle up, throttle down. The wheel makes us turn to port or starboard. This button scuttles the ship, and we drown in Lake Michigan.”
“What?”
She grinned. “Just kidding. Try not to hit land. You’ll be fine—it’s a big lake.”
Handling the speedboat was exhilarating. As soon as I had got the hang of things, Neve had me punch up the engines, and we raced through the night along the dark, curving shoreline. The speedboat surged and hummed beneath my hands, begging me to go faster.
I shot a grin at Grey, then turned to Neve and shouted over the roar of the engines, “How do you know where we’re going?”
“I’ve done this before,” she yelled back.
“At night?”
“Yeah. For work.”
“So, do you go into the field a lot? Hunting down bad guys?” It reminded me of my own work.
“I wish. Primarily, I’m a researcher, so they generally keep me chained to the archives.” She grimaced.
“I’ve heard you’re very good.”
“Yeah, I’m so good I’ve been pigeonholed. They only let me out of the cage if they need me to read some ancient spell.”
“Jerks.”
Neve turned to look at me. “Totally. It’s really frustrating. I do the groundwork for a lot of cases, but I’m never part of the bust.”
I gently bit my lip. “Damn. That sucks.”
“Yeah. I have a lot of repressed sleuthing.” She grinned at me. “So what do I do? Find a healthy outlet? Noooo. I sneak a mob boss into the Order archives, then I shuttle him into the territory of another gangster. I need new hobbies.”
“I’m sorry we’re putting you at risk.”
“Please, this is the most fun I’ve had all month.” She looked back. “Anyway, I’m intrigued now. I want to push the case forward. All we have to do is not get shot.”
“Is the Dockside Den that dangerous?”
“Only if you aren’t supposed to be there. I mean, it’s a free city. In theory, we should all be able to go where we want and talk to whomever we like. Normally, I would be fine going in. They might give me a hard time because I’m a known agent, but they wouldn’t mess with me too much.”
“So why are we trying to slip in under cover of night?” I asked.
Neve nodded back at Grey. “He makes this a lot harder. Bosses are supposed to stay out of each other’s territory. Professional courtesy and all. But since he’s the one with the curse…”
Neve looked at the dark shapes looming along the shoreline. The buildings here weren’t as tall, and few were lit. “Speaking of getting in the hard way, I think I’d better drive.”
I gave her the wheel, and she turned down the throttle. The engines reduced to a low murmur as we puttered along the shorefront.
“Just whispers now for this last part,” Neve said in a low voice. “Sound carries over water.”
I quit the chitchat and watched the structures of the dockyards slip by. Their enormous, looming piers had once been used for freighters and were backed by abandoned factories and unlit warehouses. The dockside area was expansive. There were a few harbors for small boats, and a motley assortment of vessels were tied off to bobbing orange buoys further along the shore. We came to an area of old wooden docks, which led to a cluster of warehouses and tall brick buildings that lined the waterfront.
“Here we go,” Neve whispered.
She cut the throttle, and we coasted silently in, sliding under the tall dock and navigating between the tall pilings. They were in bad shape, covered with crustaceans and tattered bits of old rope. Everything smelled of dead fish and something strange, like smoky tar.
Neve pointed to a piling with wooden slats nailed to it. “That’s how we get up.”
She secured the speedboat, tying off the bow and the stern, then turned off the engine and pocketed the keys.
By then, Grey was already at the ladder, scaling it swiftly and naturally despite his suit.
“I don’t know how that man makes a suit look so appropriate for everything,” she mused.
“He’s like James Bond.”
Neve nodded. “Yep.”
I followed Grey, and Neve brought up the rear. At the top of the makeshift ladder, a small wooden hatch was propped open. Grey was already on the dock, and I shimmied through the hatch to join him.
It had begun to sprinkle lightly, a faint rain that was cool against my skin. Shipping containers towered around us, blocking our view. We tucked ourselves into the shadows as Neve joined us.