“Fairly thin?”
“I’d say so. Why?”
Jules swore colorfully under his breath. “Pritchard.It had to be him.”
The name meant nothing to Kane. “Who’s that?”
“One of Vaughan’s men,” Jules said. “He always met with Zaria on the kingpin’s behalf.”
“Why would one of Vaughan’s crew members be here?” asked Fletcher. He was already looking a bit less pale, Kane noticed with relief.
Jules gave a panicked shrug. As he turned the question over in his mind, though, Kane thought he might know the answer. “It’s not uncommon for criminals to masquerade as rich, high-society men. Whoever this Pritchard really is, it’s possible he’s also a member of the Royal Commission. Vaughan will be furious with Zaria for double-crossing him—if Pritcharddidcatch her here tonight, he might have abandoned the meeting to bring her to his boss.”
The color returning to Fletcher’s face might have been leached from Jules’s, whose cheeks had whitened. “Do you think Vaughan would hurt her?”
Kane didn’t reply, knowing his silence was answer enough. If they were right, and the kingpin was connected to the Curator, there was no telling what he might do with a powerful alchemologist.
“Shit.” Jules began to pace as he said, “We need to figure out where Pritchard took her.”
“Seven Dials would be a good start,” Kane suggested. “Assuming that manwasPritchard, of course.”
“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down. Zaria could be in real danger.”
The fragile tether Kane had on his temper came loose. “Do you think I don’t know that?” he snapped. “Do you think I’m not as desperate as you are to find her? If you have any better ideas, Julian, I’d absolutely fucking love to hear them.”
Jules squared his shoulders, gaze hardening, but Fletcher stepped in front of him. “Arguing isn’t going to help anyone right now,” he said in a tone that left no room for contradiction. “If you care about Zaria, you won’t waste time going for each other’s throats. I mean, God, are wechildren?”
It wasn’t the first time Fletcher had given Kane hell for his inability to get along with someone, but Jules appeared rather stunned.
“You’re right,” Kane said stiffly. “Forgive me, Julian.”
“I’ll consider it if you stop calling me Julian. Only my father calls me that.”
“Fine.Jules.”
The other boy pressed his lips together. “You’re forgiven. Please accept my apologies in return.”
“Gladly.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “Great. Now, I don’t know about the two of you, but I’d quite like to get out of here.”
“Are you well enough?” Kane asked, scrutinizing his friend once more.
It was Jules who answered. “He’ll be fine. At most, the lingering effects of the aleuite could make him a bit lightheaded.”
“I’m okay,” Fletcher insisted. “It might as well not have happened.”
Satisfied that he was telling the truth, Kane led them away fromMansion House and down a side road, trying very hard not to dwell on any imagined scenario in which Zaria had been harmed. A combination of urgency and the heavy rain had him moving faster than normal, despite the protest in his ribs. He sensed someone approaching him from behind and turned, expecting to see Fletcher, but his friend was still several paces behind. Instead, it was Jules who had come to match his pace.
“Zaria told me that you two were… intimate,” he said before Kane could ask.
Fucking wonderful. Why was she so determined to involve this boy in everything? “In that case, I suppose you’re about to threaten me.”
“No. Despite my best attempts to dissuade her, she really does care about you.” There was no sting in the words; Jules’s voice was dry.
Kane tried to suppress a pang of satisfaction. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I just thought you ought to be reminded that the second all this is over with, Zaria and I plan to leave London. No matter how she might feel, she’s not going to change her mind, and I don’t want you to try and convince her to stay.”
