“Lilas? Well, she’s—”
But Hinge was in motion, apparently too impatient to wait any longer. He hurried over to Lilas and halted a foot in front of her. His posture rigid, he folded one arm over his ribs and the other across his back.
“Introduce us, please,” he ordered me.
I locked bemused eyes with Rome for a second, then said, “This is Lilas Tyne. Lilas, this is Hin—”
“Albert Grenville Chesterton.” He inclined his head sharply. “At your service.”
I bit back a smile.
As formal as if he were meeting the queen.
“Albert?” Lilas’ fog-gray eyes were stunned.
“You can call me Bertie.”
“You never toldmeyour name was Bertie,” Kerry said.
Whirling around, Hinge snarled, “Shut it, Harker!” Then he turned back to Lilas and resumed his courteous manner. “I apologize for my friend and hope you will forget him.”
“Don’t you mean,forgivehim?” Lilas faltered.
“No. Definitely not. Forget him. Come to the living room with me. Let’s get to know each other.”
When he held out his hand, Lilas’ eyes darted from my face to Rome’s before she placed her fingers in Hinge’s palm. Very gently, he folded his finger bones over her hand and led her away.
“And that’s the same little whiny SOB who was fawning over gremlin teeth at the Diabolical Market?” Rome shook his head.
“I don’t get it, either,” Kerry said.
“He wanted to make a good impression on Lilas.” I grinned. “I think it’s love at first sight.”
“Great day! Don’t even say that! We have enough on our hands as it is.” Rome threw a dark look at me. “Does he work at the market?”
“He lives there,” Kerry said. “He thinks, and he’s probably right, that the Diabolical side of the house will find an answer to his problem before the Divine side will. Necromancers are always messing around on the borders of life and death, right?”
“Do you think he knowsournecromancer?” I tilted my head and turned ideas over in my mind. “Khaydari?”
“I don’t know.” Kerry shrugged. “I can ask him.”
“Why do you call him Hinge?”
“Everyone calls him Hinge.” The good side of his mouth curled up a bit. “Guess I thought thatwashis name.”
“Should we call him Bertie, then?” Rome asked.
“No. I don’t think he meant that invite for us,” Kerry said, “and he can be vicious if he feels you’re teasing him.”
“How did you say he found you?” Rome looked disgruntled. “That bothers me.”
“He tracked the knife I took from him when he tried to stab me at the market.”
“You two have a strange relationship.” I shook my head. “But, if he could track something he made, could you track somethingyoumade?”
“I dunno.”
“Ask him how he did it. See if it’s possible, at least.”
