by Jamie Davis
“Just tell him that Jim Barber’s son and a friend of his are here to make a delivery. He’ll want to see us.” Danny waited until the woman left and leaned towards Winnie with a whisper. “I’ll handle this.” He reached out for the box, surprised when she handed it over without resistance, smiling as she did. Maybe he was having more of an effect on her than he thought. Or maybe this was the first time she’d ever been around so much money. That and the earlier encounter with the Red Legs probably had her feeling out of her league and indebted to him. Good.
Danny thought about putting his arm around her, but decided against it.
The maid returned, glancing at the box now in Danny’s hand. “Come with me.”
He let Winnie go ahead of him, following the woman as she led them through to the main entry hallway, then up a flight of the grand staircase to the second floor. She rapped on a door around the corner from the landing, waited on a muffled reply from inside, then opened the door and stepped back to allow their entry.
Once through the doorway, Danny stepped around Winnie, then forward to shake the senator’s hand. The older man was standing in front of a brown leather easy chair with a side table beside it. The table held a lamp and a brandy snifter full of a dark, smoky liquid. The senator wore wire-rimmed oval glasses perched low on his nose, and held a cloth-bound book in his hand. The room’s walls were covered in book shelves and there was a matching chair opposite the first one on the table’s opposite side.
“Danny Barber, Mister Senator. It’s a pleasure to see you again. May I introduce my companion?” The senator nodded and Danny continued. “This is an accomplished chanter friend of mine, Winnie Durham. I helped her bring you this package tonight because I knew you needed them right away.”
Danny handled over the small wooden box. This was the important part — his chance to curry favor with the senator and finally get out from under his father’s influence. He waited while the senator took then opened the box. The balding man looked from it to Danny, then to Winnie, before reaching inside and holding up the glasses with the thick dark plastic rims pinched between a thumb and forefinger.
“What the hell is this?” the senator growled. “Is this your idea of a joke, boy? I see your father’s hands in this from start to finish. Where are my glasses?”
“Sir, those are your glasses. This is the delivery you wanted. Miss Durham handed them to me herself. Winnie, have the senator’s glasses left your possession since you received them earlier this evening?” Danny looked at Winnie, silently pleading for some sort of explanation.
Winnie stepped forward. “I can honestly say, sir, that your glasses have not left my person since I received them from Artos Merrilyn himself earlier this evening.”
“Well, then there is a problem, because these are not my glasses.” He tossed the black-rimmed, plastic-framed lenses back in the box and handed it to Danny. Winnie spoke up again.
“No, sir, they are not your glasses. These are your glasses.” Danny looked at Winnie, trying to mask his confusion. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of wire-rimmed glasses that perfectly matched the Senator’s.
He smiled, reached out to take them, then made a trade for his new, matching pair. The senator narrowed his eyes at Winnie through the lenses. “Tell me your name again, young lady.”
“I’m Winnie Durham, sir. I was sent here to deliver those glasses to you.”
The Senator continued to peer at Winnie, before turning his eyes on Danny.
“And you, boy. Did your father send you here to trick me in some way?”
“No, sir. I came to help out my friend, and seek an opportunity to meet you without my father around to cloud things.” Danny wasn’t sure why he was so forthcoming with the senator; it felt strange somehow, but he supposed telling the truth was always a fine idea.
Again, the senator peered at Danny through the glasses. His face finally broke into a broad smile and wheezing chuckle, then finally a fit of coughing. Sitting as he struggled to catch his breath, the older man kept coughing.
Danny noticed a pitcher of clear liquid with some glasses on a small table by the door. He hurried over, sniffed the pitcher to verify it was water, poured a glass, then took it to the senator.
He accepted the glass with a nod, and sipped until his coughing settled. He set his glass beside the brandy snifter on the side table and looked up at them both.
“You two make quite a team. You had me going there for a moment, what with the switch for those knockoff frames. Why did you do that?”
Danny shook his head and pointed to Winnie. “It wasn’t me. It was all her idea.”
Winnie smiled. “I know how those glasses operate. I didn’t want them falling into the wrong hands, so I borrowed the other glasses from Mr. Merrilyn’s assistant in order to provide a pair that would pass scrutiny if we ran into trouble. I knew that someone might try to steal or confiscate my package before I reached you. This way, I’d still have the glasses to pass on to you no matter what happened. I would like to have those others back, sir, so I can return them to the gentleman from whom they were borrowed.”
“And did you run into trouble?” He handed the frames back to Winnie.
“We did. Danny here helped me out, to his own detriment, I’m afraid. I was doing a favor for Mr. Merrilyn, settling a debt. Danny was just being kind.”
Danny puffed his chest. “I was only lending my hand to an obvious injustice. Those Red Legs had no reason to stop you.” He turned to the senator. “As soon as I learned who the glasses were for, I brought her here.”
“I see. I see.” The senator stood again. “I get the feeling that you and this young lady here would like something from me.”
Winnie shook her head. “This has settled a debt for me, sir. I want nothing else. If you feel like you owe anyone anything I urge you to seek our Mr. Merrilyn and settle up with him.”
