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Cole’s ground better than he can, with or without Simeon Wale.”
    â€œYou couldn’t hold it without the other outfits behindyou. And we’re not. Remember that. Maybe there’s something for you in Reseda if you’re feeling cramped.”
    â€œWhat the fuck would I do with Reseda? Open a carwash?”
    I shrugged.
    â€œAnd it’s not about feeling cramped, Domino. It’s about security. You of all people should understand that.”
    â€œYeah, I do. I remember when another outsider tried to move in and take my ground.”
    â€œPrecisely. And the same thing can happen to Cole, only this time, the outsider may not be as understanding as I was.”
    â€œThat’s why we have a treaty, King. Something comes in, we’re united against it. That’s the way we do it. We protect each other. The strong don’t feed on the weak.”
    â€œThat’s the way you’d like to do it. That’s not the way it was done in the past. You can’t even be sure your way is going to work. You still don’t know if you can make an army out of a gang. The old way was less risky.”
    â€œMaybe now it is but not in the long run.”
    â€œIn the long run we’re all dead.”
    â€œThat’s an odd thing for an immortal fairy king to say.”
    â€œOkay, in the long run you’re all dead.”
    I laughed and the king did, too. “That’s better,” I said. “The point is, you should appreciate that we can’t be shortsighted about this. You’re the master of the long-term plan. We’re going to need Terrence. We’re going to need all the outfits to be strong.”
    â€œVery well,” Oberon said. “You’re right, of course—I’ve been called many things, but never shortsighted. But as one who has a great deal of experience with long-term plans, let me offer a word of caution. The most dangerous thing about thinking ahead is that you wait too long when thetime comes to act. The line between the short run and the long run is indistinct, Domino. Sometimes you can cross it without even realizing it.”
    â€œI understand, King. Terrence is on a deadline but we give him a chance to stand up. That’s the way it’s going to be.”
    â€œI concede, my dear, and once again you’ve proven that I’m no match for you in negotiations.”
    I smiled even though it was bullshit. Oberon’s only reason for bringing this up was to put Terrence and me on the clock. We’d established the Seelie Court couldn’t move on Terrence immediately. But if the clock ran down, I’d be all out of excuses and Terrence would have more than the Jamaicans and Koreans to worry about.
    I promised Oberon I’d see him at the party and left the club. I wasn’t real happy about how it had gone, but I wasn’t exactly surprised, either. I’d learned Oberon was someone I could deal with, but the deals always left me feeling like I’d gotten the short end.
    But again, what do you want from fairies?

three
    I woke up to a phone call from Adan just after dawn the next morning.
    â€œSimeon Wale hit the Jamaicans last night,” he said when I picked up the phone.
    â€œYeah, good morning to you, too. What fucking time is it?”
    â€œIt’s about five-thirty. Did you hear me?”
    â€œYeah, Wale hit Mobley. What did you think was going to happen?”
    â€œHe burned a couple apartment blocks in Imperial Courts, Domino. A lot of people are dead.” Imperial Courts was the largest housing project in L.A., and it was the heart of Francis Mobley’s territory between Watts and Compton.
    I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What the fuck did he do that for? How many people?”
    â€œAccording to the news, no confirmed deaths but a lot of serious injuries.”
    â€œI thought you said people were dead.”
    â€œThey are, but the news teams haven’t figured it out