“You live above a strip bar?” I said, and Nick gave me a sidelong glance, pulling a single key out from a pocket and unlocking a side door covered in thick paint the same color as the walls. It opened to a narrow stairway with faded carpet and bare walls going up what must have been three stories. I sent my gaze all the way up and winced. This was going to kill my knees.

“Upstairs, last door at the end of the hall,” Nick said, gesturing for me to go, and Jax flew up first, vaulting from Nick’s pocket to make a steep, glittery ascent. It looked like the two of them had been working together since Mackinaw, and I wondered if it was only the fact that Nick was a thief that made Jenks and me that much different.

The stairs creaked, and it smelled old, like coal-stoves-and-pigs-roaming-the-streets old. The occasional window through the brick wall lit the way. Pierce was behind me, and I glanced up when footsteps started down. It was a very tall woman, and I stood aside when we met somewhere in the middle. She was wearing black lace and fur, both fake. Too much blush.

“Hi, hon, love your hair,” she said to me, her voice decidedly husky, then to Nick, “Hey, lovey. Where’s Jax?”

“Upstairs,” Nick said shortly, clearly not liking the woman, or man, I was beginning to suspect. I smiled noncommittally as she passed with her boots clunking, but before I could take another step, she made a sound of recognition.

“Tom!” she exclaimed, and Pierce threw himself against the wall when she reached for him. His expression was scared, and he grabbed his hat from his head when it started to fall.

“Hey, man!” the woman said, punching him on the shoulder to make Pierce’s eyes go even wider. “Tom, Tom, the magic man. That was some serious shit you did last time you were here. Where you been? Word was you got cacked by some broad under the city. Shoulda known it was nothing but salty water under the bridge. I didn’t know you knew Nicky. You going to be here tonight? I got a table for you. You just say the word, and I’ll have a couple of my best girls for you, too. No charge, no cleanup fee.”

No cleanup fee?

Nick watched Pierce’s frightened expression. I, too, was surprised. Tom was a known face down here? Great. Just freaking great.

“You mistake me for someone else … ma’am,” Pierce managed.

The woman looked at me and laughed. “Oh, right. Yeah. My mistake,” she said. “See you around. Bye, Nicky,” she said, her voice shifting higher. “You working tonight?”

Nick shook his head. “Not tonight, Annie. I’ll be showing my friends the sights.”