The sun was setting as they left the tube station. Ess slid her arm through Shades' and leant into his muscular shoulder.

"Okay, you were right," she said.

"Wait, wait, let me find a witness. I want this recorded for posterity."

"Shut up." She punched his arm. "The least you can be is gracious about it."

"I told you he wasn't dodgy."

"Mm-hm." Shades was right. When Davenport had entered the room Ess had read his aura. He wasn't a saint, but neither was he wicked. When she'd asked about Daisy his answers were honest, and he seemed to be genuinely concerned about her disappearance. After a while she'd stopped looking at his aura and just listened to the man. Where had the time gone? She'd exhausted her questions soon enough, Shades too, but Davenport was such a charismatic speaker she'd ended up just listening to him. She tried to remember the specifics, but they slid from her mind. He'd liked them as a couple, she remembered. He'd been upset when they'd mentioned the conflict she and Shades had encountered, but it was over now. She snuggled closer into Shades arm. She'd been stupid. There wasn't any conflict of interest, because Davenport obviously wasn't anything to do with Daisy's disappearance. Even when Whitmarsh had chimed in with how unreliable Daisy was, the way Davenport had interpreted it made it seem much more plausible. Was she wasting her time chasing so hard?

And then the subject had moved on to Shades' start date. A couple of weeks at least. More than enough time.

"What hotel had you picked?" she asked him as they turned off the main road.

"Paris, you mean?" Shades shook his head. "I hadn't got that far. Besides, you being an independent woman, I thought you'd want to earn your passage. There's plenty of places around the Moulin Rouge you could work with rooms to let above them."

"Oi!" She thumped his arm.

"True, most of them rent the rooms by the hour."

She punched him again, but the laughter robbed it of any power. She felt drunk. Was this what real happiness felt like? "Bloody good job you're so cute."

"Bloody good job you punch like a girl." He rubbed his arm where her blows had landed.

"So you hadn't actually booked anything?"

"No. Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just, if you had booked something, and it was only a couple of days, and if I don't have any more leads..." She shrugged again.

"Really? After all the fireworks, you're saying yes now? Don't toy with me, girl, because --"

He stopped suddenly, catching Ess off balance so she had to cling tighter to his arm to stay upright. A car slowed to a halt a few yards ahead.

"What's up?" she asked, giggling. She looked up at him. Shades' expression sobered her up. "Shades? What's up?"

The passenger door open and a man stepped onto the footpath. He wore a dark suit, white shirt and shiny shoes. From his breast pocket a pair of sunglasses dangled, despite the gathering gloom. Ess had a vague feeling she'd met him before. Then it clicked. His muscular build, his casual-but-not-really stance, his clothes. Put another face on him and he could have been Shades.

"Simon," said the clone.

"Ted," said Shades.

"Mister Schustek would like a word."

Shades looked over his shoulder. Half the sun was still visible over the rooftops.

"A bit early for the boss."

"He left instructions. Very keen to speak to you as soon as he wakes."

"I don't work for him anymore."

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain that's what he wants to talk to you about."

"And if I'm not that keen? Think you can take me, Ted?"

"Just me? No. But the boys are in the car, Simon. You taught us all we know. You know the four of us could take you."

"I didn't teach you all I know, though."

Ted shrugged. "That's as maybe, but the four of us? Yeah, we could take you, but I don't want to. You'd hurt us, for sure. We'd hurt you. You'd still see him, when all the shouting's over. But I really don't want it to come to that." Ted suddenly slouched, and Ess realised he'd been in a fighter's stance without her noticing. She glanced at Shades. He was side-on to Ted, his shoulders loose, his feet slightly apart. Were they really going to brawl, here, on the street?

"Look, we're mates, right?" said Ted. "I don't want to do this, never mind you'll break a few bones if it comes down to it. But it's the job. You know what he's like. He wants to see you, and I mean wants to in the worst way. Don't make it hard, not on us, not after everything. Even if we can't take you this evening, he'll find another way. Let's at least do it as mates."

