“You are certain?”
“She knocks my sign down every other day. She harasses me whenever she gets the opportunity. She thinks my clients are either pitiable or deluded.”
“They are,” the man said, shrugging.
“She makes herself as unpleasant as possible, proving that the law doesn’t have to be reasonable to still be lawful. Yes, I’m certain. You know her?”
“We know of her, yes.”
“She’s getting in your way?”
“Yes. I do not believe that will be the case for much longer.” And that, Kaylin thought, was the reason for her “leave of absence.” Marcus and the Hawklord actually believed Kaylin would be safe if she remained within her home.
“They are correct,” Helen said. “While you are here, you are safe. So is the sergeant.”
“Yes, but we can’tdoanything from here.”
“You can survive. For your sergeant, I believe that is of considerable import.”
“We don’t kill Hawks around these parts,” Margot was saying. “It’s not considered smart.”
“We are not, of course, bound by the same laws you are, and we are not nearly so powerless.” And that, Kaylin thought, was the reason for Margot’s cooperation. There was no way Margot had expected this man to walk away without leaving one dead redhead in his wake.
“If you agree to let me go, I’ll help you with the Hawk.”
“Pardon?”
“She patrols Elani. This is her current beat. If you want a clean shot at her, this is your best chance.”
“She patrols here.” The man’s smile was slow, his eyes bright. “You’ve implied she is not your friend.”
“I can get her in here.” Her tone made it very clear that she was certain, and that she was the only certainty he had.
“Very well.”
* * *
“I suppose a small and accidental fire is out of the question?” Bellusdeo asked Kaylin.
“Small and accidental by angry Dragon standards?”
“By annoyed Dragon standards, yes.”
“The Emperormightforgive you. I wouldn’t bet on it, though. Look—I’m not annoyed by it. What she did made sense.”
“She offered to help him kill you.”
“She had just about outlived any usefulness she had. He was going to kill her. She was just trying to extend her life.”
“By helping him kill you.”
“She’s not as stupid as she looks. Her best chance of surviving this involved us. We don’t patrol as singletons. If I did die, she’d follow. I expect she hoped to run for it the minute the actual fighting started. He’d asked too many questions, and spoken too freely, for her life to be worth much.”
“You’re certain she knew this.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”