“Dammit, Dresden,” Fix said. “What do I have to do to get you to listen to me?”

“Behave in a vaguely trustworthy fashion,” I said. “For instance, next time you know that Summer’s hitters are about to make a run at me, maybe you could call me on a telephone and give me a little heads-up.”

Fix grimaced. His face twisted into an expression of effort. When he spoke his jaws stayed locked together, but I could, with difficulty, understand the words. “Wanted to.”

“Oh,” I said. A big chunk of my anger evaporated. It was probably just as well. Fix wasn’t the one who deserved to be on the receiving end of it. “I can’t back off.”

He drew in a breath and nodded as if in comprehension. “Mab’s got a handle on you.”

“For now.”

He gave me a rather bleak smile. “She isn’t the sort to let go of anyone she wants to keep.”

“And I’m not the sort who gets kept,” I replied.

“Maybe not,” Fix said, but he sounded dubious. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

“We’re going to have to agree to disagree.”

“Jesus,” Fix said, looking away. “I don’t want to square off against you, Dresden.”

“Then don’t.”

He stared quietly at me, his expression serious. “I can’t back off, either. I like you, Harry. But I can’t make you any promises.”

“We’re playing for opposite teams,” I said. “Nothing personal. But we’ll do what we have to do.”

Fix nodded.

We didn’t speak for almost a minute.

Then I laid the shotgun down in the snow, nodded, and got back into Thomas’s truck. I gave the huge automatic back to my brother. Fix made no move toward the shotgun.

“Harry,” he said, as the truck started to pull out. His mouth twitched a few times before he blurted, “Remember the leaf Lily gave you.”

I frowned at him, but nodded.

Thomas got the truck moving again and started driving. Windshield wipers squeaked. Snow crunched beneath tires, a steady white noise.

“Okay,” Thomas said. “What was that all about? Guy’s supposed to be a friend, and he screwed you over. I thought you were going to pistol-whip him for a minute. Then you start getting all teary-eyed.”

“Metaphorically speaking,” I said tiredly.

“You know what I mean.”

“He’s under a geas, Thomas.”

Thomas frowned. “Lily’s got him in a brain-lock?”

“I doubt she’d do that to Fix. They go back.”

“Who, then?”

“My money is on Titania, the Summer Queen. If she told him to keep his mouth shut and not to help me, he wouldn’t get a choice in the matter. Probably why he showed up armed and tried to intimidate me. He wouldn’t be able to speak to me outright, but if he’s delivering a threat in order to further Titania’s plans, it might let him get around the geas.”

“Seems pretty thin to me. You believe him?”

“Titania’s done it to him before. And she doesn’t really like me.”

“You kill someone’s daughter, that happens,” he said.