by Lyra Evans
Starla set her empty cup down too. “Right. Such as?”
“We need you to get us access to the Woods,” Cobalt said.
Starla stared them down, her expression flat. “You think I’m involved with the Woods?”
“No,” Niko said quickly. “But Indigo came to you for help to get him noticed by the right people. We need that same favour.”
Expression softening, Starla shook her head at Niko. “No, love. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to try going in as merchandise again,” she said. “I know Sade’s a monster, but these people… The Woods is something else entirely. No guarantee even you could survive that.”
Again something sparked warm inside Niko’s chest, and he felt himself crumbling. Why did she care? After all she’d gone through, after he’d just turned his back on her…why did she care?
“I wouldn’t be going as merchandise,” Niko said, the old terminology still slipping easily from his tongue. It wasn’t the way he wanted to think about the victims involved. “We’d be going in as clients.”
Starla studied them both. “You think you can pretend to be that kind of depraved?” she asked. “Niki, you know they’ll make you do things to prove yourself.” She looked him up and down, shaking her head softly. Another piece of hair slipped out of her bun. “Niki, I know you’re determined, but you’re not that hard inside. Besides, I thought cops had rules about that stuff.”
“I will be the client,” Cobalt explained, and Niko sipped at the rest of his tea.
“I’m going as his pet,” Niko said without looking at her. “That way, he can prove his proclivities on me rather than some innocent victim.”
He expected a shocked look, or at least mild surprise. He expected wariness or disbelief or something. What Niko got when he looked at Starla finally, however, was an intense, scrutinizing look. She was weighing him in her mind, he thought, and he wasn’t sure what the verdict would be.
“Is that what you’re going with?” she asked. Niko’s head jerked to the side slightly, confused. “Are you prepared to do what’s necessary to show them you’re one of them?” This last she addressed to Cobalt. Then, to Niko, “Are you prepared to take whatever that might entail?”
“Whatever it takes,” Niko said without hesitation. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, as long as we can find Indigo’s killer and shut this vile thing down.”
Cobalt stilled next to Niko. “I will do what I must,” he said. “Surely performing on my own ‘pet’ could account for not pushing the limits too far?”
Starla’s shoulders lifted, her expression unconvinced. “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know what they expect, exactly. But I doubt these people have a strong understanding of that kind of love.”
Niko started, shifting uncomfortably. “What are you talking about? I’m his pet, not his lover. Just a toy, basically. All they have to ‘understand’ is that Cobalt doesn’t like the idea of breaking his favourite toy.”
Something changed on the air, and Niko felt Cobalt recede somewhat. His presence was less powerful, less steady next to Niko. He could still smell Cobalt’s ocean-breeze scent, but it seemed far away suddenly. Starla shared a look with Cobalt.
“Right,” she said slowly, scratching at a spot on her head. “So do you have cover identities? Do you have clothing? Money?”
“Money, yes,” Cobalt said. “The rest is unclear.”
“And when did you plan to get that shit together?” she asked. “When did you want to start this suicide mission of yours?”
Niko looked at Cobalt. “Tonight,” he said.
“Tonight?” Starla choked.
Niko set his jaw. “We’ve already lost too much time. We have to get invited to the next Woods ‘event.’ Our best guess is that they’ll put it on as soon as possible, which could mean this weekend. It’s our best shot.”
Starla leaned back, peering through the doorway to the kitchen, perhaps at a clock Niko couldn’t see. “Well, you better get a move on with those identities and outfits. We don’t have much time.” She got to her feet, pulling at pieces of her hair. “I guess I’ve got to shower. Shit. So much for a relaxing day.” She studied Niko and Cobalt a moment. “You’re going to need some damn fine clothing to look the part. I don’t know where the money’s coming from, but I hope there’s a lot of it.” She turned to Niko. “You know what you have to wear though, I take it. You gotta be small. Fragile. Obedient. I know that might be hard for you.” Niko pursed his lips. She stared at them another long moment, then said, “So what are you waiting for? Get going.”
