People began to chuckle. Which made Ignacio feel strangely elated.
He went on, “Or maybe it’s because you’re a terrible crook!”
The crowd whooped with laughter.
Finally, Esmeralda regained her composure. Her shoulder brushed against Ignacio’s arm as she moved beside him. “I’mseeing your new future now! The spirits tell me you will catch the fiery fever if you don’t get lost!”
Ignacio gaped as dramatically as he could. “He’s turning red already!” he hollered.
The bootlegger halted. His hands went to his crimson cheeks. Cackling, someone swatted his back and told him to beat it before he got the rest of them sick, or worse, gave them bad luck. More onlookers began to berate him until the man had no choice but to flee.
Esmeralda met Ignacio’s eyes, and they both fell into a fit of laughter. Her hand rested on his bicep. His insides went warm. Then turned molten as her giggles calmed and her gaze roamed over his face.
“You were brilliant,” she said softly.
The world beyond them blurred. He no longer heard the crowds cheering their names or the train wheels bumping on the tracks. There was only Dovie. There was only ever Dovie. He took a step closer to her. She didn’t move. He stepped closer again. Her lips parted.
A whistle blared, snapping him from his trance. It must have done the same to her because she inhaled sharply.
“We’ve reached our next stop.”
She swept back and offered a shy smile before jumping to the boxcar theirs was attached to.
“Where are you going?” he yelled.
“To get ready for the next challenge.”
He shook his head. “You can’t seriously still want to do this.”
She pulled the boxcar door open. “The show must go on.”
Still wearing his only coat, Esmeralda scurried away.
Chapter 27
Esmeralda
“Hey, kid.”
Esmeralda’s head snapped up. She was sitting near the siren enclosure, dangling her feet over the impossibly blue waters while writing out ideas on how to stand out during the next challenge. The page was empty, though. Her mind was too busy spinning in circles about everything that had happened last night with the Sánchezes and this morning with Ignacio.
She clamped the notebook shut and scooted around to face the ringmaster.
“How is Pilar?” she asked. She hadn’t had the guts to visit the sisters since the train stopped in Nuevo Campos. How could she when they’d both nearly died and all she cared about was if she could use the aerialist’s hoop for heract?
The ringmaster took off his top hat and scratched his thick brown hair. Bits of gray had begun to pepper his temples. She’d never noticed that before. And he was ratheryoung to be so gray. She supposed stress could do such a thing.
“Camila is up and moving about, but I don’t know about Pilar,” he said. “The healer and physician are meeting right now.”
He plopped down beside her, nodding at the performers dressed as sirens who were swimming about in the pool to work in their new fins. They had once been opera singers, but when they couldn’t get their big break anywhere else, they joined the carnival.
The ringmaster’s face turned forlorn. “I don’t know if they told you yet, but, unfortunately, I had to disqualify the girls. They’re no longer fit for the challenge.”
Esmeralda stiffened. She didn’t think the sisters could continue on in the Running, obviously, but she also didn’t think he’d disqualify them before Pilar even woke.
“Such a pity,” he said. “They had great potential.” His focus went to the journal in Esmeralda’s lap. “What are you working on?” he asked.
“Oh…um…” Esmeralda shrugged. How was she supposed to answer such a thing when he’d just told her that?
