But one thing I did know. If I made a bid for my inheritance, I wouldn’t last the year. Assassinations were common among the Magi, and there were too many people in the Family who wanted the wealth and the power, neither of which I cared about.
A stray thought crossed my mind. “I was told yesterday that Moncrieff is an ally of Akiyama.” Courtney was married to the brother of the Moncrieff Family head.
Grandmother batted her eyes at me. “And if you spent some more time around here, and paid even a little attention to what’s going on in the world, you would have known that before yesterday. Don’t think George is unaware of Moncrieff’s affiliations. Dani, I spoke to Frank Novak this morning. He’s hearing the same rumblings we are. Some of the smaller Families are building a coalition with the idea that combining their money and power will allow them to challenge the Ten.”
“Smaller, like members of the Hundred?”
“Yes, and smaller Families still. After all, why should we, the Families who worked our asses off, sacrificed, and fought the demons to a standstill, be entitled to what we’ve earned? Dani, it looks like it’s going to get ugly. Maybe a war, with various factions of the Magi all jockeying for position.”
“The demons will love that.”
“Wouldn’t they, though? And don’t think all of the Magi are above allying with demons. Frank agrees with George and me. This won’t be an overt, out-in-the-open shooting war. It’s going to be a quiet, nasty one. And we need your skills. Dani, your grandfather and father were the foremost magiteks of their day, and you’ve inherited all their talent.”
“What about Kirsten?”
“She’ll have all the protection we can give. I’ll publicly state my patronage. I’m not asking you to change your living arrangements, but there may be times that we ask the two of you to shelter here.”
Having one of the Ten Families as a patron would do wonders for Kirsten’s business, and it would also provide an extra layer of protection for her. Most thieves and street mages wanted as little to do with the Ten as possible.
“And you want me to do what?”
“Magitek. Munitions, defenses, transportation. And your skills as an investigator are something Osiris and I value. I’m not going to ask you to get involved in the mundane business-level magitek stuff, except maybe as a troubleshooter. We have people to do that, and I know how much it bores you. But your imagination, your creativity. We could use your design skills.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
“I still have the investigation I’m working on, and yesterday made it personal. I’m not backing down until I find out who tried to kill me.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Agreed. Do you want me to talk to Tom Whittaker?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“What do you think of the Novak boy?” she asked, taking me by surprise.
I considered her question. “He’s sharper than I thought. Willing to learn, and doesn’t have a lot of ego. I actually think he’s kind of shy. Something of an introvert, unlike most mages. But he’s a good shot, and I kind of like him having my back. He’s definitely not a coward.”
“Interesting.”
I wondered what was interesting about what I’d said, and why she was interested in Mychal. I was also tempted to ask her if she knew what Courtney wanted, but decided not to. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I took my leave of her and retraced my path through the servants’ stairs and out of the building.
About the time I reached my bike, my phone rang. It was Kirsten.
“There are two very large men here who say Osiris sent them.”
“I asked him to provide security for you. I’ll explain tonight.”
“But, what do I do with them?”
“Anything you want, except take their clothes off. After you give them a tour of the shop and the grounds, they’ll find places to hang out.”
“And when I close tonight?”
“Either they’ll accompany you home, or their replacements will.”
“Do I have to feed them?”
“Only if you want to, but I imagine they eat a lot.”
Chapter 29
When I reached the station, the first thing Novak did was hand me Johansson’s phone. I used a spell to unlock it and checked his messages. The last one was from Camille Cordero. I played it aloud.
“Martin! A couple of cops showed up at my office. What in the hell is going on?”
“Well, that pretty much implicates some of the people at her office,” I said. “Ask Whittaker to get a warrant and send in a team to turn the place upside down. I’m willing to bet Cordero wasn’t the only one making a little money on the side.”
I handed Novak the phone. “Check and see if there are more calls from that office or people who work there. Also anything between Johansson and Felspeth, and anything to or from Lucifer’s Lair.”
His face twisted into an expression of distaste. “The demon lord?”
“Yeah. Oh, and Fredo’s number, too.”
“I think we should just wiretap them all.”
“Ask Whittaker. I would be shocked if we don’t have a tap on Lucifer’s Lair already, and even more shocked if the demon uses a phone to conduct business. They’re technophobes, you know. We did have a tap on Fredo’s phones. You could check the recordings.”
“If the demon doesn’t use the phone, why…?”
“Because Johansson wasn’t a demon, and he was powerful enough to be disdainful even of a demon lord. He wouldn’t care about the demon’s sensibilities. Demons hire humans and vamps to take care of technology for them.
