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Baltimore City government reporter.”
    “Look at you!”
    “These were dropped onto my desk by an individual I won’t admit to knowing personally, nor am I willing to discuss his identity.”
    “Understood.”
    “I recognized your face. And knowing what I know about who gave me these photos to pass along, I knew they needed to land in the right hands.”
    “Thanks for that. Seriously. That was pretty incredible of you.”
    “Well, don’t thank me yet. We both know the odds that those photos exist on a hard drive somewhere.”
    “I suppose you’re right. So, not to sound like a colossal dick here, but what was the point then?”
    He sighed and turned us toward a brick walkway leading to the piers of sailboats stretching out into the harbor alongside a series of chain restaurants.
    “You work for the Mayor.”
    “Not exactly.”
    “Still, you’re clearly involved with the Deputy Mayor here. Everyone in the city desk knows Julian Bright is a play-maker. These photos? It’s just a political gadget play. The whole point is to catch the other side off-guard, put them on the defense, and start pushing for yards while they burn one news cycle after another trying to craft a statement.”
    “You didn’t play football in college by any chance, did you?”
    “You get these into Bright’s hands, and he’ll position the Mayor such that he won’t lose ground. Better yet, he could parlay this into a win. If they’re ready for it. Do you see what I’m saying? It won’t matter who has these photos.”
    I had to give Cecil credit. The man was deeply immersed in the political world, and it showed. Unfortunately for Cecil, he wasn’t fully aware of the peculiar dynamic between Julian and Sullivan. Namely, Sullivan would can his ass in a heartbeat if he admitted hiring a person in my line of work.
    “What if it’s more complicated than that? What if there is no way to parlay this into a win?”
    Cecil shrugged. “You have skills, Dorian. I’ve seen them. I’ve benefitted from them. As has the Mayor if I may be so bold. His approvals are sky high. They were, anyway, before Sooner got in the game. I know a man like you could change the rules if he needed to.”
    He was right. I had been changing the rules. In fact, I had more skills than when I first decided to hang my shingle in Baltimore. Netherwork wasn’t a real option for me. But if I wanted it to be an option, I had Emil’s Library. And the Presidium knew that, which was why I really, really had to watch my ass.
    “I’ll be sure this gets into Julian’s hands, Cecil.”
    He lingered for a moment, still scanning the brick walkway in front and behind us.
    “Is there something else?”
    “Everyone knows Sooner is bankrolled by Joey McHenry.”
    “Right.”
    “I wanted to bring you here today for a reason.” He stepped ahead a few paces and held out his hand over the water. Across the inlet stood a series of glass and sandstone-painted concrete condominiums towering over the adjacent buildings. “Harborside Towers, courtesy of McHenry Construction.”
    “Yeah?”
    “I grew up in Federal Hill, Dorian. Just behind those towers. I went to school in an old, decaying building just across the water, there. Least it was before it was leveled to build these monstrosities. Before they leveled the house I grew up in. Or the corner bar where my father met my mother. Or the grocery store where he was gunned down.” He sighed. “A lifetime of memories, Dorian. A legacy. All torn down to let rich people move in and the poor people move out.”
    I looked up at the condos. I had always admired them. They looked clean. Glass, concrete, stucco, palm trees out front. Iron bars painted beige, separating the driveway from Key Parkway and the rest of Federal Hill. It was as far from the red brick row houses of Baltimore as any man could conceive. I had never really thought about it, but to anyone who had grown up here, those towers had to look alien.
    “This is personal,