Baker Thief

by Claudie Arseneault

  In a day’s time, the Pont des Lumières’ grand opening would gather the country’s finest people, including Gouverneure Lacroix, the mind behind this project. What had started as a few stolen exocores and a lot of questions had turned into a nightmare, but it would be over soon. Claire couldn’t wait to crash their party, save her sister, and expose this industry once and for all.

  And then, perhaps, she could return to the blessed routine of chatty customers and delicious croissants.

  * * *

  Two groups of policemen had gone into the elevator and travelled back to the Centre de Recherche since Claire had punched a hole through the ceiling and escaped. Élise was watching the procession with controlled cool, but her pinched lips and occasional sigh betrayed her displeasure. As the third team started its noisy way up, she turned towards Adèle and Koyani.

  “Impressive powers.” Her appraising tone sent a shiver down Adèle’s spine. She sounded like a lieutenant Adèle’d once seen testing firearms, and whose appreciation of their power had completely disregarded the lives they could take. Élise spoke of Claire as a tool, not a human being. The lieutenant snatched her handcuffs and smiled at Adèle. “Too bad you can’t do the same, no? What did she tell you?”

  Warmth spread through Adèle. Claire had removed the last mask, trusting Adèle with the fullness of her complexity. She was still reeling from the shock, but the more this reality settled in Adèle’s mind, the more she appreciated Claire’s faith in her. She wasn’t certain she had deserved it, and she certainly wouldn’t betray it now. She smirked. “‘Enjoy the spin’. Like the smartass she is.”

  Élise tsked, unconvinced by the lie, and strode to Adèle. “I’ll get that info out of you.” She grabbed Adèle’s wrists and snapped the cuffs on them. “You’ll find prison way worse than the dump in which you used to archive.”

  Adèle wished her mind would devise a sharp reply, but the cold metal against her skin stole her words. She shifted towards Zita, who’d acquired her own pair of handcuffs. The small witch forced a grin to her lips. “You’ll have better company, though! We’ll have great fun.”

  Adèle chuckled, then the elevator returned. They pushed Zita, Adèle, and Koyani into it, and Élise followed, her hand hovering near her firearm. No one said a word as they shoved the rusted gates closed and the elevator clink-clanked up. Koyani stared straight ahead, stiff and tense. She might not have any charges to her name, but she was in as much trouble as her and Zita. Not to mention how much Élise’s betrayal must hurt. Koyani had made one thing crystal upon Adèle’s arrival: her unit was family. They were a team, relied on each other, trusted each other. Except, clearly, Élise.

  And her, too. She’d hidden a lot, uncertain of her grounds, of whether she counted as one of theirs. How did one pass such a test? Shame burned Adèle’s cheeks as she lowered her head, and her gaze fell on fresh drops of blood. Claire’s, and more than Adèle cared to see. Her stomach twisted; she hoped the injury wasn’t too deep. Her intense worry washed away her brief guilt. She hadn’t let Koyani down: she’d juggled with the trust and secrets of more than one person, and done her best.

  The elevator winced to a stop, and Élise led them out, through the lobby, and into the harsh sunlight. A crowd was waiting outside, the heat bearing down on them, speculation running wild. Adèle squared her shoulders and slid closer to Zita. These handcuffs proved they’d dug where they had to, and she met every stranger’s gaze without flinching.

  Until she encountered Emmanuelle’s worried, hazelnut eyes. Adèle started—she’d forgotten her sister worked just a few floors above. She must have seen the police and come rushing down with other colleagues.

  “Adèle! What’s happening?” Em tried to push forward, but officers blocked her path. She glared at them, attempting to impose despite her welcoming traits. “That’s my sister you’re arresting, you doof!”

  Zita snickered, and Adèle found the strength to smile. She sobered up when she noticed Élise’s attention on them, though. Better not to have it linger there. “It’s fine, Em. These are just a sign I’m doing my job right. Don’t get into trouble over it.”

