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He was that they’d taken out the metaljackets He’d have to look into how they did that Slipping Billy another coin, he took a paper for show and hurried across the street

The guild loo both sides, as though the row houses on each side feared to touch it Leering gargoyles kept watch on the roof; inside each gaping lass that--by use of a clever es of the street so that his h the pair of glossy black double doors, he found himself in the main entry It looked like the typical London manor and it was easy to penetrate--not so easy to escape If he pressed the security breach button a chain-and-lever syste

A faint creak on the floor above drew his eyes upward Fronized Garrett Nobody else wore bloody aftershave

Lynch took a step forward, then froze as the scent of soht his attention War of leer stirred He was overdue for his allotted measure of blood That had to be the problem

Garrett appeared at the top of the stairs, lean and stark in his black leather body armor

"There’s a woman here," Lynch stated "Who is she?" His nations were to be on their own tiuild

Garrett sauntered down the stairs "She’s here for you"

"Me?" He paused

"For the secretarial position To intervieith you"

"Bloody hell," he reat cloak off He tossed it on the hatstand "I forgot I thought I said no er constitution and more fortitude"

"She insisted"

"It’s the nature of a worinned "That brutal sense of honesty is why you keep a lonely bed"

Lynch scraped a weary hand over the stubble on his jaw That hadn’t always been the case "It could have so to do with the fact I’ve not been to bed for two…possibly three days" He considered it "Definitely three"

"I’ll have some coffee and blood sent up And a plate of biscuits for the lady"

Lynch gave an abrupt shake of the head "Don’t bother She’s not staying Blood however…blood would bethe stairs, he paced toward his study on cat-silent feet All the better to observe The door to his secretary’s study cracked open an inch The scent of her wasperfuered in the air Soined

The narrow slice of door presented him with a view of dark blue skirts, the bustle hooked up in a style fashionable alht covered sliuised her features He couldn’t tell whether she was young or old, pretty or plain

He could tell, however, that she was exa the enormous map of London that covered the far wall Red pins dotted theran between each pin, creating an incomprehensible spider web for those who didn’t knohat it s of Mercury that he’d been able to verify or the location of several huh to knoho they were He had larger prey to catch

Lynch’s hand slid inside his waistcoat pocket and the sers had long since rubbed away any trace of scent But close his eyes and it would be a simples pall of coal Mercury wore no perfuround his teeth together Devil take her

The wo thefor so she’d been waiting, though since it was butNobody was allowed out at night between the hours of nine and six duringthe door open, Lynch slipped inside without a sound The woman froze, as if she sensed hi the fine line of her pale jaw and a pair of rosy lips Fro between her shoulder blades, she hadn’t been around a blue blood often No doubt she was one of the working class, her ears full of rumors and superstitions about how a blue blood lusted for blood, their hungers insatiable Or how the Echelon kept factories filled with huht striking over her fine features Eyes the color of polished obsidian met his Lynch stopped in his tracks She was just past the first blush of youth, but…no…He looked closer Her tip-tilted nose and fragile features gave the ier than she was Her sense of poise told another story

Thirty perhaps

Lynch raked his gaze over her Skin like porcelain, so pale and creah the s Her eyebroere coppery wings, arching delightfully as she examined hi, but he iined it was the sah the torso that her heavy skirts swaloves that she hadn’t bothered to remove, as etiquette demanded To present the wrists or the throat to a blue blood was tanta a breast

So she did have so Lynch had to ah that the experience had not been a good one, he suspected

"How do you do?" she asked, pasting a sht hand

Lynch stared at it "Let us get to the point, Miss--?"

"Mrs Marberry" Slight emphasis on the first word

"Married?"