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“She’s been feeding me information here and there for the lastthree years. Usually small-time stuff: Sups grifting humans. Human gangsters dipping into magic and spellselling, that kind of thing. Someone figured out she’s been helping us. They cornered her outside her place, jumped her. She managed to get away, but not without injuries.”
“Where is she now?”
“I only know she made her way to a spot she considers safe. She’s going to give it a little time, make sure she wasn’t followed. When she’s sure she’s clear, she’ll go to a bus stop in the old downtown—corner of Main and Third,” he said. “It’s usually empty at night. White female, five foot six, medium build, thirty years old. Blond hair and blue eyes. Although it probably won’t be hard to miss her given the injuries.”
“Where are we taking her?”
“The safe house in Back of the Yards.”
That was a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. I hadn’t seen the house, but I knew its location.
“We’ll make it work,” I promised him. “We’ll get her back.”
***
Ten minutes later, a sleek black convertible pulled to the curb in front of the gallery. Theo climbed out, stylish in a gray-checked button-down, dark slacks, and black Oxford-style shoes. His skin was dark brown and his hair was black and short. His somber eyes were wide beneath a strong brow.
At the moment, those eyes looked flat. Presumably, I guessed, because of the woman at the wheel. Detective Gwen Robinson was the Chicago Police Department’s supernatural liaison and generally worked with Ombuds on matters that required more firepower. She was out of uniform tonight, looking gorgeous in an ivory pantsuit that gleamed against her medium brown skin. Tonight her hair was shoulder-length and curly, and pulled back at the sides with small rose-gold clips.
It was pretty obvious they’d been on a date. And since I’dheard nothing about it, probably a first date. Which explained the “sensitive timing.”
“Detective Robinson,” I said, giving her a nod. “Great night for a drive.”
“It was,” she said with a thin smile, then lifted her dark eyes to Theo. “Although it turned out to be a very short drive.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” Theo promised. “After we rescue Rose.”
Concern shadowed her face. “You sure you don’t want backup?”
“I think we need to keep this low key,” he said, and glanced at me.
I nodded. “If there’s any chance to save her cover, we need a small team, quick-moving. But we’ll call the locals if it gets to that.”
We looked at each other awkwardly for a minute, until I realized they were waiting for me to give them a private moment. So I turned back, took a sudden interest in the posters and flyers that nearly covered one wall. Lot of missing cats in this neighborhood.
“Good night, Elisa,” I heard Gwen say.
Figuring it was safe, I turned back to see the car speed away again.
“You’ve got the Pack’s SUV?” Theo asked.
I’d borrowed the vehicle from my boyfriend, the son of North American Central Pack’s Apex.
“I do. It’s parked down there,” I said, and pointed down the block. “I had wine, so you’re driving.”
“We didn’t get to wine,” he said grouchily as I offered him the key fob.
“What did you get to?” I asked as we climbed into the car.
“Very little. We were planning on Italian food and some very good Merlot. Instead, I’m driving to Edentown. Which nobody wants to do.”
“Other than the people who live there,” I said. “Since when are you two an item?”
“Would have been forty minutes, although we spent most of it in the car. This was our first date. And it took a month to get her to agree.” He gave me a sour look.
“Blame the assholes in Edentown,” I said.
***
