had cut out that paper heart for Luz was crazy. And brave. “What was her name, anyhow?”
“Adriana.” Catrina glowered at me. “And she’s my sister,” she said, before going up the stairs.
Because of Luz, I knew it was already past dawn. I couldn’t see outside, but there were people moving around, the sound of showers being turned on through thin walls, opening and closing bedroom doors. Catrina led me upstairs, and then down a hall.
“When she wasn’t down there, she was up here.” She opened up a door and we stepped inside. Natural light from a window across from us flooded the room. The walls were cream; one had a red couch, the other a small black TV. A black bookcase didn’t have books on its shelves—it had tiny figurines in bright colors, and gold medallions artfully arranged. A streamer of tissue paper with elaborate designs cut into it swung from shelf to shelf.
Catrina pushed past me to go into the next room. I didn’t follow. There was no need for me to be too nosy. She came back with a dark blue sweater. “Will that thing be able to find her—even if she’s—” She didn’t want to say the worst out loud.
“I don’t know. But tonight I’ll ask it if it can.” Her eyebrows rose at my response. “It used to be human. It understands,” I said, and she shook her head.
“Just when I thought I’d seen everything there was to see.” She looked from the sweater she held to me, and pulled it back. “I’m going with you.”
“What? No way.”
Catrina started nodding and wouldn’t stop. “She’s my sister—I have to go. I want to be there when you find her. You don’t know what she looks like—and that thing might eat her—and—”
“Okay!” I held up both my hands to stop her. “I want to go on record as saying I think it’s a bad idea, but okay.” I didn’t think it mattered how I found Adriana—and besides, Catrina had the
“Tonight?” she asked, holding the sweater to her chest.
“Yeah. Meet me at my place at sundown.”
“All right.”
I gave her my address, and she led me out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I trotted down the stairs and out into the car-filtered daylight. Following people who already knew their way through the maze led me out to where Hector was sitting, waiting for me.
He stood up when he saw me. “How’d it go?”
“Oddly.” I looked around to make sure no one was listening as we began to walk away. “She
“I’d rather pay her kind of tithes, seeing as she’s doing useful things here. Not making everyone pray to a bony statue and extorting bribes.”
I looked around. “When’d Jorgen leave?”
“He disappeared before sunrise. He wasn’t pleasant to look at, and so I didn’t for a while. When I turned back next, near dawn, he was gone.”
I wondered where he roosted during the day—if he ran back to Dren’s side, literally disappeared, or hid out … underneath the leaves of trees. Like a butterfly in the rain. Not. I snorted at the thought.
“So will she help you?” he asked. I nodded. “What’s her price?” I gave him a look, and he shrugged. “Nothing is ever for free.”
Which begged the question why Hector was helping me. Had been helping me, ever since the day he’d seen the black flower on my chest and hired me to keep an eye on it. I really should have asked Catrina about that, dammit. I guess I’d get a chance to, tonight.
“She said if I can find her friend, she’ll trade me the blood for my mother.”
Hector made a groaning sound and shook his head.
“What?”
“Edie, that’s impossible. Adriana’s been missing for more than a month. Sometimes—rarely—kidnappings work out, but after a month? No way.”
“Oh, man.” I groaned. Hector had no reason to lie to me that I knew of, and besides, I’d watched enough true crime shows on TV to know he was right. A month was a really long time. Throw one more slim chance of saving my mom onto the pile. “Was it Maldonado?”
“Who else could it be?” Hector’s lips drew into a grim line. “But he must know what Luz is. That’s why he only comes out during the day and hunkers down at night.”
I couldn’t imagine Luz not shredding anything that moved to get to Adriana—no. Maybe once she’d been kidnapped, the threat of violence against Adriana had held her hand. She must really not know where Adriana was … and cruelest of all, she still lived in hope.
“How long does he think that’ll work?”
“Long enough.”
“Through the seventeenth?” I pressed. We were nearing a train station.
Hector drew his hand up himself like he was catching bad thoughts and throwing them away.
“I don’t understand why you won’t tell me what’s happening on that date. Do you have a cage match scheduled with him then, or what?”
“My fight with him wasn’t supposed to involve anyone else.” He sighed deeply, started patting his pockets, and retrieved a fistful of change. “Take it. Go home.”
I didn’t know if he meant home, like to my apartment home, or fired-go-home-forever, home. “What’s that?”
“Train fare.”
“You can’t fire me—” I protested.
“I’m not. The clinic needs you. You’re a good nurse. Just go home.”
I eyed his palm suspiciously. “Will you tell me everything later?”
“If I can. Give me one more night.” His eyes searched mine, and I hoped he would find what he was looking for there. “I have to get to work now, Edie. Make my life easier for once, and do what you’re told.”
I frowned but held out my hand, so he could pour the change in. As I relented, he relaxed, and I realized he must be exhausted. “You have to be as tired as I am—you should take today off.” I bit my tongue before I asked him to come home with me. Not to take advantage of him, but just to take care of him for a bit. Like he’d spent the past two days taking care of me.
His bearing softened. “I wish I could, but I can’t.” And then he stood straighter, picking up all the burdens he’d momentarily left behind. “Go home and get better. Doctor’s orders. Especially since I don’t think I can talk Olympio’s grandfather into taking you back.”
I was tired. I needed a shower. I still smelled like smoke and I was pretty sure my shirt had a stain from that disgusting poultice. “But what’re you going to do? You have to be as tired as I am.”
He smiled softly at me. “I am. But I’ve got to go to work.”
I took the next train. I got off at my stop and went home. My front door was closed, but Hector had left it unlocked.
Minnie was exorbitantly glad to see me and meowed aloud as she followed me around my house. “I know, I know.” I knuckled her head, and then stripped for my shower.
When that was through, I plugged in my phone. Three worried calls from my mother, and a private one from Peter to tell me I was being awful. I’d caught as much in his tone last night, and deleted it without listening all the way through. I called her back, tried to sound the right combination of sick and safe on the phone, and
