There was no use lying. “Yes.”
“Just put on your coat and boots, would you? I’ll go mad if I spend another moment indoors.”
A few minutes later, Zaria was following the boy out into the twilight, her coat buttoned all the way up to her chin. It was a coolevening, and whatever they were about to do, she hoped it wouldn’t take long. A second boy waited for them in the street—this one equally large but with a shaved head, broader shoulders, and light complexion.
“Elijah,” the newcomer said with easy familiarity, mouth tilting up in a shit-eating grin. “Got to bring your charge along, huh?”
“Durante specifically demanded it” was Elijah’s gruff reply. He didn’t appear happy about the arrangement. “Said I can only leave the manor if she comes along. He doesn’t want her unattended, but he doesn’t trust anyone else to take over, either.” He cast a sidelong glance at Zaria, who resisted the urge to remind him that she could hear their conversation. “Not sure why. You can’t be that dangerous.”
The second boy only grinned wider, offering his hand to Zaria. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Adam Cromwell.”
She stared at his hand until he let it drop. “Can we get this over with? And for the record, nobody’s monitoring me because I’mdangerous. Kane is just afraid I’ll bolt the moment I’m left unattended.”
“Will you?” Adam asked, eyebrow raised.
“No.” How many times was she going to have to repeat herself?? “But try telling him that.”
Adam shot a questioning look at Elijah, who only shrugged. If she hadn’t been so irritated, Zaria might have laughed. She’d met him all of ten minutes ago, and already he was acting as if he’d been forced to endure her for hours.
“Where are we going?” she said as they set off down the darkening street, trying not to betray her trepidation.
Elijah addressed her over his shoulder. “We’re meeting Durante by Mansion House. And don’t ask me why, because I still don’t know.”
A jolt of panic shot through her. Mansion House was the Lord Mayor’s residence, as well as a known venue for banquets and othersuch elegant functions. That wasn’t what worried Zaria, however—the location was well over an hour’s walk, and would require that they pass through Seven Dials. She knew the chances of running into one of Vaughan’s people were slim, but they were certainly higher than if she stayed out of the area. “Maybe you ought to leave me behind. Mansion House is quite a ways, and I’m terribly tired—”
“We’re not walking,” Adam said, pointing. Indeed, there was a stagecoach waiting for them at the corner, a dark silhouette against the otherwise abandoned street. It looked out of place here, surrounded by industrial buildings and within sight of the river. Zaria climbed in at Elijah’s behest when they reached it, trying not to think about the last time she’d been inside a stagecoach. The driver didn’t turn around or speak as they entered—not even to offer a greeting.
Readjusting her skirts around her, Zaria cast the man a suspicious look. “Is he a crew member as well?” she muttered under her breath.
“No.” Elijah grimaced as the stagecoach lurched into motion and sent him slamming against Adam’s shoulder. Rather than move away, however, he leaned against the other boy, who didn’t appear to mind. “Just someone on the payroll. You’ll find a kingpin has quite a few associates who aren’t necessarily crew members.”
“Like who?” Zaria pressed, thinking of her mother. Could she be an associate of Vaughan’s, perhaps, rather than a proper member? For some reason, the former was easier to swallow.
“Why do you care?”
“I’m part of this now. Shouldn’t I know these kinds of things?”
Adam’s expression was open, his torso tilted forward as if he were prepared to answer Zaria’s question, but Elijah gave a tight shake of his head. “You only need to know what you need to know. Durantewas very clear about that. Besides, you’re not an official member—he was very clear about that, too.”
She crossed her arms. “If I’m notofficiallyin the crew, then why am I being forced to come along on jobs?”
“You already know the answer,” Elijah said coolly. “Adam, for God’s sake, don’t tell her anything.”
Adam leaned back, shutting his mouth with an apologetic shrug. Obviously Elijah was the cleverer of the two—Zaria would have to see what she could do about getting her guard switched. If she could only get Adam alone, he could prove very useful indeed.
Elijah watched her with narrowed eyes, almost as though he could see what she was thinking. It was unnerving. Zaria grudgingly understood why Kane trusted him.
As the uneven motion andchk-a-chksound of the stagecoach wheels ceased, she spotted St. Paul’s Cathedral through the window, visible in the distance. They had already passed Seven Dials, then, which meant they had to be near Mansion House. The realization brought relief, quickly overshadowed by unease. When Zaria thought of jobs one might do on behalf of a kingpin, they usually took place in a slum or down by the docks. It wasn’t that she wanted to witness Elijah and Adam shaking someone down in the city’s poorer parts, but at least she would’ve been familiar with the location.
This—where they were now—was entirely unexpected. The other stagecoaches rattling by were made of gleaming wood and pulled by gleaming horses. The wide streets were otherwise silent; absent was the unending racket Zaria was accustomed to in Devil’s Acre. It wasn’t the first time she’d been here, of course, but the stark contrast struck her every time.
“Now what?” she hissed. Although they’d stopped moving, neither Adam nor Elijah had budged from their seats.
“Now,” came a different voice, “you come with me.”
The stagecoach door was flung open, and Zaria gritted her teeth against the curse building in her throat. Kane stood there, a foot lifted to brace on the step, his gaze downcast as he studied that accursed pocket watch of his.
“Kane,” she said, a stiff greeting.