Niko got to his feet, but Cobalt held his position, mildly confused. “You aren’t going to help us?”
Starla gave him a look that said she thought it was cute he was so slow. “You probably can’t tell from the state of my apartment building, but I actually don’t have designer suits piled up in my closet to fit a giant. You’re going to have to get those on your own.” She moved toward the bedroom, already pulling off her oversized t-shirt. “Send me a message when you’ve got everything. Oh, and rent an expensive car. Something fucking sleek. And you’ll need a hotel room. A high-end one. Somewhere like the Lotus or the Obsidian Halls. When you’ve got the place, I’ll come to you.” Niko made his way to the door as she popped her head back out with one more instruction. “And have some dinner for us when I get there, love. I’m feeling for steak.”
***
Their various errands to prepare for their deception took the entirety of the day. Niko and Cobalt had been forced to split up if they were to accomplish everything in time, so Niko dropped Cobalt off in front of a very exclusive men’s clothing boutique to procure himself some disgustingly expensive clothing. Niko, meanwhile, went to collect the fetish gear necessary to his part of the ploy, as well as a few toys from the crime lab he knew would come in handy. He also stopped in to the precinct, using the back entrance to avoid the reporters congregated outside, to have a last chat with his Captain. Once they began the charade, Niko would be unable to return to police buildings lest the Woods be watching him. He assumed new clients were vetted, and it was too great a risk.
He rapped on the Captain’s office door, when Baobab nodded for him to enter. Niko did, waiting for Baobab to hang up the phone.
“—yes. That’s right. I understand. We’ll have an update for you shortly, Your Honour,” Baobab said, signing off and hanging up. He pressed his fingertips to his temples and closed his eyes. Every nerve in Niko’s body braced for what was coming.
“Problem?” he asked the Captain. Baobab cracked one eye open to glare at him.
“This is a nightmare,” he said, opening one of his drawers and pulling out a bottle of caramel-coloured pop. He swiped a hand over it, trading the warmth in the bottle for cold and leaving the glass frosted. He popped the cap and downed some of the contents.
“So bad it’s driving you to sugar?” Niko drawled. Baobab let the liquid sit on his tongue a moment before swallowing, exhaling deeply.
“It’s my only vice,” he said magnanimously, and Niko’s mouth quirked. “Shut up. This case is a mess. Not only do we have the whole news contingent camped out in front of every police building, but Maeve herself is interested in the outcome, working on a possible summit of the leaders of the Three Courts plus Azure’s Court, and now the fucking judge we petitioned for the warrant is telling us this case holds no water and we should revisit the autopsy. Says if the cause of death is impossible for a known race to perform, then the cause of death can’t be right. Probably some terrible accident or something.”
Niko narrowed his eyes, his fingers curling to fists. “Seems a bit curious for a judge to be so interested in marking the death an accident,” Niko said slowly. “How often does a sitting judge question the conclusion of the medical examiner?”
But Baobab shook his head. He scratched at his left ear, drinking again from the bottle. “The politics of this are a twisted web. He probably just wants the case closed with Maeve’s Court cleared of respon
sibility.”
“Right,” Niko said, believing not a word. But accusing a judge of corruption was a career killer, even if it was true. Baobab wasn’t stupid. There was little but paranoia telling Niko the judge was connected to the Woods, and that was hardly enough to support a valid argument. “The operation is still a go, though, yes?”
Baobab nodded. “Definitely. I wouldn’t pull you from it now barring a direct order from Maeve herself.” He opened an envelope on his desk and slid out documents for Niko. “Here are your identities. Keep to them. Make sure Sincloud knows his role inside-out. You already know the drill, obviously, but nothing can fuck this up. I’d send you in with a more experienced officer if I could, but…”
“Sincloud’ll be fine,” Niko said, uncomfortably relieved that Baobab was not able to send in another officer as Niko’s partner.
