“Mr. Grimm!”
“What?”
“Ward said there was some big to-do happening down in the warehouse district tonight.”
The sound of Ward’s name struck Nigel’s awareness like a gong. In the subsequent vibrations, he found his head filled suddenly with a clear and powerful image of Luna kissing the man earlier that very day. Wrapped up in his arms in a passionate embrace, not unlike the one they’d just shared. An unreasonable rage boiled in his gut, and knowing it was unreasonable didn’t make it any less unpleasant.
Swallowing hard, Nigel managed a rough, “Did he?”
Luna stared at him, her eyes owlishly large. Then with a sharp intake of breath, she circled the table, took hold of Mrs. Goddard’s shoulders, and gently guided the old woman to the nearest chair, settling her into it. The distraught landlady bent over, face buried in her hands, sobbing her heart out. Luna patted her rounded back comfortingly before turning to Nigel. With a quick dart of her hand, she latched hold of his wrist. Just that small touch was enough to send bolts of pure flame crackling through every inch of his body. Nigel wanted to grab her and, ignoring Mrs. Goddard’s woebegone presence, drag her back against him, claim her mouth once more and—
Instead he found himself being pulled out of the kitchen and into the back passage. The moment the door shut behind them, Luna turned to him and hissed, “We’ve got to warn Tobias!”
Nigel stared down into her shadowed face. The thaumatic light bulb overhead was dark, and he couldn’t read her expression clearly by the dim light spilling in from the shop. “What are you talking about?” he asked, blinking down at her rather blankly.
“Mrs. Goddard’s son? Tobias? Remember him?”
“Yes, of course, I remember the blighter. As you might recall, I’ve rooted around inside his disreputable head.”
“Didn’t you hear what Mrs. Goddard was saying? He’s joined some gang and he’s going to be down in the warehouse district tonight! Ward said there was supposed to be some shipment of . . . of distilled Dire Matter, I believe it was.”
Nigel remembered. He’d overheard the entire conversation, after all. “If it’s distilled Dire Matter, you can bet there will be sorcerers there to oversee the transaction,” he said darkly. “They wouldn’t trust something like that toordinaries.”
“So you’re saying this Brute Boys gang won’t be there after all?”
“Oh, they’ll be there. Sorcerers don’t like to do their own fetching and carrying. They’ll need some manpower. But when they’re through with that manpower . . .” His voice trailed away. He realized that what he was about to say probably wouldn’t be helpful in this particular moment. Not with Luna already showing dangerous signs of heroism.
But, as usual, she was too sharp for her own good, too quick on the uptake. “What is it?” she demanded. “Something’s just occurred to you. Something not good.”
“Miss Talbot,” he said, using his calmest, most level tone, “come back to the kitchen. Mrs. Goddard would benefit from your presence, and—”
“Tell me!”
He glanced at her and away again, afraid the truth would be revealed in his expression. “It’s nothing.”
Her dark eyes studied him hard in the dim half-light. From the corner of his vision, he saw her mouth open in a little gasp as suspicion grew. “Mr. Grimm,” she said, “I need you to tell me honestly. What do sorcerers do with their manpower when they no longer need them?”
He turned his face away, analyzing the texture of peeling paint on the boiler room door. But it was no use. She’d already figured it out.
“They won’t want to leave witnesses behind.” Her voice was small, little more than a whisper. “Not for something like this. Not for distilled Dire Matter, which goes for millions on the black market.”
“Miss Talbot, we don’tknowanything about these sorcerers or the kind of operation they run—”
Her hand left his wrist as she turned sharply and strode five quick paces up the passage. “We’ve got to warn them!”
Nigel was in motion before his brain had caught up with his body. His hand lashed out, caught hold of her forearm, anddragged her roughly to a halt. Luna whipped her head about, curls bouncing, fake diamonds glinting from overlarge shooting star earrings. Her eyes were very round, staring up at him through the gloom.
“Neither of us can afford to get caught up in sorcerous business,” Nigel said sternly. He kept his voice down, not wanting to be overheard by his landlady, but his tone was firm, nonetheless. “I won’t risk getting involved in this mess. Certainly not for the sake of that young blaggard. If he lacks the intelligence necessary to stay away from bootlegging, that’s his problem.”
“It’s Mrs. Goddard’s problem too!” Luna replied, shaking her head. “Don’t you care about her at least?”
It was theat leastthat bit deep. Did Luna truly see him as selfish and uncaring? Just because he didn’t place particular value on the life and wellness of Tobias Goddard, of all people? Nigel ground his teeth. “I hold Mrs. Goddard in high regard,” he said. “She is a good landlady and a generous soul, worthy of esteem. But her son deserves to be smacked up the side of the head. Repeatedly.”
“That doesn’t mean he deserves to be blasted to smithereens of anti-glitter!” Luna whispered back. She pulled against his grip on her arm, and he released her, but she did not continue on her way. Instead turning to more fully face him, she put her shoulders back. Were those tears he saw, glimmering in her eyes? “Please, Mr. Grimm!” she said. “Surely you were once young and foolish too.”
“I was,” he answered darkly. “And I suffered for it. As I damn well deserved.”
“And did you never wish someone had come along to warn you? To give you the chance to make better choices?”
