“Scatter,” she spat at the men surrounding him, seating herself opposite her cousin.
They all looked to Tyler for instruction. Juliette’s hand was already inching for the garrote wire around her wrist in case she needed it, but then Tyler nodded, and the four around him walked away, eyeing Juliette with a hint of disdain.
“What can I do for you?” Tyler asked. He leaned back into his seat, hands splayed on the armrests. In front of him, he had three empty drink glasses, but he did not look in the least bit inebriated. He hadn’t been here for long; the moment a messenger reported the sighting to Juliette, she had rushed over immediately.
“Don’t do it,” Juliette said plainly. “It was never worth it, and it’s not worth it now.”
Tyler picked up one of the empty glasses in front of him. He waved it in slow circles, like there was some invisible liquor inside that Juliette could not see.
“I was wondering how long the news would take to reach you,” he replied, watching the glass refract light. “Longer than I thought, I must admit.”
“Not all of us have as many ears on the city as you do.”
“Ah, but instead, you have a direct line to the Montagovs.”
Juliette’s blood turned cold. So this was what it was. Tyler had finally decided to call her bluff.
With a quick tug, she snatched the glass out of her cousin’s hold. He was not to look at the dance floor, at the shimmering walls, at the phantom drinks. She forced him to look at her.
“I assume you have been reading your Pushkin,” she said. “Russian duels allow for seconds, and seconds are allowed to ask the aggressor whether they would like to apologize instead. So I ask, Tyler—return Alisa and let this go. It is not worth your life.”
Tyler let out one short laugh. It did not have the delirious ring that echoed around the rest of the dance hall, heightened by the dark night and erratic music. It was laughter hedged in ice, a sound that came from predators watching their traps snap into place.
“What are you thinking?” As quick as his humor came, it was gone. Tyler leaned into the table. “Who asked you to speak on Roma Montagov’s behalf? Who asked for you to be his second?”
Juliette’s fists tightened. One of her fingers crept around her wire again—not to use it but just to ground herself, just to twist the thread hard around her finger until the pain neutralized the hot ire burning in her throat.
“It was merely a turn of phrase.”
Tyler stood up. “Don’t lie to me.” There was no glee in his voice, not this time. He was taking it seriously, anointing himself as some overseer of Juliette’s loyalties. “You can act as my second, and you can either let this play out or forfeit the Scarlet Gang to me now.”
Juliette lunged across the table in a fury, but Tyler met her just as fast. Her fist halted in midair, Tyler’s sudden grip on her wrist stopping the blow from landing on his nose.
“You are out of your mind,” Juliette hissed. “He is just as likely to kill you. You are not invulnerable.”
“I am not,” Tyler agreed. “But I am a Scarlet. And right now that is more than can be said about you.” He pushed her fist away harshly, then tugged at his coat in preparation to leave. Juliette, meanwhile, grabbed hold of the table, steadying not only her physical body but her rapidly spinning mind.
“Monday morning, tángjiě,” Tyler said. “Right outside the border of the Settlement, by the Suzhou Creek, shall we say? Don’t be late.”
Twenty-Nine
I can’t talk him out of it,” Benedikt Montagov said.
Juliette glanced at him. They were standing alongside the Huangpu River, looking out into the water. Two days until the duel, and the weather was starting to turn warm—or perhaps it was the glint of the sun over the choppy waves that made the day seem overly golden.
How strange it was that Benedikt would agree to meet her like this, hands stuck in his pockets, unflinching when she arrived. He maintained his berth, certainly. Even in making nice, there might always be a part of him that thought Juliette could shoot at any moment. But still, he had arrived. He had arrived and was sharing information like they were old friends, united on a cause.
“You’re sure that we cannot break Alisa out?”
“I don’t know where she is,” Juliette replied. “This city is too big. Just as I can hide Marshall Seo, Tyler can hide Alisa Montagova for as long as he wishes.”
“Then there is no way around it,” Benedikt said plainly. “Tyler will get the duel he wants.”