Page 20 of The Thief's Mark

“The person I stole that relic off of was a masked protector. And they definitely weren’t working alone. They were tossing around enough money to justify payment via an account transfer at the Treasury, and I overheard them tell Bald Locke something about helping the orb evade Customs. That means someone else higher up the food chain has to be involved. You bring this in, and who knows what’ll happen!”

Cal certainly didn’t. For all he knew, his guesses were wildly off-base. But he didn’t need to be right. He didn’t even need Griff to believe him, not entirely. All he needed was for the inspector to feel even the slightest hint of doubt.

Griff scowled and turned back toward the stairs. Cal’s stomach sank. Well, at least he’d tried to buy himself some more time. He still had the walk across the city to find a way to wriggle out of this.

He waited for the inspector to start down the stairs. When Griff didn’t move, he allowed himself a small glimmer of hope. Perhaps he could reason with the inspector after all.

“That’s certainly a troubling claim,” Griff said at last. “I’ll make sure to mention your concerns to my superiors…when I bring you in.”

Ooor, maybe he was giving the inspector too much credit. Time to ham it up and see if he could drive the point home.

“Seriously?” He gave a derisive snort. “I know you inspectors are all about authority and rules, but if someone in your own office is involved, who knows how far the conspiracy reaches? How can you be certain your superiors aren’t involved?”

“Impossible,” Griff said. Still, he made no move to proceed down the stairs.

Got him.

Cal flashed a bright smile. “Come on, Inspector. You know I’m right. You can’t risk bringing the orb—or, by extension, me—inuntil you know for certain if what I’m saying is true. You need more information.”

Griff eyed him skeptically. “How do I know you aren’t just saying this to save your own skin?”

Cal shrugged.“ObviouslyI’m saying it to save my skin. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

Projecting an air of confidence, he ambled over to join Griff by the stairs. He started to lean on the rickety railing beside him, but when it gave an ominous creak, he hurriedly stepped back and settled for crossing his arms.

“How about a deal?” Cal said. “I help you get to the bottom of that orb and figure out who else is involved in the conspiracy. And in exchange, you let me go.”

It was a bold gambit, even for him. He fully expected Griff to refuse. What sane member of the Watch would willingly take a deal with a known criminal, especially one they’d been hunting for years? The only reason Cal had even proposed such an arrangement was in the hopes it might buy him more time to escape.

Which was why he was flabbergasted when, after an intent few moments of thought, Griff grimaced and gave a single curt nod, sticking out his hand. “I know I’m going to regret this,” he said with a heavy sigh. “But you have a deal.”

Cal stared at the proffered hand, sure he must be hallucinating. Yet the inspector’s calloused grip felt real enough when he took it, his fingers pleasantly warm against Cal’s.

It’s a trick—it has to be.Obviously, the inspector was lying. He must think Cal would be more likely to cooperate if he believed they had a deal in place. No doubt he intended to double-cross Cal the instant their investigation concluded.

But that was fine with him. Frequent association with other criminals had left him used to such things. Helping the inspector look into the orb’s origins would still buy him the extra time he’dwanted to find a way out of the cuff. And besides, he had to admit that working alongside the very inspector who’d been hunting him sounded like an amusing diversion.

“Good choice,” Cal said. He feigned nonchalance, as if he’d never expected anything else. “You can call me Cal. If you want to know more about the orb, the Brotherhood seems like the natural place to start. And as it turns out, I know how to get you right into Bald Locke’s office.”

Griff frowned at him. “I tried that earlier today. Bald Locke’s not exactly keen to talk to an inspector, and I don’t have that power of yours to disguise myself.”

“Don’t worry,” Cal said with a wave of his hand. “Leave all that to me. I already told you, I can get us inside.”

Griff still looked doubtful. He cast a meaningful look back toward the unconscious thugs visible through the open doorway. “How? I’m pretty sure the Brotherhood wants your head on a spike right now.”

Cal smirked. “Exactly. And you’re going to give it to them.”