Whisper of Shadows (The Diamond City Magic Novels) by Diana Pharaoh Francis

useful. I want to be. I want in for once.”
    “You know that means wading into the stink and rot of the Tyet swamp, right?”
    She snorted. “With your boyfriend’s brother breathing down my neck on my security, I’m already in the swamp.”
    “Maybe you’ve got a toe dipped in,” I acknowledged. “This would be cannonballing into the deep end. Be sure you want to, because it doesn’t wash off.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Tell you what. I’ll ask again after we get Price free. If you still want to, then the answer is yes.”
    We entered the foyer and passed through the first security scan. After that, chained aisles funneled us to the information counter. Our bodyguards remained outside, too loaded with firepower to pass through security.
    The clerk behind the desk took our names, typed into his computer, then eventually gave us visitor badges and directed us up to the fourth-floor check-in. We passed through another set of metal detectors before entering the vast lobby. Apparently, they worried that in the fifty feet we’d covered between the last security check and the second, we might have acquired a bazooka in the gift shop.
    By the time we got to the second-story landing, Mason had rejoined us, along with Taylor’s security lead, Pia Cruz. Each dressed in black fatigue pants and black turtlenecks. The uniform of burglars everywhere. They’d apparently divested themselves of any weapons that might trigger alarms, and they quickly passed through security and overtook us on the stairs. I have issues with small spaces. I don’t do elevators unless I’m bleeding. Literally. Even then I’d rather crawl down a dozen flights of stairs on my belly than get inside that little death box.
    “Ladies,” Pia said, her dark eyes scanning past us as she searched for escape routes and threats. She looked a lot like Cher in her pre-collagen, pre-plastic surgery years. Her straight black hair was woven in a fishtail braid down her back. Her bangs hung thick around her shoe-polish eyes. Her skin was a smooth, rich brown, and her entire presence was exotic, lush, and graceful. I envied her down to my toenails.
    “Fourth floor,” I told Mason.
    He nodded and motioned for Pia to lead off. Taylor and I fell in behind while Mason brought up the rear. I wished their caution was overkill, but I knew better. Bad guys could be anywhere, even in the FBI. Or maybe especially here. Corruption was rampant in Diamond City law enforcement, and this was a nexus of criminals and corruption.
    The center stairs spiraled up through the middle of the glassed-in lobby. Artistic chandeliers hung at varying levels, each lit with brilliant magic. None were the same. I’d have thought there’d have been echoes, with all the traffic below mixing with the reception areas on each floor, but the sound had been dampened so that it felt more like a library than an office building.
    A massive U-shaped desk blocked the landing to the fourth floor. We stopped in front.
    The receptionist finished typing something into her computer and glanced up at me. “May I help you?” Her pinched lips said she suspected I was a criminal.
    “We’re here for Clayton Price. He was arrested.”
    “Oh.” There was a wealth of judgment in that sound. “And you are?”
    “Friends,” I said.
    “I’ll see who the case agent is.” She tapped something on her computer and scanned down the screen. She gave a smile that probably was supposed to look friendly, but instead looked more like a crocodile about to have a snack. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you settled and let him know you’re here.”
    She rose and walked down to the end of the desk. She paused beside a waist-high door and keyed in a code. A soft chime sounded, and the half door swung open. She motioned us through. “This way.”
    Interesting. I hadn’t thought it would be so easy. We followed her down a corridor, past a number of matching closed doors. Finally, she pressed buttons on the exterior