Sliding a cup of milk toward Esta, Tilly gave her a wry look. “Big plans, like always.”
Dolph thumped the table with his fist, and Viola said something vicious in Italian as she gestured wildly with her hands.
“They don’t seem to be going too well.”
“They’re not, from what I can tell,” Tilly said, turning back to the sinkful of dishes.
Esta picked up a towel and took one of the wet plates from where Tilly had set them on the counter. Wiping at the plate, she kept an ear toward the group at the table. “What are they trying to do?” she said, keeping her voice low.
Tilly glanced over at her out of the corner of her eye. “Something that will probably get one of them killed,” she murmured. She shook her head, obviously disgusted with the whole idea.
“It’s not possible,” Viola snapped. “You want that we walk into a crowded room, take everything right from under their noses, and get away without being caught. ?All while cleaning out everyone in the room at the same time? Sei pazzo!”
“We’ve been over this. Jianyu can slip in undetected,” Dolph started.
“And then what?” Nibs asked gently. “He’s no thief, Dolph.”
“He steals secrets well enough,” Dolph insisted.
“Secrets don’t have weight,” ?Viola said, punctuating her words with her hands. “This is different. You want him to take everything? To rob a room filled with members of the Order while we take the exhibit? It’s too much for one person.”
“Maybe we don’t need to take all of it?” Jianyu offered. “Taking a prized piece or two should be more than enough.”
“No!” Dolph thumped again. “It’s not. They can’t know what we’re after. If we take everything, they’re less likely to know why they were robbed.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?” ?Viola asked.
“We’ll send you,” Dolph said.
“Bah! Be serious. I’m no thief, and you don’t want them dead, do you?”
Esta took a sip from the cup of milk, using the excuse of the movement to glance over at the tense group around the table, but she practically choked when she found Nibs watching her.
“What about her?” Nibs said as she was turning away.
“What?” Dolph snapped.
“Esta, the new girl. She’s lasted nearly a week downtown, hasn’t she? You know she’s talented—you couldn’t even stop her.” He shrugged. “Why not have her fleece the crowd? Jianyu can focus on the art.”
Dolph turned to look at her with his icy stare. He studied her a second, his features tense. “No,” he said after a moment, and turned back to the table.
“She does have light fingers,” Jianyu pressed, his eyes sliding over to her. He gave her an unreadable look, a reminder of what he had over her.
“No,” Dolph said again, as though that was the end of that.
“I agree,”? Viola said, glaring at her. “Not the girl.”
For some reason it was Viola’s dismissal that rankled. “Why not ‘the girl’?” Esta asked. She took a step toward them, never letting her gaze drop from Viola’s. “You need something taken, and it’s what I do. I managed to take that knife right out of your pocket, didn’t I?”
“You haven’t managed it since,” ?Viola snapped, her eyes narrowing.
“Haven’t bothered to try.”
“Enough,” Dolph said before Viola could come back at her.
Esta looked to Dolph. “You know I’m more than capable.”
“But I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“Only one way to find out,” Esta challenged.
Dolph didn’t speak at first, simply stared at her, his cold blue eye serious.
“You’re all worse than a couple of tomcats fighting over an alley,” ?Tilly said, bringing a plate of food to the table. “Esta’s fine, Dolph. I have a good feeling about her, and if you were honest with yourself, you’d know you trust her.”
“You don’t know that,” he said, glancing at Tilly.
“I know she’d already be gone if you didn’t.” She gave him a stern look. “Use her. Maybe you’ll be less likely to get somebody killed that way.”
“Tilly’s right,” Nibs said. “We can use the girl.”
“The girl has a name,” Esta muttered.
“Fine,” Dolph said, taking one of the biscuits Tilly had brought over. “Take a seat,” he said to Esta. “But know this—if you even think to cross us—”
“You’ll be dead before you lift a finger,” ?Viola finished.
Jianyu was silent, not adding his own warning, but his eyes were steady, watchful.
Luckily, she wasn’t planning to cross them. Not yet, at least.
THE CORE OF MAGIC
It was long after the Strega had closed its doors for the night when Dolph finally made his way back to his lonely apartment. Once, it had been filled with warmth and life, but now the silence served as penance. He settled himself at the table by the fire to look over the floor plans for the Metropolitan and the notes he’d collected about the exhibition so far, as well as Jianyu’s latest report.
Sometime later, a sharp knock at the door stirred him from his solitude. He glanced up at the clock and saw that he’d worked well past midnight, far too late for someone to disturb him if it wasn’t important. “Come,” he barked, stepping in front of the table to block the view of the paperwork.
Viola entered, and Dolph relaxed a measure, taking his chair again as he motioned for Viola to close the door behind her. Her unease permeated the air around them.
“What is it?” he asked, gesturing to the empty chair across from him.
Viola shook her head. “I won’t stay long.” But she didn’t immediately speak.
“It’s been a long day, so if you have something to say, you’d best get to it.”
Her eyes found the sheets of papers and notes on the table, and then she glanced up at him. “You really think it’s wise to include the girl in this?” she said finally.
“That seems to be the current consensus,” Dolph said, sinking back into his own chair.
Viola scowled. “I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t trust anyone, Vi. Except maybe Tilly, and even then . . .” He gave a tired shrug. What was there to say about that, if ?Viola wouldn’t say it herself??
Not that he blamed Viola for being so wary. She’d trusted her family, hadn’t she? Raised as the dutiful daughter, she’d done everything they’d asked of her—became her brother’s weapon when he began making enemies that came with the reputation he was building in the neighborhood. But when they’d heard whispers that she was getting too close to one of the teachers at the night classes she attended, they’d made the woman—and any hint of an affair—disappear and tried to sell Viola off to the highest bidder. For her own good, of course.