is a one-woman operation.”
Rhiannon reached over to give her arm a shake. “Sailor, someone is trying to kill you.”
“It’s harder to hit a moving target,” Sailor said.
“Look,” Rhiannon said sternly, “I have a Keeper meeting of my own this afternoon, an emergency meeting, and I think it’s vital that we all attend our Councils—”
“It is,” Sailor said.
“But if one of us can’t be with you, you have to be with Declan. Or Brodie.”
Barrie shook her head. “Declan will be in Pasadena with me. At the shifter Council. He won’t miss that.”
“He will if he thinks Sailor’s off roaming the city on her own.”
“Then don’t tell him,” Sailor said, gathering up her purse and cell phone. “And Brodie’s got plenty to do without babysitting me. I have about three hundred friends in this town, I’m sure I can—”
“Reggie Maxx,” Rhiannon said. “He called here last night, returning your call.”
“Perfect. There you go. We talked about pooling our resources, so we may as well do it in person. The only question is, what do I do for a car?”
“The only question,” Rhiannon retorted, “is what we tell Declan when he asks where you are and how you’re doing.”
“You tell him,” Sailor said, “that I will be in touch once I have something new to report.”
“No,” Barrie said, handing over a set of keys. “We tell him that Sailor’s driving my car while I drive the Caddy. And then he’ll tell us how to put a tracking device on a Peugeot.”
* * *
Barrie’s Peugeot was smaller than the Jeep but still big enough for Jonquil to ride shotgun. Given his temperament, he would be useless in a fight, but he looked tough, and he was good company. And Sailor wasn’t leaving him alone in the house. If a killer could find out what she drove and where she worked, he would have no trouble finding where she lived—but he wouldn’t find her dog there, not if she could help it. Barrie, meanwhile, was driving her own father’s beloved antique Cadillac, a car Sailor wouldn’t touch. The Peugeot was Uncle Owen’s car, too, but the Caddy was more like a member of the family than a vehicle, and Sailor would rather face a serial killer than Uncle Owen should she damage it.
She headed to Echo Park. Back in the silent era, it had been the center of the film industry, but she saw no signs of its former glory on the street where Magdy lived. She’d found the address through Lauren, her fellow waitress, who’d dated the sous chef who’d hired Magdy. Because of the tragedy, people were going out of their way to help one another. She hoped that this trend would continue when she talked to Magdy, but she doubted it would extend to his neighbors in the ratty apartment complex she pulled up to. At least a large dog in the car would be a disincentive for anyone looking to steal the Peugeot’s tires.
It was reassuring, in a place like this, to have a weapon, and she had brought along Alessande’s dagger. She was growing fond of the knife and suspected it was charmed. The Elven tended to do that, layering spells and incantations into their tools and weapons. She’d added a tactical vest to black jeans and a white T-shirt so that her dagger was more accessible than it had been in the ankle sheath. So far the attacks on her had been stealthy, not face-to-face, but that could change. Later she would go home and dress in something more feminine for Kelly Ellory’s memorial service. But for now, the tougher she looked, the better.
The intercom for Magdy’s apartment seemed to be broken, so she pressed random buttons until someone buzzed her in. She walked down a hallway, following signs out a door to a courtyard, into another building and up a floor to a steel door. She knocked.
A little boy wearing shorts and nothing else answered. A littler boy, in a T-shirt and diaper, came up behind the first one to stare at her. Then Magdy appeared. Sailor almost didn’t recognize him, as she was used to seeing him in kitchen whites, not a muscle shirt. His hair was matted and tangled, and he needed a shave and some sleep, but it was him. He was shorter than she was, but far stronger. He met her gaze with an unspoken What do you want? and she simply removed her sunglasses and looked at him, letting the scarlet of her