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"Sir?" Perry shut off the boilers and knelt on the edge of the driving seat, peering into the darkness intently

"Mercury," he snapped, gesturing to the park "I saw her in the trees Get after her" He drew sticky fingers away fro after her hih him

Perry leaped down into the street and sprinted toward the park

Skirts rustled and then Rosa was sliding under his ar his face "What’s going on?" She looked down and paled "You’ve torn your wound open"

"It will heal" He stared after Perry On the other side of the park an engine hissed to life as a steae pulled away from the curb "Damn it" He’d bet his last penny that Mercury was in that carriage Perry would lose her and he didn’t kno to drive the carriage hiloved hand against his side "You need to sit back down and rest"

"It won’t kill me," he said absently

"No, but you’ll end up bedridden for days at this rate," she replied tartly

That caught his attention Lynch looked down in bemusement as his secretary clucked and scolded hie Her expression was furious as she tugged his undershirt back up and reexa," she muttered under her breath "It doesn’t look too bad The bleeding is slowing However, if you ain, I shall be most put out with you Sit there and don’t ue with a woman with that kind of tone Lynch sank back into the leather seats

Perry arrived at the door, breathing hard "Lost thene to what Garrett prefers Looked like he earing some sort of half mask over his lower face And a tall woe, like a foote"

"Not your fault" Lynch’s eyes narrowed in the direction Mercury had disappeared into "They planned thishad co hie? A taunt? Or was her presence in connection to the death of Alistair?

"Do you want me to track them?" Perry asked

"You can do that?" Rosa’s head jerked up

"Perry can trace scents even I can’t," he admitted, then turned back to Perry and shook his head Most of the uild There was no way he was sending Perry after the revolutionaries on her own--not so soon after nearly losing Garrett

"When we return to the guild, I want you to take three of the men and see if the scent trail’s still alive," heback in the seat "Don’t confront theive "

Whatever Mercury’s purpose, for tonight he had other concerns he was forced to prioritize

Lynch hadn’t been able to exaht would never allow either now

Fitz had stitched the wound in his side and they’d propped hi across the dark shadows of his study, Lynch silently ran through what he knew of the case He’d exan of needle marks, no toxins or poisons in either of their cups and no evidence in the house to suggest a reason behind this insanity

Just that sticky sweet smell he’d noticed in both houses

He could only assume that Alistair’s bout of insanity would be the sa his hair out of his face, he stared at the desktop His rief, most likely He could barely think Every ti intoto the forefront of his mind, despite the need to focus on Alistair

Why had she appeared tonight? Had she tracked him from Alistair’s house? Was she involved with his death? If she was… His fist clenched There would be no mercy if she was

A sharp rap at the door sounded

Perry He could tell by the way she waited for his response "Yes?" he called, glancing at the clock She’d been gone only three hours This wouldn’t be good news

Perry slipped in through the door, a light rain ot a trail on them for several streets, then it started to rain"

"Which direction were they heading?"

"The docks by the East End"

Lynch sat back in his chair and eyed the way she clasped her hands behind her back "You have sohed "When I lost the trail, I went back to Holland Park Avenue I ne in the opposite alley He never approached the house, but I assu for you"

"Not involved in the attack then," Lynch muttered "Which means their interest was in me But why?"

"I couldn’t say, sir" She took a deep breath "There’s so else The taller wo

"I’ve sent two of the istry, to see if they can identify a woman," she said

The treaty with Scandinavia had introduced a change in the laws, freeing all of the verwulfen in the Empire froister at each city and town they passed through

"Excellent" The pieces were starting to fall into place Lynch had always been patient; the spider’s as starting to tingle, the trap slowly drawing in on Mercury A flutter of anticipation stirred in his gut

"You look exhausted," he said "Clock off and get soht"