I raised my hand.
Pursuant to that, Nicodemus said, and then paused. He sighed. Yes, Mr. Dresden?
Youve got to be kidding me, I said. Shes never going to work with you.
Probably not, Nicodemus agreed. She may, however, work with you. We need an expert in security systems with a working knowledge of the supernatural world. The pool of such individuals is rather small. Ive arranged a meeting with her at a local event in approximately ninety minutes. You and Miss Ascher will make contact and convince her to join our cause.
Suppose she wont? I asked.
Be more convincing, he said. We need her in order to proceed.
I clenched my teeth, and then nodded once. Hell, if he needed her to make it happen, then by screwing this up, maybe I could make sure it didnt. Fine. But its me and Murphy.
No, Ascher said. Its me and Binder.
Im afraid the event is a formal one, Nicodemus said. Ive taken the liberty of securing appropriate attire and identities for Dresden and Miss Ascher, neither of which would be compatible with Miss Murphy or Binder. Perhaps Miss Murphy could serve as your driver. She has the shoes for it.
I couldnt actually hear Karrin grind her teeth, but I knew she had.
Binder, Nicodemus said, I have another errand for you. Youll need to pick up the fourthpardon, Miss Murphy, the fifthmember of the team at the train station. Hes stated that hell only meet someone he knows.
Binder nodded once. Who is it?
Goodman Grey.
Binders face went pale. Ah. Yes, Ive worked with the gent.
Who is he? Ascher asked.
Hes . . . not a man to cross, Binder said. But a pro. Ill pick him up. Smoother that way.
Ascher pressed her lips together, as if she didnt like it, but nodded. Fine, then. She looked down the table at me and smiled. Well, Dresden, it looks like its time to put on our party dress.
Gee, I said. What fun.
And I closed the folder on the picture of Anna Valmont.
Eight
Deirdre brought me a garment bag and pointed me to a small employees kitchen and break room with another pair of work lights set up in it. I went in, closed the door, and opened the garment bag. There was a black tux inside with all the necessary accoutrements. I held it up enough to determine that it looked like a tolerable fit.
For a moment, I had a few paranoid misgivings. What if the entire point of the exercise had been to get me to take off the coat so that they could open fire with a machine gun and grease me through the wall? I already knew what itwas like to be shot, and I was pretty well over the experience. Visions of Sonny Corleone danced in my head.
But I didnt think that was going to happen. Karrin was on guard outside. There was no way theyd move a gun into position without her at least making noise to warn me. Then, too, Nicodemus had plans in motion. I didnt think hed want to jeopardize his faithful associate image until he could screw everyone over much more dramatically and permanently. And if he just murdered me outright, Mab would take it personally. I dont care how long youve been in business. If you cross Mab, you can skip your next five-year plan.
So I doffed the coat, stripped down, and started getting dressed in the tux.
I was at pretty much the damnedest point of the process when the door opened again, and Hannah Ascher prowled into the room, carrying a garment bag of her own.
She gave me a slow and blatant once-over, that small smirk still on her mouth.
Im pretty sure the temperature of the room didnt literally go up, but I couldnt have sworn to it. Some women have a quality about them, something completely intangible and indefinable, which gets called a lot of different things, depending on which society youre in. I always think of it as heat, fire. It doesnt have to be about sex, but it often isand it definitely was with Hannah Ascher.
I was extremely aware of her body, and her eyes. Her expression told me that she knew exactly what effect she was having on me, and that she didnt mind having it in the least. Id say that my libido kicked into overdrive, except that didnt seem sufficient to cover the rush of purely physical hunger that suddenly hit me.
Hannah Ascher was a damned attractive woman. And Id been on that island for a long, long time.
I turned my face away from her and tried to ignore her while I laid out my cummerbund. Mighty wizards do not get rattled because someone sees them standing around in their boxer briefs.
Damn, Dresden, she said, taking a few steps to one side and looking me over again. A slow smile spread over her mouth. Do you work out?
Uh, I said. Parkour.
The answer seemed to amuse her. Well. Its definitely working for you. She hung the garment bag up on a cabinet handle and unzipped it by feel, her eyes on me the whole time. So many scars. She had long arms. Her fingers brushed my shoulder. Whats that one?
The touch sent a zing of sensation down my spine and through my belly. There wasnt anything magically coercive about it. Id been on alert for that kind of nonsense from the moment my feet had hit the shore. It was worse than thatchemistry, pure and simple. My body had the idea that Ascher was exactly what I needed, and it wasnt paying any attention to my brain.
