Theo
My knee bounced hard as I glared at a picture of this chick, and I rocked back on the cot to flop back my head and scowl at the ceiling. The paint was peeling, and the corners were starting to seep with mold. How could anyone fucking live here? There wasn’t a single laminate floorboard that wasn’t picking up, and it reeked of weed that’d seeped in from other apartments.
Jesus.
I’d hazard a guess that Illya and Sylvie thought this was heaven compared to some places, and I hoisted myself up to turn my gaze back to the photo in my hand. This was the only picture of Sylvie that I could find, and it’d been packed in Illya’s stuff and tucked under her ‘bed’. In the photo, the brunette was eating ice cream in grainy quality, and I had to really hunt through everything Illya owned for it.
Clenching and releasing my jaw, I tapped the photo against my palm absently as I glanced around the one-room apartment. There was nothing to give me any indication about anything. Theonlypossible lead I had was the reusable bags on the counter. Of course, I already knew that the grocery store was a dead-end because I’d had someone posted there for days. Sauntering over to the cabinets, I hooked a finger around the handle to pop it open, and there was nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Cat food. Illya must feed the strays.She must’ve had thirty cans of this shit, all neatly stacked, all the labels perfectly facing the same way, and I shut the door to lean on the counter heavily. Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I swiped the screen and punched in my code awkwardly. I could barely bend my fingers anymore, and I ground my teeth as I struggled to navigate to Mateo’s contact.
“What!” He was pissed again, and I didn’t lift the speaker to my ear before Mateo angrily screamed through it. I mean, I got why he was frantic to find Sylvie before she could do too much hard to herself, but I really didn’t think she was worth this.
“The roommate’s a bust. She’s not here, and neither is her stuff. We’re going to have to find her the old fashioned way.” My gruff response earned me a growl of frustration, and I frowned as I glanced around the dank, musty place. “I’ll head over to the south end in a minute.”
“I don’t care what you do, Theo, fucking find her! Today!” Mateo hung up on me, and I scowled darkly as I slid my phone back into my jean pocket. The past few days, he’d gotten worse and worse, and I was starting to burn my fuse with him. There was nothing Mateo could do to me. If he tried anything, I’d fucking kill him without hesitation and move on.
All this over a chick . . . how pathetic.
Well, that’s not entirely accurate.Leaving the apartment, I still had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Mateo was stupid enough to get a fucking debteepregnant.That’s what all this was about, after all. Why was he so desperate to find her? Sylvie’s dumbfuck self came to Mateo after a few weeks and said she was pregnant, didn’t know what to do, yadda yadda. After he bought her a nice apartment downtown and all that, she fucked off for some reason I didn’t really care about.
My thoughts came to a screeching halt at the hardthudof cans crashing to the floor, and my head whipped up. Illya stood at the bottom of the rickety stairs, her bright, hazel eyes wide and her purple hair fluffy and bristling around her surprised features. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and my eyelid twitched as I scanned her through narrowed pupils.
“Hello?”Idiot.Clearing my throat roughly, I took the stairs, and she gasped before looking down and dropping to her knees to grab up all her shit. Illya wasn’t fast enough, and I knelt down to grab a can and hold it out for her with my jacked up palm. Uncertainty rippled across her face, but she slowed reached out to take the can of corn. A spasm ripped through my forearm from the sudden release of pressure, and my two fingers twitched involuntarily as she dropped the can into one of her two bags.
“Thanks.” My lips thinned as pain shot through my palm. Even after six years, I hadn’t learned not to use my right hand, and that can of corn proved to be too much. Sitting back on the step, I gripped my right wrist hard and grunted in acknowledgment of Illya’s grumble. A prickly sensation bolted up my arm, and I tore my eyes off her to watch my muscles roiling under my skin.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped the PT.” I’d gotten my hand blown off in Iraq, but after being discharged, I didn’t keep up with therapy like I should’ve. I was left-handed, so I didn’t think it’d be such a big fucking deal. Surprise furrowed Illya’s brows at my mumble, and I ground my next words through my teeth. “So, you really did kick her out.”
I’d deliberately avoided mentioning that Illya was Sylvie’s roommate because Mateo wouldprobablynot take it well. Her eyes sparkled in alarm, and I couldn’t help a chuff as they flickered up the stairs behind me. My good hand shook a little as I reached into my pocket, and I held out the photo I’d taken.
“I’m borrowing this.” But she didn’t look up as a sharp contraction tightened my muscles and curled my fingers, and Illya gasped in what I guessed was horrified shock. Hissing as tingles bolted up my forearm, I tensed as my palm twitched viciously, and I dropped the photo in my lap to squeeze my wrist.
“A-are you okay?” Illya almost sounded like she didn’t want to ask the question, but I nodded sharply as goosebumps swept up my arm. It’d pass— it always did— and her eyes met mine with skeptical concern as I took a shallow breath. “Did you find Sylvie yet?”
“I have to find her today, or Mateo’s gonna throw a fit. He’s an idiot. I told him if he ever tries anything stupid with me, I’d shoot him in his pretty face, so he’ll take it out on so— ” Sucking in a sharp breath, my explanation caught in my throat as the convulsions in my hand rippled up my arm. “Shit.”
“Uh . . . okay.” Realization crept up on me, and I cocked my head as Illya crouched to hug her knees awkwardly. She wanted to go upstairs and lock the door behind her, but she felt responsible because I’d picked up that can with my bad hand.Sweet.“I haven’t seen her. To be honest, I thought Sylvie would’ve come crawling back, but because she hasn’t, I think . . . ”
“That she’s holed up in a drug den somewhere on the south side? Yeah, I figured that out, too.” Her tank top strap started sliding down her shoulder, and I unfurled my fingers from my wrist to reach and straighten it. Goosebumps blanketed her shoulder and bare arm, and she tensed under her soft skin as red climbed up into her face. “You’re coming with me. I’ll let you go when we find her.”
The demand slipped out thoughtlessly, and Illya’s eyes met mine to flash with sour distaste and regret. The muscles in her neck strained when I cupped her chin, and I tilted her head back and to the left.
Not for any reason, just to see if she’d let me.
“What color are your eyes, really?” Last time, Illya had green eyes, and now, they were hazel, but I could tell they were fake once I’d paid a little attention. The tightness in my arm started to ease, and I squeezed her chin when she pursed her lips thinly in defiance. “Tell me.”
“They’re green.” Surprise twitched my cheek, and I released Illya’s face to rub my spasming palm with my thumb. She rolled her jaw slightly, her thick lips parting, and a harsh exhale escaped me as the pain in my arm finally started to die down. “Okay, so . . . I have to work in a couple hours, so . . . ”
“Fine. Go put your shit upstairs. I’ll drive fast.” Glancing down at my hand, Illya licked her lips in pensiveness, and I hoisted myself up to flex my stiff fingers. “Hurry up.”
