I grinned. There had definitely been something here.
Xavier’s gaze moved to me. “Hello, new girl.”
“I’m Carrow.” I didn’t step forward to offer him my hand.
Xavier rose with a long, lean grace. His cigarette was almost down to the filter, and I half expected him to flick it into the water. Instead, he bent low and stubbed in out in a small ashtray, looking up through the sweep of his dark hair as he did so. “What can I help you with? Because I assume it’s not me you’ve come to see, Eve.”
“You’re correct.” Eve’s voice had regained its usual tone. “We’re here to see Michael.”
Xavier’s brows rose. “Michael, is it?”
“We need some ingredients,” she said. “And if you could take us, we’d appreciate it.”
“For a price, of course.”
I reached for my pocket, but he shook his head. “Not money, new girl.”
“Then what?” I asked.
“You’re the one with the familiar, the raccoon?”
“Cordelia?”
“That’s the one.”
“How do you know about Cordelia?”
“Not many raccoons in London.” He shrugged. “And that one gets around. I have a job for your Cordelia
.”
“You’ll have to take it up with her.” My mind was already spinning with ways to bribe the raccoon.
“You’ll put in a good word for me?” he asked.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Now?”
My eyebrows rose. “What, you don’t trust me?”
He grinned and shrugged, his movements so graceful that he might have been a ballet dancer. “I trust one person: my brother. And that’s it.”
“Would that be Michael?” I asked.
“That’s the one. Now, about Cordelia?”
“Sure. I’ll see if I can get her here,” I said. “She doesn’t always come when I call.”
“Promise her a kebab,” Eve suggested.
I nodded and met Xavier’s gaze. “Just a hint—you’ll get better work out of her if you bribe her.”
The corner of his lips tugged up in a grin. “All right. Thanks.”
I called Cordelia with my mind. Come on, dude, get over here. I need some help.
A moment later, Cordelia appeared on the dock behind me, her teeth bared and her fighting face on full display.
“Not that kind of help,” I said.
She looked up at me, frowning. Then what’s the rush?
I gestured to the poet. “Xavier needs your help with something. And if you help him, then he’ll help me.”
She shifted to sit upright on her butt and stared at him. What does he want? Does he know I work for kebabs?
I looked at him. “Can you understand her?”
“No. But it’s a thieving job.”
I like thieving.
“She’s interested.” I frowned, my former cop self not quite liking the sound of this. “But who would she be stealing from?”
“No one good, that’s for sure,” Xavier said.
Strangely enough, I believed him. “Is it dangerous?”
He shrugged. “Not more so than anything else. I need her to sneak into a club through a back alley and retrieve something.”
I can do it. Cordelia looked at me. We’ll have to talk terms, though. Kebab terms.
I nodded at her, wondering where the hell my life had gone off the tracks. I was the intermediary between a man and a raccoon as they discussed payment for theft. Not what I’d imagined for my life.
This was ten times better.
“She’s agreed to it,” I said. “Can we work it out after you help us?”
Xavier nodded, his gaze moving briefly to Eve, then away. “Sure. Come aboard. We can deal with payment next week.”
“Thanks.” I stepped onto the boat, feeling like I was venturing into a whole new world.
12
Carrow
The narrowboat rocked underfoot as I moved closer to Xavier. Eve and Cordelia joined us, and he gestured to the bench. “Have a seat, and we’ll be on our way.”
We sat, and he moved gracefully around the boat, untying it from its moorings and turning it on. The fog had grown thicker over the river, but he piloted expertly away from the small marina and out into the wide expanse of the Thames.
I leaned closer to Eve and whispered. “You have a history with this guy?”
“Not one that I’m going to discuss right now.”
“Fair enough.” I leaned back and looked out at the city, trying to see it through the fog. It was nearly impossible. The thick gray stuff obscured everything.
Xavier seemed to know where he was going, though I couldn’t see any kind of radar. He stared off into the distance, turning the big wooden wheel slightly to keep us on track.
The current was stronger in the middle of the river, hurrying twigs and leaves along. In the depths, I could see golden sparkles shooting through the dark water. Small splashes rose to the surface, seeming to come from deep within the river.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
“Things you can’t imagine,” Xavier said.
