“I think I found something,” Lenny said the second he sat at the table. We were in a popular fast food place during a slow period. “I have a when and a where the thief might try and fence what he stole, assuming he wants to offload it soon.”

“Which he may, if he doesn’t already have a buyer and doesn’t know what all he stole. Though even if he does, your when and where could still be a good cover for whatever sort of transaction he has lined up. Or, at the very least, someone there may know something. Good job, Lenny.”

“While you were off meeting your criminal friend,” Tanya said, “we were talking to the local coven community. They were able to help us put some tracking magic together and we got the address for a local apothecary where we can stock up. I’m assuming you can help fill us in on the details of what exactly we are going to be looking for?”

“I can, and once we get close I can start tapping into it, give us an edge,” Eric replied.

“Perfect. Lenny, how long do we have to prepare?”

“Four hours.”

“If we divide and conquer on the prep, we can be ready in three,” Maguire suggested. “Two people go to collect anything we need while the rest of us start working on gathering what we already have. We will need to have a way to find the heart, yes, but we also need a way to get it back without making a mess.”

“Sounds like a plan. I will go with Tanya to the apothecary. The rest of you head back to the safehouse. Lenny can start setting up for the tracking spell while Maguire and Sara work on backup plans and contingencies,” I said.

We went our separate ways a few minutes later. Tanya and I chatted about magic on the way to the apothecary, swapping some stories of experiments and studies in different kinds of tracking methods. Her knowledge leaned more on the academic side and she had some practical experience, just not so much what would be considered in the field.

We got our shopping list a few minutes after arriving at the apothecary. The list was short, but we ended up picking up a few extra things while we were there. I even made sure to exchange contact information with the owner. There were benefits to having an ever-growing collection of contacts all across the globe. Especially if things were going to continue escalating in the absence of the Jacks.

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The second we got back, Tanya disappeared into the workshop to finish whatever she had in mind with the help of the other Nerdlettes while Maguire met me in the kitchen.

“So, what’s the game plan?” I asked, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

“I thought you were in charge of that.”

“Nope, I am letting you take charge on this one. You are very good with people and you have a closer connection with this kind of magic. Plus, it's time you take the leap. I’ll be with you as backup.”

“Alright.” Maguire leaned back in his seat. “Lenny told me more about his contact and where we will be meeting them. It’s an underworld marketplace of sorts, hidden in plain sight. I dug up what I could on the location itself, access points, security, publicity. Couldn’t find anything on who will be there beyond the contact, but I can guess based on names I've seen on the list. Hoping it's the gents with fewer offenses, but thankfully I don’t think this area had too many deep-listers.”

“That’s good to know. There’s a chance I will know a few people there, but so long as we stay alert and keep our heads down, we should be fine. We are just looking for information.”

“True. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to have Eric somewhere nearby when the deal goes down. He shouldn’t be alone, of course, but if the heart is in the area when we go to do the deal, he’s our best shot at finding it.”

“Agreed,” I said. “Who do you want with him?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Lenny needs to be at the meet because it's his contact. Sara would be good to have nearby since she’s good at patterns. Tanya and I can stay back with Eric, add some extra security. As for you…your call.”

“I can float behind the meet, keep an eye on both locations in case there’s any unwanted movement. All goes well, we can get what we need and get out within the hour.”

“We should be prepared in case we need to move quickly, though. I checked some of the records about the heart and from what I can tell, it can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“That is a theory I’d rather not see play out in real life,” I commented.

“And I am going to make sure it doesn’t. With your help. And their help.”

“Alrighty, then. Let’s go check on the Nerdlettes and see what else we can do to put the odds in our favor.”