“Restless,” she answered honestly. She wouldn’t insult Nico’s intelligence or ability to handle the truth with an attempt at lying.
Nico nodded.
“But we all have faith in you.”
He took his eyes away from the painting a moment to give a smile of appreciation. Jo almost wished he hadn’t. The look was so distant; like the darkness beyond, the seemingly perpetual sunshine of Nico’s face had finally set, and now he looked every one of his years.
Nico turned back to the painting. “I hope I do not let you down.”
“I’m sure you won’t.” When did encouragement turn into unnecessary pressure? It was a line Jo didn’t want to cross.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Jo.”
“Anything.”
“Come with me to deliver this painting.”
Jo straightened away from the mantle, leaning forward as if the stone had somehow obstructed her hearing. “Me? Why? I mean, yes, of course, but why?”
“As I said, I believe that you are good luck for me.” The scratch and swish of his brush was the only thing filling the silence between his words. “Having you around helped me recall details I’d long forgotten of my Julia. Her youth, our youth. . .” The man stilled for only half a breath; a dot of paint dropped from brush to floor. “It has truly been so long since I have been the man she courted.”
Jo opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure how to respond. She had never intended to evoke painful memories for him with her presence. Until today, she’d had no idea Julia kept him company while he painted. Yet suddenly, things began to make a little more sense, such as his openness with her and his willingness to take her to Florence.
“In any case.” Nico shook his head and his eyes regained clarity, brush strokes becoming more confident once again. “Your magic of breaking into places could prove useful.”
“Then it’s yours. We’ll do this, together.”
“Together,” he repeated, like a vow. “The whole Society. We’ll make this happen.”
There was no alternative—no other reality Jo or any of them would accept.
Chapter 27
Breaking and Entering
NICO WORKED RIGHT up until the end of his twelve-hour time allotment. His arms were coated up to his elbows with an array of colors and his shirt was splattered in odd places from his frantic desire to finish. All calmness Jo felt had begun to flee the moment she saw the man’s shoulders starting to rise toward his ears in tension.
“That’ll. . .” Nico pulled away, looking at the painting. “It’ll work.”
“Are you sure?” Jo hated herself the instant the question left her lips. Nico’s head turned to her and the uncertainty—the panic—that filled his eyes made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach like a lead weight.
“Only one way to find out, I suppose.” He reached out toward the painting, running his hands over the small mountains and grooves in the paint.
The instant panic of him smearing the recently completed work disappeared when the picture held firm—magic, no doubt. Jo stood, pulling her arms above her head, trying to pop the tension that sitting on the stool for such a long, tense amount of time had left. It didn’t work. Her body was as rigid as it had been the first moment she’d gotten to her feet.
“We should go, then?” She phrased it as a question, but what other option did they have?
“We should.” Nico lifted the canvas, barely wider than his chest, and took it over to the worktable where most of Samson’s food still remained untouched. Collecting some butcher paper and twine, he tied it in a sort of protective sling that could be worn over his shoulder.
“To theShusho Kantei, then.”
“The what?” Nico asked, as he followed her from the door. The man stopped in the hallway, pointing to the other recreation room. “Do you need to do any of your computer magic first?”
Jo paused as well. “Computer magic” had a nice ring to it. If she was back in the real world, perhaps she’d exchange “Shewolf” for a moniker of her own creation, like “The Wizard.” Still, Jo shook her head at him. “This shouldn’t be too difficult. We’re evading guards and more simple security systems, not massive database firewalls. If I need anything, I have time enough to do it on the fly.”
Nico nodded and caught up. The faith he had in her made Jo’s chest swell. “How do you know where we’re going?” His question reminded her of Takako and themugichathey shared.
“Japan shares a border with the Lone Star Republic. It’s pretty much standard education to learn about their government. Well, that, and I took a fairly recent interest when I realized how much more the Yakuza would pay for good work than other syndicates.” Talking felt good, Jo realized. It kept them on task, and it kept her mind from winding around and around with worry. “TheShusho Kanteiis across from the National Diet Building of Japan. It’s where the Prime Minister lives and works.”