I groaned. “Come on, you can’t do that. Details, man.”
His mouth quirked. “Fine. Magical fish. Maybe a sea monster, depending on the season. Definitely some water fae. Possibly my ex-boyfriend.”
“He get on the wrong side of someone?” I asked.
“Yeah. Me.”
My eyebrows shot up, but Xavier chuckled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t have him offed in the river, so don’t go spreading that around. Absolutely no mob ties here.”
“Sure.” I didn’t know much about a magical London mob—it was probably in Guild City. Hell, Grey was probably the mob.
Which made me realize that I had no idea what kind of supernatural this guy was. His physical form didn’t reveal anything. I couldn’t see his ears, but maybe they were pointed. He could be fae like Eve. He had the same ethereal beauty.
“You’re staring,” Eve whispered.
“Oops.”
“I don’t mind,” Xavier said. “Beautiful women staring at me isn’t a problem.”
Shit.
My cheeks heated. He had exceptional hearing, but I still had no idea what he was.
In the distance, a shadow appeared in the middle of the river. As we neared, I realized it was a little island. A small thatched-roof cottage sat in the middle, a single building on the speck of land. Roses climbed up the stone walls, and a little green field surrounded it. Two sheep chewed busily at the grass, and they looked up at us, blinking sleepily. A barrier of brambles surrounded the island like a wall, and a little wooden dock sat at one side.
“So sweet it makes your teeth ache, doesn’t it?” Xavier asked.
The charming little house looked like it had been taken right out of the Cotswolds and plunked down in the middle of the Thames. “That’s one way to put it.” I frowned. “But don’t the humans think it’s odd? Or can they not see it because of magic?”
“The second one,” said Xavier.
“What about the other boats? Won’t they ram into it? It’s in the middle of the river.”
“They’re magically diverted around it. It’s not a problem.” He pulled up to the wooden dock and leapt out, tying off the boat to two metal cleats.
“Why does he live all the way out here?” I asked Eve.
“He likes it.”
“Not Guild City?”
“He doesn’t have a guild,” Xavier said. “Neither do I, for that matter.”
He didn’t sound at all bitter about it, but I couldn’t imagine living out here alone. Xavier’s lifestyle I could imagine. Barge life seemed cool, but this…it seemed cold and lonely.
I definitely needed to get my shit sorted with the Council, because I did not want to end up booted out of Guild City and living on a cold, wet island in the middle of the Thames, no matter how charming the house was.
The door of the pretty cottage opened, and an enormous man stepped out. He was well over six feet tall, with the broad shoulders and the strong legs of an athlete. His warm complexion was the opposite of his brother’s pale one, as were his strong jaw and bright green eyes.
He reminded me of Quinn—a handsome, wholesome-looking man who played rugby on the weekends and went down to the pub to watch the football with his boys.
His eyes searched us keenly as he wiped his big hands on the canvas apron he wore around his waist. His broad shoulders strained against his soft, dark T-shirt.
Next to me, Cordelia leaned against my leg as if swooning. I like him.
He was good looking, all right. Both the brothers were in totally different ways.
“What have you brought me, Xavier?” His voice was a low, soft rumble. Somehow, I was certain that he’d never raised it in his life.
“Just some visitors.” Xavier grinned cheekily and sat back down on the bench in his boat, lighting another cigarette. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Those will kill you.” Disapproval echoed in Michael’s voice.
“Thanks, Mom.” Xavier gave him a beatific smile and took a drag.
The sound of chickens squawking from the back made Cordelia stand up straight, her little eyes bright. I’m going to go pay them a visit.
“Don’t eat them,” I said.
Sure, sure. She scampered off, moving quickly around the cottage to the back.
“They can handle themselves against the likes of her.” Michael looked between the two of us. “If you’re here, then you know who I am. Who are you?”
“I’m Eve,” my companion said.
His brows went up as if he recognized the name, and his gaze flicked to Xavier, who still sat behind us. “Nice to meet you, Eve.”
“And I’m Carrow,” I offered.
“Ah, Carrow. The new girl in Guild City?” The words held no hint of dislike. I was impressed. Clearly, he didn’t hold a grudge about not living there or being in a guild.