Apollo's Ghost-Hunting Daughter

Chapter 15

For the second time in as many days, I found myself approaching the private fencing studio run by two former Fittes agents. It was in a prime location, the windows bright and clean, the interior stark yet elegant in a functional way. From the street, I could see the students inside, each armed with a rapier, as they executed a series of drills. I hovered in the window for a long minute until James met my eyes through the glass and smiled radiantly, his eyes gleaming.

I took that as an invitation and slipped inside, leaning up against the desk as James and Collin continued leading their class. Discretely, I looked at the contents of the desk, but it was all business. Medical wavers, blank consulting contracts, a stack of defensive positioning diagrams. A neat little stack of business cards with a silver emblem of crossed rapiers was balanced on the corner of the desk. I picked one up and twirled it between my fingers.

The plan Kipps, Paulo, and I had devised in the early hours of the morning was already in full swing. As promised, Kipps had managed to get his hands on James and Collin's forwarding addresses, which turned out to be the same flat. I quickly relayed this information to Paulo, who immediately started casing the joint. Then I'd called up Kane and filled him in. He wasn't fazed in the slightest when I mentioned our somewhat illegal scheme to discover more information on our suspected relic-dealers and volunteered to pitch in even before I'd mentioned the role we'd devised for him.

On the street, Kane was passing the window. I had been carefully counting in my head and discretely placed my left hand to my lower back. That was the signal for the plan to continue.

The flat James and Collin shared was actually not far up the street. Kane would relay the message then double back along the opposite side of the road where there was a bus stop. Knowing that he has eyes on me was refreshing.

I scanned the room, shaking all thoughts of the others. They would do their parts, I was confident.

A few minutes passed before the class began to wrap up. The students gathered their gear and began trickling out the door. Some continued on foot while others headed for nearby bus stops and tube stations.

"Hello, Sloane," Collin called, waving through the remaining students to greet me. "I heard you paid a little visit yesterday. Honestly, I'm shocked you're back so soon."

"Well, what James said really struck a chord with me. I could not sleep last night," I said.

"I can tell. You look exhausted."

Ouch.

I glanced down and spotted something peculiar. Collin's left arm was carefully bandaged down to his hand, where each finger was wrapped. My sightline was unmistakable, and I quickly covered my suspicions, forcing myself to remain casual.

"Overzealous student?" I asked with a slight grin.

"Ah, something like that," he replied. "Hazards of the job."

"Don't I know it. There's a girl on my team, and every time she draws her rapier, I swear I end up getting stitches," I said with a little laugh.

"Sounds like she would benefit from private lessons."

"I'll suggest it again."

There was a slight lull as the last of the students left the studio and James joined us. We exchanged pleasantries before diving into the root of my visit.

"I was just telling Collin that our conversation yesterday was very enlightening. It helped me realize how overworked and undervalued I am. I'm seriously questioning whether or not I want to continue with my supervisory training, but at the same time, I have no idea what I would do with myself."