The Serpent's Curse by Lisa Maxwell (read an ebook week .TXT) 📕

Kelly was only calling the meeting—a last-minute and unplanned meeting at that—to prove that he could. It was another volley in their battle of wills, and in return, James made sure to keep Kelly waiting, because James knew that he could.

Kelly might believe that he was the more powerful of the two of them—certainly, an argument could be made that Kelly’s Five Pointers were the wildest and most dangerous of the gangs in the Bowery—but James knew otherwise. He understood that true power moved best in invisible currents, like electricity… or like magic. Those who knew how to wield it, to hold it firmly in the palm of their hand, didn’t always require muscle and brawn. Often, they simply required a bit of patience—something Paul Kelly did not have.

Once he’d arrived at the Little Naples Cafe, James didn’t miss that Kelly did not so much as offer him a glass of water. He didn’t ask for one either, despite the growing warmth of the day. Instead, he waited for Kelly to finish the sandwich he’d been eating when James arrived and pretended that he hadn’t been pulled away from his own business.

Kelly finished finally, dabbed at his mouth delicately with his napkin, and then pushed the plate aside. “I have news.”

James inclined his head. “I figured as much.”

“Things are moving faster than we expected,” Kelly told him.

“How much faster?” James asked, allowing his affinity to unfurl a little to detect the way the Aether moved in response to this news. He might be working with Kelly, but James didn’t trust the gangster. He had no plans to allow Kelly to obtain the upper hand in their dealings.

“We originally thought the plans were to move the goods during the summer solstice,” Kelly said.

“They’re not?” The solstice had made sense. Sundren, like those in the Order, often believed the movement of the planets and stars had important meaning, but then, maybe they did for false magic. “Why the change?”

“Not a change, exactly,” Kelly said. “A misunderstanding. The Order is making their move on a solstice, but it’s not the one on the calendar. It’s a day they’re calling the Manhattan Solstice, whatever that means.”

“When?” James asked, because it was the only question that truly mattered.

“Not in late June, like we’ve been planning,” Kelly said, looking almost annoyed. “They’re planning on making the move on the twenty-eighth of May.”

“That’s only four days from now,” James said. He had been operating under the assumption that he still had time to prepare. He’d planned to bring Viola to heel and align his forces just so.

“There’s more,” Kelly said.

There’s always more, James thought with no little frustration. He didn’t allow any of the concern he might have been feeling to show, though. Not in front of Kelly, where any display of weakness could be a weapon turned against him.

“Tell me,” James said easily, as though they had not lost weeks of preparation.

“They’re not bringing the goods across the bridge, like we originally thought.” Kelly took out one of his small cigarettes and didn’t bother to offer James one before he lit it. “They’re bringing everything in by boat.”

James tightened his grip on the gorgon’s head. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Kelly said. “After the mess at Khafre Hall, the Order has decided that bringing the goods over the bridge would leave them too vulnerable. But by boat?” Kelly took a long drag on his cigarette, the tip glowing as he squinted through the smoke. “There are a lot of docks in the city. Word is, the Order figures that this plan will make it harder to predict where the boat will arrive.”

“They’re expecting an attack,” James said, unsurprised. The Order would have been stupid not to expect some difficulty, especially after Khafre Hall.

“It seems that way,” Kelly agreed.

It doesn’t matter, James reminded himself, adjusting his grip on his cane. Beneath his hand, the sharp outlines of the serpents that formed the gorgon’s hair pressed into his palm. The cool energy beneath the silvery surface was a balm to any anxiety he might feel. It was a reminder of the possibility that lay ahead. He’d been working diligently on accessing the magic held within the cane, and already he could sense the power there beginning to answer his call. Once he had the ring, he would have everything he needed to unlock that power completely.

“This change,” James said. “It doesn’t give us much time to plan.”

Kelly shrugged. “It doesn’t give you much time. My boys are ready to disable the Death Avenue train and lead the wagons right where we want them, but if we can’t get our hands on the goods, the risk is all for nothing. Have you made any progress figuring out what the protections might be?”

They’d learned already that the Order was planning on using some kind of ritual to protect the wagon carrying their treasures, but James hadn’t been able to quite figure out what it might entail. Maybe if Dolph’s journal hadn’t gone missing, he would have already had the answer.

Still, the information Kelly was providing might be of use, even if the new timeline was nothing short of a disaster. The Manhattan Solstice sounded like some kind of a fantasy that only the rich could devise, but James had enough experience under his belt not to discount anything when it came to the Order. “I’ll figure it out.”

“I trust you’ll let me know what you discover?” Kelly said.

“Of course,” James lied, inclining his head. Once he figured out what the Order had planned, he’d tell Kelly just enough to let that particular problem take care of itself.

Outside the cafe, the streets were half in shadow, an effect of the slant of the sun and the tightly crowded buildings. There was still plenty of daylight left, but James didn’t have any interest in lingering too long in Kelly’s territory. Luckily, the man he needed to talk to was already waiting for him.

John Torrio was at the corner, talking with another of Kelly’s lackeys, Razor