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Saska nodded. “He’ll go speak to Julius’s tag, then come back and report to us.”
“That’s all rather convoluted, isn’t it? Why not just ring said watcher yourself? Or, better yet, just get out and talk to him or her?”
“Because we may still have a tail, despite all the precautions we’ve taken, and we can’t risk outing the identities of Julius’s protection detail.”
It made sense but didn’t help the growing frustration and need to be over there rather than here.
After a few more minutes, a thin man with bushy hair that was a mix of black and white approached. Saska wound down the window again and said, “Good afternoon, Reggie.”
“Well, it’s definitely afternoon, but I’m not sure what’s good about it.” He hunkered down in front of the window and glanced past Saska. “You’d be the woman causing all the problems then?”
I couldn’t help smiling. “I am indeed, but hey, someone has to shake these bastards out of their staid existence.”
He laughed and nodded. “I like you.”
“Thanks,” I said, not sure what else to say.
His gaze returned to Saska. “Your target is in the Cellar Room. No general means of access except through the main restaurant and down some stairs. No signs of anything untoward at this point, no one suspicious hanging around. Watcher one is in the restaurant, watcher two on the roof.”
My gaze flicked upwards, even though it was unlikely I’d see anything from this distance, especially if watcher two was some kind of bird shifter.
“When you say ‘general means of entry’ I take it you mean doors? What about windows?”
He looked at me again. His eyes were red-brown, the same color as his feathered counterpart. “Nothing a man his size is going to get through.”
I nodded and studied the restaurant. The need to get over there was increasing in ferocity. No matter what Reggie said or how secure the premises seemed, something was about to happen.
“What about us?” Saska was asking. “Any sign of a tail?”
“No, but I’d be pulling up your coat hoods, both of you, just to be safe. It won’t look out of place in this weather.” He glanced up at the gray sky. “It’s about to chuck it down again, so I’m off to find cover until you move this beast again.”
“Thanks, Reggie.”
He patted the edge of the window, then turned and walked toward the buildings behind us. I tugged my jacket’s hood over my wooly hat. “We need to get over there ASAP.”
“I’ll just text the boss—”
“You can, but we’re out of time, and I’m going in.”
I opened the door and climbed out. Saska hastily got out and fell in step with me.
“Have you a plan?” she said, voice dry. “Or are we just doing the whole ‘bull at the gate’ thing?”
“Bull at the gate usually works perfectly fine if you’re dealing with obnoxious people rather than obnoxious demons.” I glanced at her. “You’ve ID, haven’t you?”
“I do, but—”
“Then you can do the official thing while I go talk to my brother.”
“The room will be magically locked to ensure privacy.”
“Then I’ll unlock it.”
And hoped even as I said it that I could—though despite the restaurant’s guarantee of security, I couldn’t imagine their protection spells would be overly complicated. Bug scanners might not be all that expensive these days, but constantly renewing the various protection spells would be. So would keeping a witch on staff, though I couldn’t imagine there’d be too many witches willing to work for the rates a restaurant—however fancy—could afford to pay. They were more likely to be using a simple charm system that could deter entry but be reused. What was the point of using anything more intricate when the royal witches using this place could—and probably would—raise their own spells if they were at all worried about security?
The restaurant’s entrance was an understated affair built in the shadows of a large office building. There was stone-clad wall to one side of the path and a small garden area on the other. The door was warm wood and glass, with large windows either side.
The door opened as we approached, and an attendant asked if he could take our coats. Saska showed her badge, asked to speak to the manager, and was directed to wait near the podium while she was paged.