  At first it looked like Emmanuelle would protest, but their gaze met once more and Adèle’s sister caught on. She had refugees hiding in her manor, and, if Élise decided she wanted it searched top to bottom, she could likely get the required authorizations. Em shook her head. “We used to think you were the calm one, following rules and staying safe.”

  “I like that illusion. Don’t tell mom how wrong she was.” Adèle winked, her way of saying goodbye. With everything that was happening, she had no idea how long it’d be before she could talk with Em again. She forced herself to turn away, and a heavy weight settled in her stomach the moment she lost eye contact.

  Before them stood the jail carriage, its doors reinforced with metal, its tiny windows covered by bars. The horses at the front snorted, perhaps nervous in the thick crowd. Every stern-faced guard around was watching the civilians, tense. Had Claire’s magic-powered escape made them wary of witches assaulting them? Resentment still ran high, and, while everyone acted like most witches had left Val-de-mer, they all had to realize many had simply hidden.

  As they arrived at the carriage, Koyani helped Zita up the high step and inside, lifting the other small woman’s elbow to subtly push her up and make the climb seem natural despite Zita’s handcuffs. Before the capitaine could follow, Élise grabbed her forearm.

  “You’re not under arrest. You don’t have to join them.” It sounded like a plea. Élise gestured to the bench near the horses, where the driver waited. “Sit in the front with me. I’m sure we can arrange something.”

  Koyani tilted her head to the side, and for a brief moment she seemed to consider it. A flush rushed into Adèle’s face, bitterness coiling at the bottom of her stomach, but she pushed her doubts away. Koyani wouldn’t, not after what she’d seen below the labs. The blank horror on her expression as she’d reached for a tank still remained with Adèle.

  Koyani jumped on the step, allowing her to look down on Élise despite her short stature. “Let’s not pretend I’m safe.” Her voice carried across the crowd, loud and clear. “I belong with my team—with those unravelling your inhuman industry. If you think you can transform people into exocores without anyone noticing, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  Several gasps rose from the crowd, Adèle’s among them. Élise’s face hardened into a stone mask. “You’re right. You do belong in there.”

  Koyani laughed, then slipped into the carriage. Adèle couldn’t believe her capitaine had stated it so loud and clear. Wasn’t that playing into their hands? If no one found the labs again, they would have no proof to back their claims! Perhaps they’d reached a point where it no longer mattered, and any hindrance was a good one. The more people knew, the harder it would become to smother this story. And between Koyani’s declaration and Mx. Kouna’s article, many would have heard now, and some might believe it, or want it investigated. And hadn’t the mairesse herself appointed Koyani to head this unique team? The Spinster might listen. Adèle clung to that certitude as she followed Koyani into the carriage and settled next to her capitaine. Others would take up the lead, their own unit and Claire first among them. She had to believe in it. After all, neither Montrant Industries nor Élise had any reasons to let Koyani, Zita, and her reach headquarters alive.

  -24-

  LE TOUR DE CALÈCHE

  Adèle’s dread had only grown since the carriage’d set off, and every time she glanced through the windows’ bars at the sun-baked streets, she doubted that she’d one day be free to roam them again. The handcuffs weighed on her wrists, and Adèle found herself with plenty of time to review her mistakes—every time she’d brought up Montrant to Élise, only to be rebuffed, and every hint Kouna had given that they didn’t trust her. She’d missed the clues right in front of her, too caught up in her desire to arrest Claire. How upside-down the truth turned out to be. Adèle leaned forwar
d with a groan, putting her head in her hands.

  “It’ll be fine,” Koyani said with exemplar calm.

  How could it? Adèle stayed still, ignoring her boss’s reassurance. So far, the carriage continued to travel through large avenues, even taking the Tronc, but Adèle expected it to veer into lesser streets any time now. And once they were out of sight…

  “They’ll kill us before we reach headquarters,” Adèle countered. “You know that.”

  “What?” Zita jolted up, eyes wide. “They wouldn’t. They can’t! How would they explain that?”

