‘You have a high opinion of my abilities,’ Indigo said, not looking up.
‘I hope it’s justified. If CENSOR manages to track me down – track us down,’ Irene corrected hastily, in case they thought disposing of her removed the problem, ‘then we’re going to be severely hampered. We have enough logistical issues as it is.’
‘Such as?’ Kai handed her a cup of coffee.
Ernst leaned against a desk and began to rub his hair dry with another towel. ‘If you have a plan already, that is good.’
‘If you disturb any of my computers, that is bad,’ Indigo replied, an icy expression on her face.
‘Bah. You are not one of those fools who does not plug things in properly.’
‘Logistics . . .’ Irene said quickly. ‘Firstly, the painting’s big. It’s about five yards high by seven or eight yards long. While I’m not saying it’s impossible to get it out of the museum, it’s going to take some planning. Secondly, cameras are going to be all over the place, from what I’ve seen. Thirdly, CENSOR is on the lookout for supernatural business, and its people have guns. While none of us are vampires or werewolves or whatever, if we get spotted doing anything . . .’
‘. . . inhumanly magnificent,’ Kai said with far too much enthusiasm.
Irene looked at him wearily. ‘Yes, that could be a problem. Fourthly, a dragon has been on this world – and in that museum – within the last couple of years. I saw a photo.’
Kai picked up a spare laptop, ignoring Indigo’s furious glare, and pushed it towards her. ‘Can you find this photo? I might recognize them.’
She typed in a quick search term and slid it back. So much for any hope that making Kai and Indigo work together might improve their attitude towards each other. ‘So. For inconveniences, we have a powerful supra-regional law enforcement body that hunts down the supernatural. We have the supernaturals themselves, if they get in our way. We have standard law and order. We have an extremely large painting that we’re going to need a similarly large vehicle to remove. Better add a lorry to our shopping list.’
‘Do you think Mr Nemo knew the size of this painting?’ Ernst asked thoughtfully. ‘He did say that we needn’t bring the frame.’
‘I’d forgotten that,’ Irene said, cheering up a little. ‘That’ll help.’
‘But it’ll take hours to remove it from the frame, even for an expert like Felix,’ Indigo said. ‘An overnight job?’
‘If necessary.’
‘Ah!’ Kai said, frowning at the laptop screen. ‘Yes, I do know him.’
‘Another relative?’ Ernst suggested gloomily.
‘No, not at all. It’s Hao Chen. He’s from a minor family, not connected to me by blood at all – a lower branch to the Winter Forest family. I don’t think he holds any court position.’
‘Hao Chen?’ Indigo said, looking up from her computers. ‘Is he doing something useful?’
‘If you were in touch with the family, rather than being hunted for high treason, then you’d know, wouldn’t you?’
Indigo shrugged. ‘You may be as petty as you please. But me returning to our father, and bowing my head for the axe, is far more likely than Hao Chen finally being useful.’
Irene deliberately forced her mouth shut. Our father? She’d gathered Indigo was part of Kai’s family, but for her to be actually a sister – or half-sister? She suppressed visions of having unknown siblings show up on her own doorstep at some point in the future. Right now, she needed to break the stand-off. ‘Indigo. Are dragons still looking for you?’
‘They’ve probably got bored by now,’ Indigo answered with a shrug. Her hair quivered in long waves down her back, like a frozen waterfall briefly resettling.
‘But are they still actively looking?’
Indigo raised both eyebrows, turning her attention from her computer screen to Irene. Her icy tone rivalled that of her uncle Ao Ji. ‘Do you have any justifiable reason to ask that, or are you merely the sort of person who loves to roll in scandal, as a dog does in excrement?’
Just like Kai, the angrier she gets, the more formal her diction becomes. Irene shrugged. ‘I do know dragons can track those they’ve met from world to world. I think that it’s only reasonable to worry about a sudden descent by family members hunting you – especially as this world is aspected towards order rather than chaos.’
‘She has point,’ Ernst rumbled. ‘Me, I do not like to sleep when dragons may be about to rip the roof off. I end up sleeping badly and get wrinkles.’