“And you, Mr. Barber?”
“I ask only that you keep me in mind for a future favor. I’m trying to work my way out from under my father’s influence and would appreciate the opportunity to call on you in the future if I need a small boon.”
Danny waited as the senator eyed him. It was ballsy to ask for an unnamed favor, but this was a rare opportunity. He couldn’t believe Winnie had turned down the opportunity to gain a favor from someone as powerful as the senator. He would have to teach Winnie to capitalize on such things, and not turn down a sitting senator offering favors. The girl had plenty to learn if she expected to keep running illegal magic.
“Very well, young man. I’m not in the habit of giving open favors, but between you and me, I’d like to stick it to your father. If helping you get out from under his thumb is a way to do that, so be it. If you need a favor in the future, within reason, I’ll do my best to fulfill it if I can.”
The old man reached out and shook hands with Danny to seal their agreement.
Danny felt ten years older.
The senator said, “You haven’t asked for anything, because you’ve settled your account elsewhere with Artos Merrilyn. That kind of humility is out of place in this business, young lady, yet more than a little refreshing. Whether you want it or not, my offer extends to you as well. I don’t think I’ve seen the last of you, Miss Durham.” He looked back at Danny. “I suppose the two of you can show yourselves out?”
“Yes, sir.” Danny caught Winnie’s eye and motioned to the door with a jerk of his head. “We’ll leave you to your endeavors. Thank you for your time.”
Winnie followed Danny out of the room into the upstairs hallway, then they walked downstairs to the entry hall together in silence.
The maid was waiting at the end. “Is your business with the senator finished?”
“Yes,” Danny said. “We appreciate your help. Thank you.”
She nodded, then opened the front door without a word. Danny took the hint. He gestured for Winnie to go first, then with a wink to the maid, he followed her out to the street.
> “Well, that was an adventure.” Danny tried on his very best smile once they returned to the sidewalk outside. He looked around at the empty midnight streets. “I can’t imagine sending you all the way home at this hour. There’s a spare room in our guest house. We could be alone there if you’d like.”
Winnie spun on Danny, hands on her hips, brow furrowed in anger. “Mr. Barber, while I appreciate your assistance this evening, and you might be able to pull that sort of thing with some doe-eyed middling, I’ll not jump into your bed at the appearance of a crooked smile and handsome good looks from a boy who knows that he has them.”
“So — ”
“So nothing. I won’t sleep with you, no matter what you do.” Her refusal didn’t match a mouth that so clearly wanted to smile.
“I’ll stop, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up.” And he wouldn’t. Winnie was intriguing like no other fling. She started walking to the bus stop. Danny trotted behind her.
Looking over her shoulder and half-smiling, she said, “I didn’t ask you to give up. I asked you to stop. Tonight. Understand?”
Danny walked her to the bus stop, sure that he could hear her heart beating faster.
CHAPTER 17
The bus ride back to the Enclave gave Winnie time to consider her encounters in Assembly Hill. She’d known that such wealth and power existed — Winnie was untraveled, not naive. After a taste of power and an exhibition of that power at work, she had a better sense of the corruption at the top. Magic was illegal, and yet the senator and Danny seemed oblivious. They saw Constable Holmes as insignificant, same as they probably saw her before today.
But now she was … what?
Not one of them. No, not that.
They saw her as a useful ally in their power plays, sitting atop the city’s legal and societal structure. Winnie had seen some of how the trade in power worked, both in how she had been manipulated by Artos and in the way favors were traded for services rendered.
Winnie wasn’t sure how she would ever use a favor from a lecherous old senator. It was unlikely she’d ever see him again. And yet, part of her wanted to walk in those circles after seeing how others lived. It would change everything for both her and her mother.
Winnie had rarely thought about all she lacked growing up. Mom had raised her to count her blessings, work hard, and live a good life. Until recently, that had always been good enough for the two of them. Now things were so different. If she had a chance to live the kind of lifestyle she’d glimpsed tonight, she would never have to worry about how she would pay for her mother’s medicine, or deal with bullies like Holmes.
She looked around the bus at the few other late night passengers, servants to the rich and powerful, relegated to live their lives in their masters’ shadows. She didn’t want that, and now that she knew they were hungrier for magic now more than ever, she had a shift in her world view and how she might fit in. Now Winnie could help others get a taste of that life as well. If wouldn’t be easy, and wasn’t without risks, but she saw a future path she’d never dreamed of walking before, and liked what she saw underfoot.
The bus lurched to a stop and pulled Winnie from her thoughts.
“Last stop for the night,” the bus driver called to his straggling passengers. “Have a good evening.”
Winnie nodded to the driver as she stepped off the bus. Noting her surroundings, as she always did when walking the Enclave at night, Winnie noticed the black limousine parked on the curb not far away. It would’ve been out of place in broad daylight, and was doubly so at this hour. She wondered who was slumming in the chanter ghetto when the driver’s window rolled down.
“Miss Durham,” called a familiar voice from the dark interior. “A moment of your time, if you please.”
It was Merrilyn’s assistant, Mr. Gunderson.