  “Accidents,” Koyani said. “They could scapegoat one of the guards and pretend he lost it because we sympathize with witches. They’ve all seen Claire escape, and the Lark Soul Tree hasn’t recovered from its witch icing a week ago. It’ll be easy to stoke fear again if they need it.”

  Adèle hunched her shoulders further. How could Koyani declare it’d be fine then calmly explain how it wasn’t? “At least she’s out there. She’ll never let this slide. They can’t bury the truth while Claire is free.”

  “I must say, if I had expected her to break these, I would have thrown witch cuffs your way. I’m glad I hadn’t reviewed your case properly.”

  Adèle bit her lower lip. Earlier it hadn’t crossed her mind that Claire could snap off the handcuffs. Perhaps she’d discarded the idea because she’d barely been standing, or her fever had limited Adèle’s ability to think it through, but she suspected Claire had known she could escape any time. She’d only panicked when she’d learned about reinforcements.

  “I… I admit I forgot. She surprised me, too.”

  “You forgot and you put them on?” Zita glared at her from across the carriage, trying to convey the full extent of her disappointment. Before Adèle could point out Claire had given permission, she went on. “She must have felt awful.”

  The corners of Koyani’s mouth turned up, and she leaned back. “Yeah. Who has the gall to kiss someone and arrest them an instant later?”

  “Capitaine!” Adèle’s cheeks burned—in shame, but also from the vivid memory, its warmth, and the myriad of possibilities it brought. Zita’s loud squeal didn’t help the situation any.

  “You kissed! How dare you not tell me sooner?” She threw her arms up in exaggerated indignation, her cuffs clinging. “That should be priority information to share!”

  “I’m sorry,” Adèle protested. “Élise kind of crashed our party and arrested everyone!”

  “Or you tried to hide your major unprofessional crush on the woman you were supposed to jail.” Koyani’s level tone made it impossible to guess if she was serious or teasing. Both, perhaps. Then again, maybe not.

  “I want to hear everything,” Zita declared. “Is it a one-time kiss, or are you a thing now? How much tongue? Did she remove her mask? Do you know—” She stopped short, and left her last question hanging. Adèle knew exactly what she’d meant to ask.

  She struggled for an answer, though, stammering several beginnings, her words failing long before she could utter them. The more sexual-oriented question made her awfully uneasy, while the one pertaining to any future relationship sent her mind reeling with hopes and fears. How could she even start to untangle the whirlwind of feelings Claire brought forward? It was complicated, more so than Adèle had thought. Claire had spoken of layers, and Adèle now realized she’d seen only the one related to their positions as officer and thief. Now she needed to reconcile her two simultaneous crushes and to consider Claire’s aromanticism, too. She did want a “thing,” though, whatever that would mean for them.

  “She had her mask,” she said at last, clinging to that fact and avoiding the rest of the questions, unable to form the proper words to answer or to get the past the tightness in her throat.

  The carriage lurched into a turn, sparing her the struggle. Adèle leaned to look through the bars. They’d left the main avenue to slip into a side street, down a gentle slope. Far ahead, above the rooftops, the massive Pont des Lumières loomed over the city.

  “This is it.” Adèle slumped into the cold seat. She did not add “we’re all going to die,” but the thought remained at the forefront of her mind, and when she tried to take a deep breath to steady herself, she only got a long, pitiful wheeze. The world around her seemed to grow dimmer and farther, and she focused on her companions to stay grounded.

  Zita wrung her fingers, and the little ringing of her handcuffs’ chain was the only sound breaking their subsequent silence. After several minutes of it, Koyani put a hand on hers to stop it. Though serious, she showed no sign of fear. Her composure impressed Adèle.

  “Stay calm. A moment of clarity could save our lives. Zita, keep your senses open. Seek for a witch with sleep powers.”

  “Sleep…?”

  Koyani nodded, and the heavy silence enveloped them once more. Adèle stared at her capitaine. What did she know that they didn’t? Did she expect help? “Capitaine?”