Irene was starting to wonder just how much of Ernst’s persona – and accent – were genuine. ‘Cucumber slices for the eyelids, perhaps?’ she suggested. ‘Or used teabags?’
‘Neither helps,’ Ernst said sadly. ‘It is hard, being manly man.’
‘I will say this just once,’ Indigo snapped, ‘and I will not repeat myself. I have a token which shields me from dragon pursuit and observation. He –’ she jerked her chin at Kai – ‘can confirm that such a thing is possible. Now tell us more about your research, girl.’
‘My name is Irene,’ Irene said steadily, although her temper seethed. But she’d expected a challenge from Indigo, sooner or later. ‘Or Miss Winters, if you prefer. I’ll also answer to Librarian. But not girl, or woman.’ Memories of C. S. Lewis’s Narnia came to mind. ‘I’ll make an exception for Daughter of Eve . . . maybe.’
‘You think I read such childish fantasies?’ Indigo enquired.
‘I think you recognized the reference,’ Irene returned. ‘I’m prepared to assume that you called me girl out of habit. But now I’ve explained, I expect you to respect my wishes.’
‘Are you going to let your concubine speak to me like that?’ Indigo demanded of Kai.
Kai’s eyes flickered with the red of dragon anger, but there was also an element of sheer delight. Was he looking forward to a confrontation – where Indigo would lose? ‘Miss Winters is not my concubine,’ he answered, perfectly polished. ‘She is a Librarian, she holds the position of a Librarian-in-Residence, and she is also the Library’s sole representative on treaty matters. You do yourself no favours by displaying your ignorance and lack of manners.’
‘She clearly has you wrapped around her little finger,’ Indigo sniped back. ‘I could live with that, but she’s also managed to get herself in trouble on her very first day here. I can tolerate favouritism, but not incompetence.’
‘That’s not what happened,’ Irene said shortly. ‘Ernst, you were there. Did I actually do anything to cause the problem? Or were we – you, me, Felix – simply unlucky? Speaking of that mess, was the Spanish Riding School on the news?’
Indigo paused her glaring match with Kai and checked one of her monitors. ‘Yes. They found a group of Epona-worshipping cultists among the grooms. All performances have been postponed till further notice.’
That came as a total surprise. ‘Really?’
‘Why are you so surprised?’
‘Because I invented an incident there to distract the CENSOR officials. If they’ve actually found something there, it’s a very strange coincidence. And if they’re not publicizing what I did, then . . .’
‘. . . then they are trying to hunt you down secretly,’ Ernst finished.
An unpleasant chill knotted Irene’s insides. ‘What fun,’ she said. ‘This job gets more and more entertaining.’
Or might there be another reason for them pointing to cultists at the school – other than covering up her involvement? If CENSOR was investigating, perhaps it had to find a culprit, or it showed fallibility on its part? Either way, CENSOR was a growing problem for the team.
‘I think you’d better stay inside from now on,’ Kai said seriously. ‘If you do go out, it’ll need to be under heavy disguise – at least until Indigo can get into the police records.’
Indigo nodded, grudgingly. ‘If you must research, you can do it here.’
Staying inside and not being hunted might be appealing for some, but not Irene. There was too much to do. However, she cou
ld use the computer time. ‘That sounds a good idea,’ Irene agreed. ‘Since nobody knows your face yet, Kai, why not check out the Art History Museum?’
‘I thought you’d never ask,’ Kai said.
Kai leapt down the last few stairs and sauntered through the lobby. It was a relief to be doing something, even if it was only preparatory scouting. And getting away from Indigo was delightful in itself.
She treated him like a low-grade minion and it rankled. Though he wasn’t sure whether it was annoying because she had no right to behave as though she was still his older sister and deserved his respect, or because of her low opinion of his technical skills. Either way, it had left him with knotted shoulders from stress and a number of silently drafted poems that had contained very expressive imagery.
Still, at least now he could make progress without the handicap of Fae ‘assistance’.
