“What? He’s so fun to look at. I bet he’s fun to play with too.”
Ignacio snatched Esmeralda’s arm before she stomped out of their hiding spot. Judging from the fire in her eyes, she was getting ready to bop the lady right in the nose.
“Come on,” one of the women said. “Let’s go get skunked in Ángel’s caboose before Comandante Olivera recognizes any ofus.”
Ignacio motioned for Esmeralda to put on the rest of her costume. For once in her life, she obeyed without complaint.
But now, it was Ignacio’s turn to complain. For he had snatched a costume meant to look like a burro. And he was the ass end of it.
3rd of January, 1920. D+P: Age 16
Dovie. What makes you jealous?
Hmm. I suppose I might get a teeny, tiny, tidbit jealous when I think of you at school. You must be the cutest boy in your class.
You know I go to an all-boys school, right?
What does that matter? The girls’ school is right across the street. I hear them chatter about you as they pass by the manor. I may or may not have thrown fish guts from the compost buckets over the fence a time or two.
What makes you jealous?
Everything! It’s an odd sensation. I’m jealous of time because it took so long to bring you to me. I’m jealous of air because it touches every part of your skin. I’m jealous of strangers because they get to see you for the very first time. I’m jealous of myself because I get to love you.
I like your answer better than mine.
Chapter 45
Esmeralda
Dressed as a donkey, Esmeralda and Ignacio filed in behind the dancers as they started for the backstage exit. A guard nearest to the exit narrowed his eyes as they passed by, but he didn’t move. Esmeralda had her eyes narrowed too—but on the brat who was over there tittering about how handsome Ignacio was. When this was over, she’d give that dancer a piece of her mind.
Being the rear of the donkey, Ignacio, the handsome man in question, was bent over resting his hands on her hips to balance himself. But they weren’t resting. They were squeezing. His fingers dug into her soft flesh possessively as if he were afraid she might run away and leave his half of the ass behind.
Little did he know she never intended on going anywhere without him ever again.
“Where should we go?” she whispered.
“We need to find Gabriel. I left him in the Fun House holding Camila.”
“Holding her? Why? What happened to Camila?” she whispered through the papier-mâché snout.
“Um…”
She wove around cast members loitering in Clown Alley, gossiping and speculating about Paloma Blanca and her beau, General Keara, and the way Ángel suddenly looked so old.
A loud voice shouted from the backstage exit. “Stop thatass!”
Esmeralda jerked her donkey head in the direction the voice came from. She gasped when the person was pointing directly at them.
“Time to run,” she said. “Hold on tight to me.”
Ignacio’s fingers dug deeper into her hips. She bolted forward through Clown Alley and cut right into the heart of the carnival. Big mistake. Most of the Big Top audience was spilling out from the main entrance. She pushed through the throng impolitely. She stomped on people’s feet and shoved them aside with her snout.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the comandante exit.
“They went this way!” someone yelled.
“We’ve got to hide,” she called to Ignacio.
