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Lynch opened his cloak, flashing the stark black leather of his body ar in his eyes before his lowered gaze hid it "My apologies, me lord--"

"I’atehouse "I need access to your records"

At that the guard’s head shot up "Now, sir, I ain’t s’posed to give that without Council orders"

Lynch stared at hiuard muttered under his breath and looked around "I don’t want no trouble froed a key chain over his head and held it out flat, in his palatehouse "I was never here"

Inside the gatehouse, the stench of stale coffee and long congealed ham struck him The room was dark but he traversed the shadows easily until he reached into his pocket and struck the flare stick he carried with him

The records cha roo cabinets Inside each were files, all of the na with a grainy photograph Lynch ignored the men’s files and stopped in front of the wo cabinet, then unlocked the first drawer

By law, each istered with the city Mercury would be in here somewhere All he needed was to find a woman of around 5’8" with an enhancement to her left hand A specialty order, fitted with blade and needle, and no doubt ure out what to do with her

The door to Lynch’s inner sanctulanced at the door to the hallway as her fingers meticulously folded a letter and sealed it inside its envelope There’d been no sign of Lynch for the last two days The room reeked of his presence; the maelstrom of untidy paperwork, a brass spectrometer in the corner for his CV count, the liquor stand with its vile flasks of blood, and that ever-da map on the wall, but the man was as elusive as the wind

She didn’t know if that were blessing or curse While it had given her ah his papers for word of her brother--or even the mechs--frustration filled her

The part of her that played at Mercury--that dangerous, thrill-seeking part--itched over her skin like a hair shirt She was growing restless with the inactivity Forced to keep her head down due to Lynch’s increased efforts to find Mercury, she had sat at hooodWithout hie ofith him

Rosalind put aside the pair of letters she’d been preparing and crossed to the , tapping the letter opener against her skirts Late afternoon sunshine struggled through the gray clouds, washing the world with a melancholy tint

She lasted barely a minute Slowly her head turned toward the door to Lynch’s private study There’d been no mention of Jereh?

Or perhaps she was siuild was quiet this ti their beds in preparation for the night ahead Rosalind crossed to the door and pressed her ear against it Lynch’s rooh his private study only, so there was no risk of hiertips twitched and with one last glance around, she eased the letter opener inside the lock

The thin stiletto tip rasped over iron Rosalind cocked her head and listened to each click, feeling her way like a blind ht and she held her breath, easing it, carefully, carefully…

A click

The lock tumbled open

A shiver ran down her spine and she licked her lips with one last look at the door to the hallway The rush of heat that swept through her veins was al swiftly, she slipped inside The roos Rosalind dragged one of thehtness spilled into the rooht that flood-lit the Turkish rug

As her eyes adjusted, she glanced around, absently flipping the letter opener over and under her fingers Lynch’s private study was larger than she’d expected from the size of her study outside She had to aze was drawn directly to the door on the other side of the room His bedchambers Curiosity bit at her She kneasn’t there He never slept, it seemed The lock to his rooms tempted her but that was surely madness

Don’t Rosalind closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling that sa the letter opener between her breasts and into the stiff-boned fabric of her corset, she hurried to the otherand wrenched the curtains back, forcing herself not to think He would scent her in here surely, but she could explain that away, protesting an unlocked door and the desire to tidy things up a bit for him After the ruthless way she’d filed his paperwork in her study, he’d believe her

But the trace of her scent in his private rooms could not be explained away

Why, sir, I wanted to see where you sleep--if you ever do…to see your bed, your sheets, your coat discarded over a chair To touch the fine fabrics of his cloak and breeches, and run her fingers over the slick leather of his body armor

To leave Mercury’s mask in the center of his pillow

Rosalind bit back a nervous laugh She didn’t dare The thought was foolish--stupid But the idea le

Keep your mind on the job The smile on her lips died and she forced herself to reht her to discipline herself as a child Every last flicker of humor vanished and she hurried to Lynch’s desk

The monstrosity dominated the room, smothered in piles of paperwork Honestly, the h she’d swiftly learned that he could set hands on anything he wanted within a gravate hiaaze over each sheet of paper, Rosalind rifled through the piles on his desk The range of subjects fascinated her: scientific theories, what appeared to be treatises on rare plants and distillations of poisons, beautiful watercolor leaflets of exotic blooms she’d never even heard of, and anatorid feel ill just to look at

There was, however, nothing on his desk that had anything to do with his work

Rosalind tapped her fingers on the any An orchid dozed on the sill, its bonneted white head dripping with a florid pink tongue She began to truly look around One as nothing but bookshelves and Rosalind stepped closer