  “I trust my team above all else,” Koyani answered. “I trust them with our investigations, and I trust them with my life.”

  The chain on the carriage’s door rattled and the lock turned, interrupting Koyani. The carriage hadn’t stopped yet, but its door swung outward and Élise stood in the opening. She held herself to the frame with one hand, pointing her gun at Koyani with the other. The capitaine had tensed, as if ready to bolt, and she unwound back into her seat under the threat.

  “You should have kept your mouth shut,” Élise told Koyani. “We could’ve made a deal. Montrant has several allies in the prosthetic industries and actively participates in the development of new models, you know. This could have been good for you.”

  Koyani scowled, and her prosthetic arm moved an inch closer to her body. “You thought I’d compromise for the sake of a better arm?”

  Élise’s eyebrows shot up at Koyani’s obvious disgust. “I don’t see how that’s a stretch. You don’t seem bothered by your current one being exocore-powered. Surely you’ve begun to understand what my gift meant when you walked between those tanks.”

  “I did.” Koyani’s voice hadn’t lost a hint of its strength, but her gaze flickered to Zita, who had recoiled deeper into her seat. It felt like a silent apology. “I also know better than to try to remove my arm without medical assistance, and I worry doing so could not only harm me, but the witch imprisoned within. So I’m keeping it until I have a solution, thank you for your concern.”

  The sarcasm dripping from Koyani’s voice pierced through Adèle’s gloom. She snorted, not even bothering to hide how uplifting her capitaine’s unrelenting anger was. Élise took it all in strides, her fake smile not moving an inch. “Very well,” she said. “I came to offer you one last chance to share Claire’s identity and location.”

  Of course. This morning Adèle would’ve had no idea, but now she did. The secret would stay locked inside, far from Élise’s dangerous hands. A glance at Zita’s determined frown told her Claire’s friend also knew the truth and could be counted on not to reveal it. Koyani scoffed and shook her head. Resilient silence stretched between them, broken only by the crunch of wheels on uneven gravel roads. They’d reached areas so downtrodden they weren’t fit for wheelchairs or vélocycles.

  “Let me put it this way: accidents happen quickly, and you never know who might survive them. We’re more likely to assist to whoever is of use to us.”

  Another silence. None of them were listening. Élise clacked her tongue.

  “The worst thing about these accidents is how deep we have to investigate families, relatives, and other loved ones. To provide for them, of course. I understand Adèle’s sister has already endured the difficult trials of grief. We wouldn’t want her to struggle through it alone a second time.”

  Cold fear swept through Adèle and her ears rang at the implied threat. “Leave my sister out of this.” Ironic, really. Emmanuelle had leaped into it without hesitation. But if Élise began investigating her, she might find everyone else now living under her large ro
of.

  “Make me. Shouldn’t this be an easy choice for you?” By the tone, Élise knew it wasn’t. She pushed on anyway. “Your star sister, the brightest engineer Val-de-mer has had in years, or the thief who shattered your home safety? Think about how much you resented her, that first day.”

  Adèle clenched her teeth so hard her jaws hurt. She could not give in, even doubting Claire would want to protect herself if it meant the lives of everyone trapped in the warehouse. She’d entrusted Adèle with her location out of faith, and Adèle refused to betray her. She couldn’t do that. But Em was a brilliant woman, and well aware of the risks she’d taken. She’d thwart attempts to ruin her. Adèle had to believe that. She stared right back at Élise, determined not to break. Zita didn’t have her fortitude, however. Whether she’d reached the same conclusion as Adèle regarding what Claire would wish, or was affected by Élise’s layering of threats, she shifted in her seat and started tapping her foot. Élise’s attention turned to her.

  “I’ll find her eventually. I always do. The only question is who pays for it on my way there. Do you have family, informant? Most people have loved ones they want to protect.”

  Zita’s head snapped up and Adèle had no trouble perceiving the horror spreading through her expression. In that regards, Zita was the exact opposite of Koyani: she could be read like an open book. “That’s how you forced—that’s horrible. You can’t…”