Winnie dug in her pocket, then walked to the limo. “I believe these belong to you? Thanks for the loan. They came in handy.”
Mr. Gunderson took the glasses and slid them into his blazer pocket with a nod of thanks.
“Is he in the back?” Winnie looked into the limousine’s rear.
“He is. He’d like a few words with you about your evening, if you have the time.”
“Oh, I have the time — and I’d like a few words with him.” She started toward the back and saw the old man hinting at a smile. The locks clicked and she opened the rear door. A voice came from the dimly-lit interior.
“Climb in, my dear. Perhaps I can offer you some refreshment after your adventures this evening.” Artos leaned forward so she could see his face in the shadows.
Winnie swallowed and climbed into the limo.
“Mr. Gunderson, take us to Miss Durham’s apartment building. The least we can do for her services this evening is drop her at home. Much better than walking there at this time of night, don’t you agree, my dear?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Stop calling you what?”
“My dear. It implies something that isn’t true. I’m not dear to you. I doubt anyone is dear to you. I was an opportunity, nothing more.”
“And do you resent my taking advantage of that opportunity, Miss Durham?”
Winnie thought for a moment, watching as the street lights passed outside the limo. “No, I don’t resent that any more than I’d resent a hungry dog fighting me for a bone.”
Artos burst out laughing. She waited while he finished. Then he wiped a tear from one eye and shook his finger. “I must admit, Miss Durham. Your candor is refreshing. There are aren’t many here in the Enclave who would speak to me that way. Most would be terrified to do so. What makes you so bold?”
“I saw how much you need me, Mr. Merrilyn. You need my magical abilities, and my wit and knowledge. You’re likely to get hurt without them. Now that Director Nilrem Kane and the Assembly are running the show. Am I right?”
There was a pause while the old man looked at her. “You are correct. I assume your delivery was not uneventful?”
“You assume correctly. The Red Legs tracked me somehow, tried to pick me up for charm running. I managed to avoid their clutches when they couldn’t find any magic on me, which I suspect is what you wanted to find out in the first place. Then I had an interesting chat with the senator. He sends his regards, by the way.”
“I spoke with the senator after your departure. He phoned me. That is why I had Mr. Gunderson bring me here to meet you. He said that I’d be a fool to let ‘one such as you get away.’ Why would he say such a thing, I wonder?”
“Maybe I impressed him.”
“Indeed. He is not one easily impressed, you know. So, Miss Durham, what have you decided? I suspect that returning to your shop and repairing magic items for wealthy clients and waiting until the next Resolution puts you out of business for good is no longer a satisfying outcome for you?”
Winnie thought for a moment before continuing. This next step was difficult for her and went against anything she had been raised to believe about right and wrong. Recent circumstances, however, had turned right and wrong on their heads.
“The shop needs to stay open, if only to allow me a way to deliver my goods without suspicion. I see people bringing their items in for repair, then picking them up later, along with whatever other odds and ends you’ll have waiting for them as part of your referrals to me.”
She paused again before continuing.
“There’s also the issue of my cousin, Joey Kerry. He owes a large sum of money to one of your lieutenants, a Mr. Corfield. That debt is wiped clean if we work together. He works for me and I need him. I’ll keep him in line.”
Artos nodded with a smile and Winnie’s shoulders finally relaxed. That last part about Joey was important. She couldn’t operate independently if he didn’t see her as equal to one of his leaders. If she didn’t keep the shop open as her own location and assert her influence now, she’d just be another runner in his crew. This way, she set herself up as one of his lieutenants, too.
“You
seem to have thought this through.” Artos smiled. “Have you considered what you will do for help in getting this side of the business up and running? Your cousin is not the most reliable start if you’re building a crew. You’ll need some key positions filled if you want to maximize your profits for us both. I require a certain level of return on my investments.”
The us was good and bad. Good because it meant that Artos liked her plan, and bad because it meant he was expecting her to come into his organization and pay him for the privilege of operating in his city. She had known this would be the way it would have to work, but it was a step she couldn’t take lightly. She needed to take a step to make sure Artos saw her as more of a partner than an underling.
“All of this ‘Miss’ and ‘Mister’ is tiresome. We should be on a first name basis if we’re planning on entering a business relationship together. May I call you Artos?”
His smile never changed, but he nodded. “You may, Winnie. Have you already made up your mind on how to fill the openings in your new crew? There are so few out there we can truly trust. I suspect you understand that now.”
“I have some people in mind.”
“If you find yourself in need of recommendations, let me know. I might have a few names of reliable people for you as well.”
Winnie nodded with a smile, but had no intention of putting one of this man’s hand-picked people inside her operation if she could help it. If she had to keep things small to maximize security, she was fine with that. She’d keep it within her family and close circle of friends. That was it.
“When will you start offering your expanded services?”
Winnie considered. “No time like the present. I need the money now, not later. You can start sending your clients to Charmed for repairs. We’ll come up with another way to transfer information on their needs beyond the repair so they don’t have to say it aloud. It gives everyone deniability for when the Red Legs come snooping around.”
“That is smart. Perhaps we can use one of your crew to carry the materials, along with any information on orders from me to you.”