Pursuant to that, Nicodemus said, and then paused. He sighed. Yes, Mr. Dresden?
Youve got to be kidding me, I said. Shes never going to work with you.
Probably not, Nicodemus agreed. She may, however, work with you. We need an expert in security systems with a working knowledge of the supernatural world. The pool of such individuals is rather small. Ive arranged a meeting with her at a local event in approximately ninety minutes. You and Miss Ascher will make contact and convince her to join our cause.
Suppose she wont? I asked.
Be more convincing, he said. We need her in order to proceed.
I clenched my teeth, and then nodded once. Hell, if he needed her to make it happen, then by screwing this up, maybe I could make sure it didnt. Fine. But its me and Murphy.
No, Ascher said. Its me and Binder.
Im afraid the event is a formal one, Nicodemus said. Ive taken the liberty of securing appropriate attire and identities for Dresden and Miss Ascher, neither of which would be compatible with Miss Murphy or Binder. Perhaps Miss Murphy could serve as your driver. She has the shoes for it.
I couldnt actually hear Karrin grind her teeth, but I knew she had.
Binder, Nicodemus said, I have another errand for you. Youll need to pick up the fourthpardon, Miss Murphy, the fifthmember of the team at the train station. Hes stated that hell only meet someone he knows.
Binder nodded once. Who is it?
Goodman Grey.
Binders face went pale. Ah. Yes, Ive worked with the gent.
Who is he? Ascher asked.
Hes . . . not a man to cross, Binder said. But a pro. Ill pick him up. Smoother that way.
Ascher pressed her lips together, as if she didnt like it, but nodded. Fine, then. She looked down the table at me and smiled. Well, Dresden, it looks like its time to put on our party dress.
Gee, I said. What fun.
And I closed the folder on the picture of Anna Valmont.
Eight
Deirdre brought me a garment bag and pointed me to a small employees kitchen and break room with another pair of work lights set up in it. I went in, closed the door, and opened the garment bag. There was a black tux inside with all the necessary accoutrements. I held it up enough to determine that it looked like a tolerable fit.
For a moment, I had a few paranoid misgivings. What if the entire point of the exercise had been to get me to take off the coat so that they could open fire with a machine gun and grease me through the wall? I already knew what itwas like to be shot, and I was pretty well over the experience. Visions of Sonny Corleone danced in my head.
But I didnt think that was going to happen. Karrin was on guard outside. There was no way theyd move a gun into position without her at least making noise to warn me. Then, too, Nicodemus had plans in motion. I didnt think hed want to jeopardize his faithful associate image until he could screw everyone over much more dramatically and permanently. And if he just murdered me outright, Mab would take it personally. I dont care how long youve been in business. If you cross Mab, you can skip your next five-year plan.
So I doffed the coat, stripped down, and started getting dressed in the tux.
I was at pretty much the damnedest point of the process when the door opened again, and Hannah Ascher prowled into the room, carrying a garment bag of her own.
She gave me a slow and blatant once-over, that small smirk still on her mouth.
Im pretty sure the temperature of the room didnt literally go up, but I couldnt have sworn to it. Some women have a quality about them, something completely intangible and indefinable, which gets called a lot of different things, depending on which society youre in. I always think of it as heat, fire. It doesnt have to be about sex, but it often isand it definitely was with Hannah Ascher.
I was extremely aware of her body, and her eyes. Her expression told me that she knew exactly what effect she was having on me, and that she didnt mind having it in the least. Id say that my libido kicked into overdrive, except that didnt seem sufficient to cover the rush of purely physical hunger that suddenly hit me.
Hannah Ascher was a damned attractive woman. And Id been on that island for a long, long time.
I turned my face away from her and tried to ignore her while I laid out my cummerbund. Mighty wizards do not get rattled because someone sees them standing around in their boxer briefs.
Damn, Dresden, she said, taking a few steps to one side and looking me over again. A slow smile spread over her mouth. Do you work out?
Uh, I said. Parkour.
The answer seemed to amuse her. Well. Its definitely working for you. She hung the garment bag up on a cabinet handle and unzipped it by feel, her eyes on me the whole time. So many scars. She had long arms. Her fingers brushed my shoulder. Whats that one?
The touch sent a zing of sensation down my spine and through my belly. There wasnt anything magically coercive about it. Id been on alert for that kind of nonsense from the moment my feet had hit the shore. It was worse than thatchemistry, pure and simple. My body had the idea that Ascher was exactly what I needed, and it wasnt paying any attention to my brain.
