“It looks like a stack of papers,” theAngeldeadpanned. “Where do you need to go next?”
“You need to explain why there is an unfathomable amount of moedas in my new bank account,” Rory replied, refusing to drop it.
Lauren glanced at the papers. “I told you I can’t, but the person who put it in there doesn’t take no for an answer. You’re keeping it. Now, where do you need to go?”
Rory sat back in a daze. “To get a phone, or did my mysterious benefactor already get me one of those, too?”
An amused smile spread across Lauren’s face. “He wouldn’t be able to use a cell phone if you held a knife to his throat.”
Rory stared straight ahead, knowing nothing she said would convince the guard to break her vow of secrecy. FuckingAngels.
Rory twisted sideto side as she admired herself in her bedroom mirror. On the way home, they stopped by a clothing store to pick up a few new things for her wardrobe. She needed to break away from The Butcher’s persona, and to do that, she needed more than black hoodies and leggings.
The red top she wore reminded her of her mother’s soul, and she couldn’t stop staring at it.
“It’s time to go,” Lauren shouted from downstairs.
Rory took a deep breath, grabbed her purse, and joined Lauren on the main floor of her new home. “I’m ready.”
They parked next to Night Potions, and Rory hopped out, excited to see everyone. Would they fall back into their old routine, or would it be awkward for a while?
Lauren wore all black, and she imagined the guard jamming her stiletto into someone’s eye. Rory could never fight in heels, but she bet Lauren could fight with her hands tied behind her back and blindfolded.
When they stepped inside the bar and combed through the unsavory crowd, Keith stood and flagged them down. Rory grinned as she hurried across the room toward him.
They hugged when she approached the table, and the affection felt weird because they usually never hugged when meeting up at a bar, but she reminded herself they’d not seen her in months. “What’s everyone drinking?” she asked. “Tonight is on me.”
“You’re not paying for anything,” Dume objected. “Have you even found a job yet?”
Rory glanced at Lauren, who gave a subtle nod. “Actually,” Rory taunted with a smug smile. “For whatever reason, I’ve been given more moedas than I can spend in a lifetime. I’m filthy rich.”
Dume’s eyes shifted to Lauren as the others gaped. “No shit?” Keith blurted.
“No shit.” Rory chuckled. “Is everyone having their usual?”
“I’ll have another one of these,” Dume said, holding his beer bottle in the air. “And Sera usually drinks a petal pusher.”
Rory stared at the bottle in his hand. “Since when do you drink?”
After chugging the rest of his beer, he averted his gaze. “Since you’ve been gone.”
Unfamiliar small arms wrapped around her, and she yelped, breaking from their hold to spin around. A tiny woman with red hair and freckles beamed at her.
The woman grimaced and offered Rory her hand. “Sorry. I’m Sera.”
A pretty cyan soul pulsed between them when Rory returned the gesture. “Rory.” She didn’t say much else as she remembered the night she’d first seen Sera.
It was maybe a year ago, and a man Rory had been tracking followed the tiny redhead out of a sandwich shop one night. Sera had been looking at her phone, not paying attention to her surroundings, when he grabbed her and dragged her into an alley.
Rory had followed the man at a distance, and when he snatched Sera, she had to sprint after them. By the time she turned the corner, the man had Sera on the ground, tearing at her clothes.
Rory ripped him off and told her to run. She hadn’t seen the girl since.
“You remember,” Sera murmured, noticing the recognition in her eyes.
Rory noticed a man who looked a few years younger than her father standing behind Sera. When she noticed him, he smiled and bowed his head in greeting. “I’m Bruce. I hope we’ve met before.”
An awkwardness settled over her. “I don’t think we have.”