Baobab raised his eyebrows. “Getting along, are you?” Niko shifted. “I thought you’d sworn off partners?”
Pursing his lips, Niko said, “As far as forced partnerships go, he’s not half bad.”
“Nice on the eyes too, hmm?” Baobab asked, feigning innocence as he poked at Niko.
“Hadn’t noticed,” Niko said. Uri had appeared in the bullpen, holding some folders on top of some small box. The moment he spotted Niko in Baobab’s office, he slowed his actions, clearly waiting for Niko to finish. “It’s useful, anyway. Having someone who makes pretty much everyone swoon on sight.”
Baobab snorted, mumbling something strangely close to ‘thought you hadn’t noticed’ under his breath. Niko ignored him. “Well, use him to your advantage then. And keep an eye on him. If anything goes wrong and he gets hurt or worse, we’re well and truly fucked.”
Niko’s jaw tightened, his head nodding of its own accord. He had quite enough to worry about on this operation without also trying to protect Cobalt. But the reality was that Niko was the only officer involved. Everyone else was a civilian. No matter what happened, good or bad, it was on Niko.
“Got it. Anything else?”
Baobab pulled a stainless steel rod from somewhere. It was small, about an inch or so long, and the ends were tipped with spikes not sharp enough to hurt. He handed it to Niko. Taking it, Niko was surprised by the weight of it in his hand. It was cool to the touch but much lighter than it looked. On closer inspection, the spiked tips were not steel at all, but topaz stones carved into cones and painted silver.
“It’s an earring,” Baobab explained. “A false one, obviously. They call it an ‘industrial’ or something. Anyway, it’s more than an accessory. The tips there are enchanted with recording charms. Once you put it on, the earring will begin to record everything that happens. Undetectable to all the standard wards and runes, so you should be safe to wear it wherever the operation takes you. That way you don’t need to worry about collecting statements.”
Niko considered it. “And what if there are wards or runes that aren’t standard?”
Baobab shrugged. “You’ll have to improvise.” He also picked up a set of keys and handed them to Niko too. The keyring was silver and set with diamonds and obsidian. It was probably worth more than all of Niko’s possessions combined. “The car’s waiting for you in the lot next door. The keyring will get you in. License plate is in the file there. Don’t damage the car. It’s on loan from a friend of the Birches’ from Nimueh’s Court, and the department does not have the budget to replace it if you fuck up.”
Nodding, Niko got to his feet. “Thanks, Captain,” he said.
As he turned to leave, Baobab stopped him. “If I could send another officer in your place, I would,” he said suddenly. Niko stilled. “You shouldn’t have to—not after—well. You know. You’re the best we’ve got when it comes to this stuff, unfortunately. Just watch yourself.”
Niko jerked his head in a nod, his throat tight, and walked out of the office. He tried to leave before Uri could stop him but didn’t manage. Uri pressed a hand to Niko’s shoulder to halt his tracks, and Niko jerked back slightly without meaning to. Uri dropped his hand, his face a mask of disappointment.
“No goodbye?” Uri asked with false lightness. It was a joke, but it stretched between them like a rubber band about to snap. Niko hadn’t said goodbye the last time either.
“I’m coming back,” was all Niko said. Uri nodded slowly.
“Do you have a second? I just wanted to—”
“I really don’t,” Niko said, then realizing the harshness, he added, “On a timeline. You know how it is.”
“Of course, right,” he said. Another long moment extended between them, and Niko made a move to leave, but Uri stopped him again. “Just—be careful, Nik. Please? I know we’re not together anymore, and that’s okay—I mean it’s not, but—well—the point is… I just can’t—” Finally he gave up trying to parse together his thoughts, exhaling deeply, his shoulders slumping. “Just be careful. It doesn’t always have to be you, you know.”
Niko looked at Uri out of the corner of his eyes, unable to turn to face him. “I know,” he said, and he walked away.
But as he passed through the doors to the main reception area, he thought he heard Uri mutter “Do you?”
