Page 4 of All Out of Flux
“Antiquities dealer. That’s his bag. Likes to trade in relics, artifacts, anything rare and exotic. Doesn’t matter if it’s mundane or magical, which only complicates matters because he gets to hide dangerous and useful things among all the regular vases and sculptures and knickknacks.”
Leon gasped. “So he’s like a smuggler. A relic smuggler.”
“Worse,” Tina said. “The man loves the challenge of passing off worthless lumps of nothing as powerful artifacts. It’s a point of pride for him. That wand you bought might work the first couple of times, and that’s by design. If you bother coming back to complain, he’ll have his thugs scare you off.”
“That sounds sketchy as hell. Isn’t that illegal?”
“Does it matter?” Tina shook her head. “He’s a Brillante. He’s an accomplished enchanter, too, and that’s what makes him so infuriating to deal with. And sometimes, it’s not just a dud. He loves selling cursed objects, too. You buy something from one of Gustavo’s shops. Say it’s a jewelry box, tiny and pretty. Makes music when you open it.”
I barked with bitter laughter. “Except it also comes with an illusion. One of his favorite tricks. Maybe it triggers a headless woman to walk across your bedroom at night. By that point it doesn’t matter if you get rid of the box. The illusion has stuck. So you have to hire someone to get rid of your ‘ghost.’ And that someone also works for him, so he profits all the way down. ”
Leon frowned into the rearview mirror. “But that sounds like so much work for, well, not a lot of money. Depending on how much fake exorcisms go for these days, anyway.”
“That’s the thing,” I said. “Tío Gustavo doesn’t do it for the money. He has plenty to begin with. He does it for the thrill of getting away with the scam. The deception. He’ll steal your wallet with a smile, then make you pay to get it back.”
A briefest moment of silence, I noticed, Leon’s eyes flitting to either side as he tried to phrase his next question. “Wait a minute. Then those counterfeits he makes, they could totally end up muddling a finder’s work. Like, what if a finder went out and acquired a fake by accident, did more damage to their client in the end?”
My lips curled. “Why do you think I hate the bastard so much? It’s how Guillotina and I knew instantly from that key inthe thug’s pocket. It’s a skeleton key. Lets his crooks slip into almost any door they find. But it only works in a Brillante thug’s hands. Gustavo’s specialty.”
“They used to be close,” Tina said. “Close enough that Gustavo believed he could make Maximo his protege some day.”
Leon’s mouth fell open, a perfect circle. Cute, but story hour was over, and we’d arrived at our destination, anyway. I parallel parked not a block away from Silk, wanting to get a few last words in.
“And believe it or not, there was a time when I thought I wanted to be his protege, too. But you spend enough time being a Brillante, and eventually you realize being a Brillante isn’t what you want to spend your time on. Not if you have a conscience, at least.”
No trouble at the entrance, considering Leon’s outfit, and mine. We threw our jackets on in the car, but I did have concerns that the sweatpants would get me stopped at the doorway. Maybe it was because we knew Silk’s rotation of bouncers well enough, coming to the bar for work all the time. Haruko was nice enough to let the sweatpants slide.
I couldn’t say the same for Vera Loong. The Jade Spider shrieked at the sight of me, as if I’d walked in wearing a mud-stained potato sack from the waist down.
“Maximilian Drake! What have you done to yourself? What on earth are you wearing?”
I grumbled under my breath as I kissed her hello on the cheek. Trust the woman who lived out a Hollywood boudoir fantasy to be horrified by the sight of a cotton-polyester blend.
Vera wore a flowing sapphire garment that was sheer and gauzy in places, silken and fitted in others, part nightgown and part dress, like something a movie star might wear to sleep. The Jade Spider held a hand to her chest, taking a deep breath.
“Is Auntie Vera not paying you boys enough? It hurts my heart to see you living in such squalor.”
Leon chuckled as he bussed her on the cheek. “Come on, Vera. The jogging pants aren’t so bad. At least you get to see all the goodies.”
She looked down, gasped, and shrieked again. I felt myself blush, my hands flying to cover my front. Fucking Leon. He was going to pay for that one.
Guillotina groaned as she drifted by, making a beeline for the bar. “Spare us the dramatics, Vera. It’s just a dick and balls.”
I gulped, struggling to make myself look modest, especially as I hobbled over to the bar to order. After I collected our drinks — two white Russians, because Leon had a sweet tooth — I hurriedly slid into one of the booths with the others.
Vera steepled her fingers, eyes wet and sparkling as she smiled. “What a rare and wondrous treat this is, seeing you visit Auntie Vera for something beyond the mundane drudgery of finder work.”
Leon took a sip of his cocktail, then set it down, tongue quickly sweeping at his milk mustache. “Oh. Did you have another job for us?”
“Oh, I knew it. Your fondness for Auntie Vera is only transactional.” She held a hand to her forehead and choked out a fake sob. “Why would you even come to me if not for money?”
Tina groaned, the ball of ice in her whiskey clinking as she lifted the glass to her lips.
Leon flashed one of his sunny smiles as he patted the back of Vera’s hand. “There, there, Vera. We love you,andwe love your money.”
I sighed, nursing my own drink. “Job or no job, I’m just happy we haven’t heard from the Quartz Spider again.”
“Or is that such a good thing?” Tina asked. “No news is good news, except it could also mean he’s planning something awful.”
