anith waited until the last of the sentries had run to investigate the source of all the screaming, then slipped out from hiding. She moved quickly down a narrow street, saw Thames Chabon and three of his men running up from the other side. They met in the middle beside a large metal rubbish skip and he tapped the wall.

“This is what we call the tradesman’s entrance,” he said. “It’ll take you into a storeroom. There’s never anyone in there. What you do next is not my concern.”

Tanith examined the wall. “How does it open?”

“It doesn’t,” said Chabon. “You stand here, activate the mechanism, and you turn intangible for three seconds. In those three seconds you walk straight through.”

“How do I activate the mechanism?”

“Sorry, not sharing that little secret. I’ll activate it for you, once you give me my payment. How you get out again, that’s up to you.”

“I have that covered,” she said. “Please stand back, I don’t want you to spook my associates.”

Once Chabon and his men stepped behind the skip, Tanith took out her phone, pressed SEND. Moments later, Sabine ran up, followed by Annis and Wilhelm. Dusk came last. His fists were clenched and he was sweating. His body trembled. Following Tanith’s instruction, he hadn’t taken his serum, and he was fighting the change. Tanith kept an eye on him.

“Where is it?” Wilhelm asked, fear in his voice. “Where’s the door? You said you’d be meeting your contact. Where is he?”

“Wilhelm,” Tanith said, “calm down.”

“The sentries will be back at any moment! They’ll find us! They’ll arrest us, or kill us! We have to run!”

Sabine stepped up to him, slapped him hard across the face. He stared at her in shock.

“Stop panicking,” Sabine said.

“OK,” he mumbled.

Sabine looked at Tanith. “Do you know how we get in?”

“I do.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“I just have to pay the man,” Tanith said, and watched how wide Sabine’s eyes got when Chabon’s men grabbed her from behind.

“Hello, Sabine,” said Chabon as she struggled. “Did you really think you’d be able to avoid me forever?”

“Tanith,” said Sabine, “please, help me, he’ll kill me—”

“That’s the risk you take when you con a gangster,” Tanith told her. “Mr Chabon, activate the mechanism and our business will be concluded.”

“Tanith, no!” Sabine cried. “Annis, do something!”

Black Annis sniffed. “Maybe this’ll teach you not to steal other women’s men.”

“What? What the hell are you...? Wilhelm! Dusk! Help me!”

Wilhelm stared at his shoes, and Dusk didn’t seem to even notice Sabine’s predicament, so preoccupied was he with his own discomfort.