“My thoughts exactly,” Felix muttered, as though released from a spell so he could talk.“Danny, are there any more of those pastries left?I feel like I’m due.”
A Little Night Music
BECAUSE STIRLINGloved Josh but also worked well in quiet (Liam assumed), Stirling was the one who brought Josh his laptop and the results of the briefing the day before.
Liam sat next to Josh as he got his infusion of plasma and saline, working on his own laptop and occasionally glancing up to stare at Stirling in surprise.
He’d loathed meetings and briefings his entire professional life.This sounded like, of all the goddamned briefings he’d daydreamed his way through, this was the one he’d wanted to attend.
“Really?”Josh asked, pausing in whatever search he was about to initialize.“Marco’s working at Kadjic’s hotel?”
“Yes,” Stirling said,notpausing, which was what made Stirling a prodigy while Josh was simply brilliant.“It really was fortuitous.”
“Good word,” Josh murmured, his fingers resuming their tapping.“So what’s the plan after that?”
Stirling grunted.“Well, first you and I perform magic and figure out exactly where the girls are being trafficked.”
“Not magic,” Josh said with a smile.“Logic.”
“I don’t see the difference,” Liam interjected, because he wanted to be part of their rhythm.
“We swapped out ma for lo.But it’s the same ic,” Stirling replied, straight faced.
Liam chuckled, and Josh shot him a grin.
“And after the magic?”Liam asked.
“The fun part,” Stirling said.“We organize the op to set the trafficking victims free, and it’s going to be a big one.”He glanced up.“Expect Felix and Danny to call upon your mighty law enforcement powers for that.”
Liam nodded soberly.“So noted.”
“Mostly for help placing the victims,” Josh said, thinking.“I mean, we can set them free, I hope, but free isn’t ‘rescued’ when you’re in a foreign country without knowledge of the language or a passport.That’s seriously going to be something involving the Czech government and Interpol.”
Liam frowned.“They might have passports,” he said.“Many sex workers are trafficked by scam artists.They get their passports expecting to be taken to another country to work legitimately, and then their passports are taken from them, and they’re forced to go along.Maybe I should go on the op—I can search for the passports while everybody else is subduing the guards and freeing the victims.”
Josh glanced up, suddenly stricken.“Without me?”he said, and it was one of the few times Liam had ever actuallyheardhim sound like the boy Liam teased him for being.Just that quickly, Josh shook his head.“Ignore that,” he said, giving a bright smile.“Momentary lapse.Of course.I’ll tell Felix right now.”
But before he could pull up the text function to do that, Liam settled a hand on the inside of his arm, careful not to dislodge the IV needle taped there, giving him lifeblood and strength.
“This,” he said softly, “is how we get angry.I get we’re working now, but you be sure to rage at me a little when we’re alone.”
Josh shot him a relieved, tired smile.“I can do that,” he said, winking.Then he went back to work.
“So,” Liam resumed, after Josh and Stirling had used the moment to communicate the new wrinkle, “what’s the Lightfingers job?If the big half is freeing trafficked prisoners, what’s the arts-and-crafts plan to tweak Kadjic?”
Stirling grinned, a startling expression on such a stolid young man’s face.“They already have Kadjic’s room number,” he whispered.“Grace has broken into his room twice to move stuff around.Last night, while Kadjic was at the theater and hiring a rent boy, Grace stoleallhis silk pocket squares, the ones that match his ties.Molly’s busy sewing them together into a miniskirt.”
Liam and Josh both snickered, and then Josh glanced up.“She’s not going towearit, is she?When he can see her?”
Stirling frowned.“Not willy-nilly,” he said.“We’ve had a blond at every op—I think she’s going to touch up her roots when it’s appropriate and shake her booty in public when it makes him froth at the mouth.”
Liam heard Josh’s sigh of relief.
“Afraid they’ll bollix it up without you, boy-o?”
“Or worried for my friend’s safety!”he protested.Then, to Stirling, “So is our endgame the same?”
“Well, first we’re going to break through his protections at the Czech Port Authority,” Stirling murmured, and then he and Josh both let out twin breaths of appreciation.
