“Yes,” he said. “It doesn’t happen often, though, so I’d commit this moment to memory.”
She ignored that, focusing instead on the documents he had in hand. “What’s that?”
“The real ledger. And this is a fake one.” Kane set both stacks of parchment on the desk. “Since forgeries seem to be the theme as of late. I drew it up in case you needed something to show for all your hard work deceiving me.”
“If everything goes according to plan, I’m not going to need it.”
“But if it doesn’t, you should probably have it. Just in case.”
Zaria went quiet for long enough that he wasn’t sure she would respond at all. Finally, she said, “Are youconcernedabout me, Kane?”
He gave a placating smile. “It wouldn’t make much sense if I wasn’t.” When she was silent again, he added, “You want to see something interesting?”
“Sure.”
Kane shoved the true ledger toward her. “Ward showed me this ages ago. Flip to the twenty-second page.” He watched Zaria comply, then said, “Do you see number ninety-seven?”
She nodded.
“Check the key for the corresponding client.”
Her gaze flicked up and down the list, then narrowed. “Buckingham Palace? I don’t… That can’t be right.”
Kane shrugged. His reaction had been similar when he’d first seen it. “It’s from years ago, obviously. Not too long after the queen took the throne. Ward told me the dark market kingpin before him fulfilled a huge commission for the crown and was sworn to secrecy.”
“What happened to that kingpin?”
“No idea. He disappeared. Some think he offed himself—he became increasingly strange as he got older. Ward, however, thoughtthe crown had him killed to preserve their secret once the queen took a public stance on alchemology.”
Zaria’s brows drew together. She passed the sheet of parchment between her fingers as if she might be able to wring out more information. “That’s quite the conspiracy. I mean, anybody could have written anything on a ledger. It’s not exactly airtight evidence.”
“I’m not trying to build a case. I simply thought you might find it intriguing.”
“Well, thanks. It is—I do.” She worked at her lower lip with her teeth; a habit Kane was beginning to understand meant she didn’t know how to react. “What if Vaughan ends up with the fake ledger, though, and realizes it’s not the real thing?”
Kane leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Don’t worry about that. I plan to have done away with him before anything can happen to you. Write him back—agree to the meeting. One way or another, we’ll see who the better kingpin is.”
He could hear the maniacal edge to his own voice, and it didn’t escape Zaria, either. She studied his face as she folded the fake ledger with care. When she eventually spoke, the single syllable was quiet. “Kane?”
“Zaria.”
Her gaze was cutting, her expression austere. “You told me to stop trying to humanize you. That you’re not redeemable. But I don’t think that’s true—I think you’re so absolutely, excruciatingly human, you can’t bear to admit it even to yourself.”
And then she was gone, leaving Kane awash in the terrible sensation that something vital had been punctured in the raw hollow of his chest.
KANE
Kane passed the next day and a half in a slow spiral of whiskey and preoccupation. He’d spent more time than usual in the company of the other crew members, looking for anything to indicate that one of them might have been passing information to the Curator.
The obvious suspects—Cleland and Ferrington—were long gone, but Kane paid particular attention to those he knew had been friendly with the duo. After confiding his suspicions to Fletcher, he got him to do the same, but they hadn’t learned anything as of yet. Oh, there were handfuls of men Kane didn’t trust, but he couldn’t very well confront them without proof. That risked revealing far too much information.
He had also taken it upon himself to personally deliver the alchemological supplies from the workshop near Moore & Sons to the privacy of Zaria’s rooms. When she’d questioned him, Kane told her it was simply easier that way, but in reality he didn’t like the idea of herhaving another episode when she was someplace he couldn’t reach her. He couldn’t stop picturing how she’d looked when he caught her in his office. Adam had jokingly accused Kane offussing, which earned him a particularly unpleasant job assignment.
Kane didn’t know what he was doing. He feared he never did when it came to Zaria.
Despite moving the supplies, he’d started loosening his grip, even allowing Jules free rein of the manor. Zaria needed her friend’s help, Kane reasoned, yet too often he found himself thinking about that conversation in the stagecoach and wondering how much of it had been relayed to her. Today, at least, Jules had left early for Mansion House, so they wouldn’t have to contend with his presence at the meeting with Vaughan.
“Keep her safe tonight,” Jules had growled in Kane’s ear before departing. “Put that obsession of yours to good use. Because if anything happens to her on your watch, I swear to God, you’ll wish you’d killed me when you had the chance.”