He glanced around as he stepped into the street, conscious of the ubiquitous cameras, even in this rundown area of Vienna. He was just in time to spot a group of men closing in on Jerome. They were being careful about it; they’d picked a location which wasn’t under surveillance and they were quickly herding the Fae into an alleyway.
Was Jerome in trouble already? Those men didn’t look like CENSOR officials or police. Without pausing, he readied himself for a fight. He strolled towards the alley, head down and collar turned up like any other passer-by.
He’d expected a lookout. What he hadn’t expected was the lookout to scrutinize him, then call back down the alleyway to where the three others surrounded Jerome, ‘Boss, it’s another one of them.’
‘Send him over,’ one of the group responded. ‘They can both hear it at once.’
Since he wasn’t being manhandled, Kai walked across, assessing the threat. All four men wore clothing that tried to look expensive, but had been made on the cheap, and now only succeeded in looking shabby. The two by Jerome had their hands in their pockets, and was that . . . Why, yes, it was the outline of a gun. Flat caps and scarves concealed their faces, plausible in the miserable weather. Where they could be seen, their faces were definitely identifiable, with the broken noses and scars that went with a low-grade criminal career.
Jerome leaned casually against the wall, with a light in his eyes that seemed almost dreamy, as though he was weighing odds in his head and liked his chances. ‘You didn’t have to get involved,’ he said to Kai.
Kai shrugged. ‘I walked right into it. What’s going on?’
‘We’re making an offer to your friend,’ the leader said. ‘And to you, since you’re here as well.’ He used the impolite Germanic du for ‘you’, rather than the polite sie usual for strangers.
‘I’m listening.’ But he could guess what the ‘offer’ was. They were being shaken down by the local criminal gang for as much as could be gouged out of them. That was what happened when you set up on the cheap side of town – as he frequently pointed out to Irene, when justifying the cost of five-star hotel suites.
‘Don’t bother,’ Jerome said. ‘They just want money.’
‘How much money?’ Kai asked, out of academic curiosity.
‘Two thousand a week.’
Kai pursed his lips in a whistle. That was a whole month of rent for their ‘offices’. ‘High expectations.’
‘Yeah,’ the heaviest thug said, ‘and it’d be a real shame if we were disappointed.’
Kai and Jerome exchanged glances. Kai was certain he could take out these men by himself. They might have guns, but he had speed. And Jerome seemed more than capable of handling himself.
Before they could make a move the leader said, ‘And since you’re from out of town, I’m thinking you “entrepreneurs” never had CENSOR called on you before?’
At this threat, Kai felt the cold whisper of uncertainty against the back of his neck. ‘Explain yourself,’ he ordered.
‘I don’t know where you’re from – America? Hong Kong? Your German’s good, but you can hear the accent. Yeah, I know you’ve got CENSOR or something like it back home – everyone has, these days. But you don’t realize how hard and fast they come down on you here. You better start making payments real soon and regular. Or CENSOR’s getting a phone call outing you as vampires – or werewolves. Or saying you’re hiding books of magic. Whatever.’
He paused, and when neither Kai nor Jerome interrupted, he smirked. ‘Yeah. Thought that’d get you thinking. Perhaps you’ve got something upstairs you don’t want CENSOR or the police getting a good look at, huh? Maybe there’s a reason why you’re here on the cheap, doing your shopping in cash instead of on credit?’
This was a problem.
‘I’d like a word with my colleague,’ Kai said quickly.
‘You’ve got five minutes,’ the leader said. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’
Jerome watched the men as they strolled to the alley entrance, their posture making it clear just how confident they were. ‘You’re the one who’s been setting up the computers with Indigo,’ he said quietly. ‘Just how bad will it be if the cops turn the place upside down? Will they find anything?’
‘Well, we are in the middle of planning a theft,’ Kai pointed out. ‘No raid is a good raid . . . the more we show up on police files, the more complicated it gets. And the way they’re putting it, CENSOR investigates a bit more in depth than the police.’
‘So we don’t want a police visit. And we definitely don’t want a CENSOR visit.’