Ess stepped forward. "You bloody try it, sunshine, and you'll be taking your tackle home in a paper bag."

Ted looked at Ess, then at Shades, then back to Ess again. Then he laughed.

"Jesus, you were right." He held his hands up in surrender. "She's a right firebrand. Please, Simon, let's do this as friends. I know we can take you, but her?" He laughed again.

Incensed, Ess took another step forward, hands bunched. Let's see how much he laughed when she stuck her claws into his jewels.

Shades laid a hand on her shoulder. "Ted, seriously, stop laughing. You have no idea the trouble you are storing up for yourself."

Ess glared back at Shades, but his face was serious. He took her by her shoulders, turning her to face him and leaning in close.

"It's fine," he whispered. "Go back to the flat. I'll see you later."

She shoved him away. "The hell with that." She tried to turn to face the stranger, but Shades held her shoulders. Instead she shouted over her shoulder, "You can piss off, and that goes double for Schustek. You want him, and you'll have to go through me, and I'm a bloody daughter of Gaia, me. I'll put a curse on you so bad you'll beg for death."

"Ess!" Shades pulled her close into a hug, crushing her against his body. "Ess," he whispered. "It's fine. The boys, they're mates. This is just business. They're right. I've got to see him some time or another. Might as well be now." She pushed against him to no effect. "It's fine," he repeated. "Go home. Plan our trip. I'll be back later. I promise. The lads won't let anything happen to me. They're mates."

Ess shoved against him again, and he released her. She staggered back and glared at him, fists clenching and unclenching. He stood there, so patient and so calm, despite the abduction taking place.

"Fine," she spat at last. She whirled on Ted. "But we're both going. You take him, you take me too."

Ted sighed and shot an appeal towards Shades.

"Can't do that, babes," said Shades behind her. She kept her gaze fixed on Ted. Shades placed his hands on her shoulders, gently this time. "I'd love to, believe me. There's no one I'd rather be fighting my corner, but Mister Schustek only wants to see me, and he always gets what he wants."

"I'm not some little girly you can send home when the big boys want to play," she growled, still staring at Ted. She wasn't going to be swayed, and looking into Shades' eyes wouldn't help that resolve.

"Jesus, why would I think that? Why'd you think I asked you out in the first place? But even if you came, you wouldn't get in to see him. In the end it's just me and him. Look, I've served him well in the past. He probably just wants to offer me a raise to stay, that's all. I know it doesn't look like it, but we're all mates, me, Ted and the boys. I'll be fine, and they'll only get into trouble if they bring you along too."

"You think Schustek can cause more trouble than me? Really?"

"Honestly? I don't want to find out. Please, Ess, just this once, let me win. It's fine, I wouldn't lie to you about this. He's not a monster. Who wouldn't want to keep me? I'm a model employee. It's just to draw a line under it all."

Ted shrugged. "Besides, we don't have room in the car. We came mob-handed as it is."

Finally she turned and faced Shades. She glared at him, teeth clamped so hard her jaw hurt, fingernails digging into her palms. Then she hit him square in his chest, putting all her weight behind it just like he'd shown her, as far from a girly punch as it was possible to get without growing testicles.

"You'd better come back, you hear? And not at bloody stupid o'clock in the morning. You phone me the second you're out of his office and you come back home. Come back home. And you!" She spun around and pointed a finger at Ted, who took a step back in the face of her wrath. "Ted is it? I'm a witch, I am, a bloody powerful one. You better get him back to me, you hear? You get him back or I'll bloody have you. I will hunt you down and have you screaming in agony for the rest of your life, you hear? You and your friends who are hiding in that car." She kicked the door panel. "You think I'm angry now? This is nothing. Nothing, you hear? You bloody well bring him back!"

She turned back to Shades, panting. He smiled, a tad nervously, but it was a smile. He leant forward to kiss her forehead. She twisted away and punched him hard in the chest instead.

"You bloody well come home and take me away to Paris, you bastard," she screamed, then turned on her heel and stomped away from the scene without looking back.