“I’m sure that’s not entirely true,” he said. “But I’m asking for advice, not a betrayal.” Edden leaned back in his chair, seeming to collect his thoughts. “Occasionally,” he said, “tonight with Ms. Tamwood, for example, an Inderlander comes to us seeking help or with information they don’t feel—prudent—taking to the I.S. To be honest, we don’t know how to deal with them. My people are so suspicious that they can’t gain any useful information. On the rare occasion when we do understand, we don’t know how to capitalize on it. The only reason we were able to contain Ms. Tamwood is because she agreed to be incarcerated once it was explained we would be more willing to listen to you if she did. Up until today we have reluctantly turned situations like this over to the I.S.” His eyes met mine. “They make us look like fools, Ms. Morgan.”

He was offering me a job, but my tension swelled instead of easing. “If I wanted a boss, I would have stayed with the I.S., Captain.”

“No,” he protested quickly, his chair creaking as he sat upright. “Having you here would be a mistake. Not only would my officers want my head on a pole, but it’s against the I.S./FIB convention to have you on the payroll.” His smile grew wicked, and I waited for it. “I want you as a consultant—occasionally—as the need demands.”

I let my held breath out slowly, seeing for the first time what he was after.

“What did you say your firm was called?” Edden asked.

“Vampiric Charms,” Nick said.

Edden chuckled. “Sounds like a dating service.”

I winced, but it was too late to change it now. “And I get paid for these occasional services?” I asked, chewing on my lower lip. This might work.

“Of course.”

Now it was my turn to stare at the ceiling, my pulse racing at the chance that I’d found a way out of this. “I’m part of a team, Captain Edden,” I said, wondering if Ivy was having second thoughts about our partnership. “I can’t speak for them.”

“Ms. Tamwood has already agreed. I believe she said, ‘If the little witch says yes, I’ll go along with it.’ Mr. Jenks expressed a similar feeling, but his exact words were substantially more—colorful.”

I glanced at Nick and he shrugged uneasily. There was no guarantee, when all was said and done, that Edden wouldn’t conveniently forget to pay off my contract. But something in his dry humor and honest reactions had convinced me he wouldn’t. Besides, I had already made a pact with a demon tonight. This couldn’t be any worse.

“Captain Edden, we have a deal,” I said suddenly. “It’s Southwest’s 11:45 flight to L.A.”

“Great!” His good hand hit the table with a thump, and I jumped again. “I knew you would. Rose!” he shouted to the closed door. Grinning, he leaned to open it. “Rose! Get a Brimstone dog team out to …” He looked at me. “Where’s the Brimstone take?” he asked.