‘No. It would be far too dangerous.’ Kai considered their options. These men were an inconvenience; some of his kin would have swept them away without a second thought. Kai wasn’t quite that ruthless, but even so . . .
‘We’ll need them close up before we make a move,’ Jerome said, clearly following the same train of thought.
Then a lightbulb went on at the back of Kai’s mind. It was so simple it seemed too good to be true. ‘Jerome . . . what if we just pay them?’
‘Seriously?’ Jerome seemed personally insulted by the very idea.
So was Kai. But there were moments in life when one had to lower oneself to practices such as making deals with Fae, drinking poorly made tea – and paying off thugs. ‘It’s a stopgap measure,’ he said quietly. ‘We won’t be here the next time they come around. Besides . . .’ There was a practical aspect, after all. ‘There’ll be someone behind these people. If they all vanish, more will come, and then they’ll know we’re hiding something.’
‘Yes, but the money . . .’
‘Indigo can sort that out.’
‘For someone who doesn’t like her, you’ve got a great deal of confidence in her. You seem to think she can hack into anything.’
Kai was suddenly wary. There were things about Indigo and her skills that he wasn’t willing to share – not even with Irene, and certainly not with a Fae. ‘I don’t like her, but she’s very good at what she does.’
‘You finished over there?’ the leader called.
‘Just a moment!’ Jerome called, before turning back to Kai. ‘I’m not asking can she help here, but will she? She’s got your attitude.’
‘Excuse me,’ Kai said, highly offended. ‘She is nothing like me.’
‘If you say so,’ Jerome said. His smile took some of the insolence out of the statement – or, possibly, added to it. Kai wasn’t quite sure. Jerome carried himself like an aristocrat rather than a gambler. It was hard to know how to read him. But Kai had to assume he was at least prepared to follow his plan.
Kai signalled the thugs over. ‘We’re prepared to pay – or at least, discuss payment.’
‘There’s nothing to discuss,’ the leader said. ‘Two thousand a week. Cash. First payment within two days. Or CENSOR gets a phone call.’
‘Okay,’ Kai said, with an inward sigh. He knew it was what Irene would have done, but having to concede to these petty criminals galled him. ‘How do we get it to you?’
‘We’ll give you a phone number. You ring it. We give you an address. And don’t try anything stupid.’<
br />
‘We wouldn’t dream of trying to fool geniuses like you,’ Jerome assured them, with a sardonic smile.
‘Right. I’ve had just about enough of you sneering at us. Boys?’ The leader jerked his head at the other thugs. ‘Let’s give these two a little lesson in manners.’
His hand slid into his overcoat pocket and emerged sheathed in a set of brass knuckles. The others smirked as they pressed in, each with their own favourite props – more brass knuckles and a flick-knife. The biggest one had no weapon at all, just his own bare hands, his huge fists seamed with old scars. ‘Nothing permanent, boys,’ he said. ‘Just a reminder for next time.’
‘You think your bosses will approve, now that we’re ready to pay?’ Jerome asked.
‘A few bruises never hurt anyone, and you’ve got to learn some . . . respect.’ He swung for Jerome’s guts as he spoke.
But the punch never landed. Jerome caught his wrist, directing the blow into the alley wall. The man yelped in pain and Jerome tripped up the second as he dashed in to help, sending the thug sprawling to the wet pavement.
Kai had targeted the flick-knife wielder as the most immediately dangerous. They circled each other warily. Then the thug flourished his blade in what was supposed to be a threatening gesture. It gave Kai great pleasure to block the move and twist his opponent’s arm behind his back until he dropped the knife, before shoving him into the wall.
But while he was busy, the remaining man had grabbed Jerome by his shoulders, moving with surprising speed. The first thug moved in to punch the Fae, blood dripping from his skinned knuckles.
‘Hey!’ Kai rushed over to help.
Jerome simply snorted, and rammed his head backwards into the face of his captor. Then he wrenched free, not even breathing fast, ready to attack.
‘Hold it!’ the leader gasped, trying to look in control. ‘All right. You two can walk away. You’ve got the message. But it’s going to be four thousand now.’
The Secret Chapter Page 12