Niko went through the halls of the building, crossing over different areas to the most remote exit. He went out behind the building and dodged reporters behind posts and signs, slipping into the lot next door without anyone noticing. Or so he thought.
As he weaved through the cars in the lot, ambling by vehicles that would cost him three years’ salary and upward, Niko heard a voice call out to him.
“Hey! Aren’t you that idiot we saw at the medical examiner’s office?”
Niko stopped, his body tensing. He turned to see Harvey Kincaid, the reporter who’d confronted him before, calling from back toward the street. He’d stopped by a sports car with sky-blue paint and a buff job shiny enough to blind in the Maeve’s Court sunlight.
“Sorry?” he asked, staring at the man with a puzzled expression. After a moment, he allowed his expression to change, as though realization just dawned on him. “Oh, right! Harvey from TCNN! Wow, what’s up, dude? You get around.”
Kincaid favoured him with a flat expression, walking over to him. He studied Niko closely, and Niko pretended to look politely confused. The envelope in his hand was thankfully nondescript, bearing no MCPD logo. The backpack he wore with the tools and accessories for the mission was black with no details, and his badge was well hidden.
“First you ‘accidentally’ turn in to the medical examiner’s parking lot, now you appear right next to the major crimes precinct? Seems a bit too much of a coincidence for me. You’re a cop.”
Niko’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. He laughed with false glee. “Me? A cop?” He laughed again, looking around as though to share in the ridiculousness with some nearby witness. “That’s good, man. Good one. Nah, I’m a little too into the rainbow ash, if you know what I mean,” he said, rubbing pointedly at his nostril with the back of his hand to indicate drug use.
“Right,” Kincaid said. “So what are you doing here then?”
Niko pulled back, shrugging. “This is my job, my man,” he said. Kincaid cocked an eyebrow. “I’m a valet. I’m picking up this car for a client.”
Kincaid seemed unconvinced. “You pick up cars for people?”
Niko laughed again. “You think I own a machine like this?” he asked, pointing over his shoulder at the lines of luxury cars. “They’re half the reason I took this job. People pay me to drive these babies. Insane, right?”
Apparently deciding he’d wasted enough time on Niko, Kincaid rolled his eyes and waved him off, walking back toward the sidewalk where the other reporters were crowded. Niko watched him go a moment, exhaling a low breath of relief.
When he located the right car, he found that it was a slim-line supercar with wide, blackened rims and the kind of angles only seen in natural crystal formations. It was a shining, galactic black with red linings and red tires. Niko took it in for a moment, me
ntally preparing himself to drive the thing. Not only that, but to do so comfortably, as though he did so all the time, would be an effort. The car was worth more than Niko’s life.
Exactly who did the Birches ask to borrow the car from? And how did they get it so fast? Niko exhaled a low breath. He apparently owed Aurora Birch a very detailed exclusive once this case was done.
As Niko stepped up to the driver’s side door, keys in hand, the door merely swung out of the way, rising up like insect wings along the car’s roof. Staring the car down, Niko slid into the driver’s seat with an abundance of caution. The moment he settled with all limbs inside the vehicle, the door eased down and closed seamlessly. Feeling momentarily trapped by the will of an inanimate object, Niko reached for the door handle to try and get out. But as his hand approached the right position, the door clicked and eased itself open again. Niko sighed with relief, replaced his hand inside the chassis and searched for a seatbelt while the door closed itself again. There was, however, no seatbelt. Which was nonsense of course, because without a seatbelt the car would not be considered road safe. Not in Maeve’s Court, not in Nimueh’s Court, and not in Connor’s Court, as far as Niko knew.
After a few moments of frustrated helplessness, Niko noticed a small button next to the ignition marked with a rune and a seatbelt pictogram. Pressing it, Niko felt a wave of magic over himself. There was no belt in sight, but he felt very secure in his seat now. Rolling his eyes, he slid the key into the ignition. Apparently the very wealthy were too good for seatbelt creases on their clothing. And also traditional steering wheels.
