“You didn’t answer my question,” I said blandly. “Are you going to tell Tam?”

The kid’s grin widened. “I’ll tell him if you’ll give me that big, wet, sloppy kiss.”

“No kiss, and you’ll tell him anyway.”

His aqua eyes glittered devilishly. Damn, but he looked like Tam.

“You’re no fun,” he told me.

“Yeah, kid, that’s the burden I carry.”

Phaelan came out of Sedge Rinker’s office then and slouched in a chair next to Piaras. His body language said he was calm and confident. The twitch in his left eyelid said otherwise. My cousin, the scourge of the seas of seven kingdoms, was in the same room with at least fifty sworn officers of the law. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t broken any laws today (at least not that I knew of). When your daily life was steeped in as much criminal activity as Phaelan’s was, there was always someone somewhere who wanted your neck in a noose for something. His eyes flicked to a bulletin board covered with wanted posters. He mouthed an obscenity and quickly looked away.

I looked at the board. Yep, one of them was Phaelan. I’d seen a lot of wanted posters of my cousin. Unlike most of them, this one actually bore a resemblance. Kind of.

I chuckled, as did Piaras.

“Shut up!” Phaelan’s teeth were clenched, his lips didn’t move, and words still came out. Impressive.

My chuckle turned into a snort. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right. I’m not. But you should be.”

“Hey, I’m just a man making a living.”

Talon leaned forward and squinted at the poster, then grinned until his fangs showed. “I don’t think that’s what it says.”

“Quit staring at it!”

“I’m not staring at it. Don’t worry; it’s not that good a likeness.”

I felt someone staring at me then. I didn’t need to look; I knew who it had to be.