climbed aboard and could get her hands on the necklace, she would have won.
If the magicians found her, she would be killed.
Sin looked at the slick white deck and tried to screw up her resolve.
“What are you doing?”
Sin turned and was aware even as she turned that she’d started, and betrayed guilt. The woman standing in front of her had puffy ginger hair and a mouth wearing plum- colored lipstick and disapproval. Sin didn’t recognize her as a magician or see one of the messenger’s tokens on her.
A civilian, then, she thought, and let go of the knife in her pocket.
But if she alerted the magicians to Sin’s presence, Sin was dead just the same.
“I know the guy who owns this boat,” Sin said quickly. “Just wondering whether I should hop onboard and surprise him.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed like doors being closed in front of her.
“I have to agree with this lady,” said Alan.
Sin started again and cursed herself.
Alan was coming down the pathway from the direction of the cathedral. He looked subtly different than usual, the set of his shoulders making his shirt look more starched somehow, his mouth very thin.
“You know you’re not welcome down here anymore, Bambi,” he said.
Sin stared at him for an instant, then glanced at the woman. She was looking intrigued.
Sin reached up and pulled out her hair tie so the waves fell down around her shoulders. She twisted one strand around her finger and gave the woman a slow smile.
“See?” she said. “Told you I knew the owners.”
“You used to know my brother,” Alan corrected primly. “Dad made it very clear that your acquaintance was at an end.”
“You’re so boring, Clive,” Sin drawled. “I knew Nick would be pleased to see me.”
“Nicholas isn’t there,” Alan informed her, with a smug little smile. “And I very much doubt Dad would be overjoyed by your reappearance.”
Sin sort of wished she had bubblegum. She felt that blowing a big, pink bubble would fit right into this role.
She did without, putting her hands on her hips and shifting her stance so her hips rolled beneath her palms.
“
The ginger lady looked shocked by how brazen Sin was.
“Not even a little,” said Alan, and the woman’s mouth twisted in satisfaction. “Come along, Bambi. I’ll get you a cab.”
He reached out and took hold of Sin’s elbow, towing her fastidiously along, not bringing her body any closer to his than necessary. He looked over his shoulder as he did so.
“Thanks for keeping an eye out, ma’am.”
“Don’t mention it,” said the woman, lifting her chin proudly.
Sin sighed. “Seems I underestimated you, Clive. I had no idea how boring you could be.”
After a few minutes of being towed, Alan’s pace slowed and Sin risked a glance over her shoulder. She saw the woman’s retreating back, but she also saw the boat pulling out from the bank.
There was that decision made for her, then.
Sin couldn’t decide whether she was relieved or disappointed. On the whole, she was going to call this expedition a win: Disaster had been averted, she had valuable new information, and, well—she couldn’t say it hadn’t been a little fun.
She resumed facing forward, then slid a glance up at Alan. “Bambi?”
“In my defense,” said Alan. “Clive.”
“Just a little obvious, that’s all I’m saying.”
“But it worked.”
“Well, you’ve obviously had a lot of practice, so you were able to carry it off okay,” Sin conceded. “So.”
“So what?”
She gave him the slow, Bambi-style smile that had scandalized the woman by the boat. “Lie to me, Clive.”
One of Alan’s eyebrows came up, and then he smiled a little. He put his hand into his pocket and she saw, cupped in his palm, the glint of his gun. “I was doing a chemistry experiment. I’m so sorry the noise disturbed you; I’m in some advanced classes, and sometimes when I’m studying I lose track of time.”
Sin slipped her knife out of her pocket and showed it to him. “This? It’s a prop. I do a dance with it.” She paused significantly. “A belly dance.”
“And that sound was a car backfiring. My brother’s keen on cars, you see. Don’t worry. I’ll have a word with him.”
