figured she needed to know very little.
Usually, that sat just fine on her shoulders. But
lately, she’d had the feeling that something was going
down. Something outside the ordinary. And not knowing a damned thing was starting to wear thin.
Plus there was something about this job that made
her uneasy. There hadn’t been anything in Calliope’s
manner to say otherwise, but Roxy’s gut was telling her
that the kid was more important than her mentor had
let on, that she wasn’t just incidental. Which made
Roxy wonder why it had been so all-important to hide
that fact.
With the closet door blocking Marin’s sight line,
Roxy squatted down and pulled an inhaler from her
pocket. She undid the gag, then the girl’s hands.
“Dana, wake up.”
The child’s head lolled, and she didn’t open her eyes.
Roxy looped one arm around her thin shoulders and
hauled her upright, giving her just enough of a shake to
rouse her.
“Come on, kid. Don’t make me regret this.”Don’t
make me face your mom and tell her you died.
Dana opened her eyes. They were denim-blue,
bleary and unfocused. Roxy held up the inhaler. The
girl stared at her, but that was it. Every line of her
EVE SILVER
49
body, every shallow, wheezing breath spoke of fear
and tension. Which left Roxy at a loss. She had almost
no experience with kids. She’d barely had a chance to
be one herself, so there was no help there.
