"Your territory? Isn't your territory entirely on this side of the hills?" Shari inquired.
"Used to be. We're expanding our business, y'know? Like a corporation, doing that hostile takeover shit. These guys wouldn't take a hint, so we went out there to reason with them, like. It didn't go down too well." He gave her an odd look. "You didn't know that we were moving into other areas, mama? Nate was the man who suggested it, helped us scan the plan. He wants us to expand our turf so we can sell more rock for him. I bite his style, he's hot shit."
Oh, did he? That's something that dear Nataniel neglected to mention to me at all. I wonder why he's doing that? A little dangerous, I would think—the odds are high that these boys would get themselves killed, and then we'd have to find new buyers for our supplies. Interesting that Nataniel would consider that a worthwhile effort.
But he's right, if they succeed, it means a substantially larger profit for Nataniel. And why should we care if any of these worthless humans die in the effort? "Did any of your boys see anything unusual there last night? Anything you couldn't explain?"
"Like what, mama?" Razz asked.
She thought about trying to explain magic to this human idiot and decided against it. "I need to go talk with these homeboys. I assume your people can direct me to their base of operations?"
"Lady, we took out their base last night. That warehouse was where they cut their rock and wash the shake. I can tell you where some of them live, though. We've been doing surveillance on them, y'know? Like a real military operation."
A real military operation. What an amusing thought. "Good. Let's go, then."
"What, right now?"
"Of course." She stood, tapping her foot impatiently. "You said over the phone that you owe Nate for everything he's done for you. This is a minor favor I'm asking of you, to take me into this gang's territory."
Razz shook his head. "No way, mama. Not that I'm dissin' you, but no can do till you tell me what's going down. We wiped their asses last night—you think we're just gonna walk in there and smoke shit with them? They'll ice our asses."
Shari thought about that for a moment. Razz couldn't use the information, couldn't even figure out who the mage was, probably. "All right, then. There's someone in the gang that I need to see. Someone unusual . . . someone who has the gift of magic."
"Magic?" Razz grinned, showing two gold teeth. "You been smoking too much rock, mama. You sky-ed. No such shit as magic."
"You don't need to believe me," Shari said quietly. "But you'll take me there. You do owe Nate that much."
Razz shrugged. "Yeah, I'm loyal to The Man, but we're not going in there without some serious firepower. I'll call the bros in for this." He walked into the main room. Shari followed him, listening as he explained what they were going to do to the crowd near the pool table.
"Why are you listening to this white bitch, Razz?" one of his boys asked. "Who gives a shit what she wants us to do? She's not The Man, she's just his babe."
Shari considered the problem from a tactical viewpoint. She couldn't damage Razz's control of his group, since a change of command could endanger Nataniel's investments in this gang. Of course, an insult to her was also an insult to Nataniel, her liege lord. An interesting problem.
"I work for Nate," she said, the human nickname feeling awkward on her tongue, "who has kept you supplied in drugs, guns, and bribe money for the police for the last two years. Besides—"
She had learned about human physiology on Nataniel's orders, after he'd brought her here to this human world from the Unseelie Court. She chose the exact attack and moved quickly to strike with her foot. Yes, perfect. The idiot crumpled on the spot, falling to his knees, clutching himself and gasping in pain.
"—no one calls me a bitch." She glanced at Razz, who was staring at her in shock. She smiled to herself; if she'd really wanted to impress this leader of fools, she would have used magic to incinerate him. This way, perhaps his follower had a chance to learn from his mistake.
"I assume we won't need this idiot for this trip into the Valley," she said, pushing the semi-conscious boy out of her way with her foot. "Shall we leave, Razz?"
He nodded, ordering his followers out to their cars.
"Carlos, what happened to your eye?" Roberta asked as they walked into the apartment. Carlos gave her a sullen look and stalked past her, heading for the telephone. Kayla stifled a laugh.
"The entire barrio is talking about you now, after what happened last night," Roberta said to Kayla. "I wanted to thank you for healing Fernando."