Thin Air

was turning more of a milky turquoise. I’d hardly been in the big house long enough to get nostalgic about freedom, but still, that breath of cool, fresh air was sweet. Even if I still had to go through two more gates, some steely-eyed guards, and a final intrusive pat-down on my way out of the yard.

Beyond, there were a couple of taxis parked, complete with sleeping drivers. I wondered at the desperation involved in ferrying around criminals for cash, but remembered just in time that not all of us were, in fact, criminals. Some of us were just alleged criminals.

I looked around, wondering who would bother to bail me out and then leave me standing by the side of the road. I didn’t have to wonder long. A sleek black car pulled out from behind one of the taxicabs and ghosted up next to me. The passenger window power-rolled down, revealing a pale, tired face. I didn’t recognize her for a second, and started automatically cataloging features. Like blond hair that needed a root touch-up. Like an inexpert, hastily applied makeup job that didn’t conceal the discolored bags under her eyes.

Like eyes that seemed a lot like my own blue shade.

I blinked. “Sarah?” I asked, and took a tentative step closer. It was the woman from Cherise’s memories, rode hard, put away wet.

She gave me a thin, tired smile. “Jo,” she said. “Need a lift?”

I nodded and opened the back door of the car. No surprises lurking back there, just clean dark upholstery. My sister rolled up her window, and the driver-I couldn’t see him-accelerated the car smoothly away from the jail into traffic. No matter what time of the day or night, there was traffic in Las Vegas, at least near downtown, where we were. I saw a confusing blare of neon up ahead, and had a strong, wrenching sense of deja vu.

“How’d you find out I was here?” I asked.

“A detective called me, and Eamon and I pulled together the bail money.” She looked kind of defiant. “Can’t say we don’t care, can you?” Like I was going to?

“Of course we care,” said the driver, in a low, musical accent that I could only vaguely identify as British. I saw his eyes in the rearview mirror, couldn’t tell what color they were in the glare of passing headlights and ambient neon. He was watching me as much as he was watching the road. “You’re looking better than I expected-a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you. Feeling all right?”

I opened my mouth to reply, something polite and nonconfrontational, because I had no idea what my relationship was to this new guy. I didn’t get a chance to be evasive.

“Before you start,” Sarah said, “Eamon wants to apologize. So let him, please. He’s the one who insisted we come and get you. You owe him, Jo. Give him a chance.”

Who was Eamon, and what did he have to apologize for? What was I holding against him? God. Welcome to Brain Damage Theater. I was tired of confessing ignorance; I decided that maybe dignified silence was the best defense. They must have taken it for assent.

“I know you told me to stay away from Sarah, but I couldn’t do it,” the driver-Eamon-said. “I won’t apologize for that; whatever she and I do is between the two of us. But I do apologize for making that promise to you in the first place.”

Okay, so whoever Eamon was-and nice voice, by the way-I hadn’t approved. But since I had no idea why I hadn’t, and Eamon and Sarah weren’t likely to give me an unvarnished explanation, I just nodded. “Water under the bridge,” I said. Aphorisms were made for moments like these. Saved me from saying anything that might be proven wrong. “Are you two okay?”

Eamon’s eyes focused on me in the rearview for so long that I thought he might drive over a curb. Or another car. He was one of those avoidance drivers, though-either great peripheral vision or awesome luck. Or something else. Maybe he’s a Djinn. Except I didn’t get any Djinn vibe from him.

“Us?” Eamon said, and raised his eyebrows. “Of course we’re all right. Sarah, tell your sister you’re fine.”

“I’m fine,” Sarah said. She didn’t look it. She looked tired and puffy and not in the best possible state. Hungover, maybe. Or worse. The way she said it sounded hollow, but not as if she were really scared of him. Just…submissive. Wonderful. I had a wet rag for a sister. “Jo, you need to understand, I love Eamon. I know you didn’t want us to stay together, but…”

Oh, God. The last thing I needed was to be the relationship police for a sister I’d barely met and-based on Cherise’s memories-hadn’t had much in common with to begin with. “I’m over it,” I said. “Eamon and Sarah, sitting in a tree. True love. Trust me, I’m more worried about the fact that I was sitting in jail for a murder that I didn’t commit.” I left it there. I wanted to see what they’d have to say. Which was nothing, apparently. Eamon braked for the light at Fremont Street, and we all stared at the explosion of dancing lights during the pause. “Thanks for bailing me out.”

“It seemed the thing to do.” Eamon was being just as uninformative as I was. Not helpful. “Did you speak with the good Detective Rodriguez while you were in the precinct house?”

So he knew my friendly-or, at least, not adversarial-cop. “Yeah, I saw him.”

“Ah. How is he?”

“Healing up. He had some kind of accident.”

Eamon nodded. He kept watching me, and there was a tight frown grooved now between his eyebrows. “Did he say anything about what happened?”

“No.” I felt a weird surge of alarm. “Why?” Please don’t tell me that I’m responsible for that, too.

Was I crazy, or did he look oddly startled for a second before smiling? “No, nothing, don’t worry. Listen, love, are you all right? You don’t seem…quite yourself.” His voice was low and rich with concern, and man, that was seductive. I wanted somebody to care whether or not I was okay, and obviously that wasn’t going to be my sister. Disappointing, but there it was.

Sarah twisted in her seat again to look at me. Her pupils were huge. Bigger than they should have been, even in the dark. I wondered if she was on some kind of pain medication. “Well, she did just get out of jail,” she said. “Of course she’s not quite herself. She’s scared, and there’s nothing wrong with that. God, what are you doing in Vegas, Jo? You came looking for me, didn’t you? I told you I didn’t need your help. I told her, too.”

“Her?” I repeated blankly.

Sarah’s pointed chin lifted so she could look down her thin, patrician nose at me. “You know who. Imara.”

My heart thudded hard against my rib cage, rattling to be free. Oh, that hurt. My sister had seen Imara. Imara had been part of my life. Had tried to help Sarah, evidently, for all the good that did. “When did you last see her?” I asked. Because if Sarah had seen her recently, maybe everybody was wrong about Imara. Wrong about her being…gone. Come on, Joanne, say it. Wrong about her being dead.

What, even David? some part of me mocked, more gently than the question deserved. Surely David would know if his child was alive. I didn’t have to know a lot about the Djinn to understand that much.

Sarah avoided my gaze this time, turning back to stare out the windshield as Eamon navigated the car through the neon pinball machine of the Strip. “I haven’t seen her since I told her to leave me in Reno,” she said. “I know you both meant well, but honestly, Jo, she was getting on my nerves. And besides, she was worried about you. She wanted to get back and check on you, even though I told her you’d be okay. You’re always okay.”

Ouch. That stung, especially delivered in a tone so bitter it could have stripped paint. Apparently having a superhero wizard for a sister wasn’t the party-in-a-box that you’d assume. Well, I wasn’t finding it all clowns and puppies on this side, either.

“Jo,” Eamon said, drawing my attention back to him. “I’m guessing that perhaps in this instance your sister might not have been exactly correct. Right? Things haven’t gone as planned?”

“No,” I said, and turned to look out the window at passing strangers who didn’t notice me, or care. “Not exactly. Where are we going?”

“It’s best if we don’t tempt fate and stay in the city,” he said. “Sarah and I have a small place a couple of hours down the road. If you don’t mind?”

I shrugged. I had no money, no transportation, and no real alternatives; seemed like I was stuck with Sarah and Eamon. At least Eamon seemed like a decent kind of guy.

A better person than my sister, anyway.