That wasn’t necessarily true; there were all sorts of curses that couldn’t be undone. But Kit didn’t have the heart to say that. “I’m surprised you don’t already know where your dad is, then.” If there was one thing he’d learned about Gentry, it was that her research was immaculate.
For the first time since they’d entered the hotel room, Gentry looked away from her screen at him. Her green eyes burned with what he finally recognized as rage. “He lives his life in debt. He only ever left Tunsa because he was driven out, so he rotates his gambling spots frequently. I have a list, but his pattern isn’t too predictable. Even with the information I have, this will take a while.” She gave him a soft look. “You look tired. Get some rest.”
Feeling thoroughly dismissed and even more lost than before they started their conversation, Kit sat on the bed. Did he even want to steal the Favors back? Visha had made her bed with the Weavers, and he had no plans beyond wandering cities as a nomad. Gentry clearly had a future she wanted, plans he couldn’t comprehend.
Although her plans sounded eerily similar to his when he’d avenged Raja. For so long, he’d thought everything would be fixed if he could just avenge the older members of their clan and protect Visha and the others. But all revenge did was blind him to Visha’s greed.
But just because he didn’t love Visha anymore didn’t mean that he didn’t owe her. He couldn’t let Raja’s daughter die, not after he sacrificed his own life for Kit’s.
“Are you doing this for revenge?” Kit asked the question although the answer wouldn’t change his plans.
Gentry paused her typing for a beat. “Revenge would be nice,” she said without hesitation, “but I really just want my life back. When I was a kid, I chose to run cons with my dad rather than spend time with my mom and little sister. I’d like the freedom to make it up to them.”
Chills went down his spine at that answer. It reminded him of Mary and the others, and how he’d chosen to join the Jumpers rather than help them find their place in Skadra.
Kit lay down on the bed, nervous about his plan. Gentry kept typing at the kitchenette. He eyed her back. She was a small woman, her feet hardly touching the rungs of the barstool. He’d have to wait for her to sleep before searching for his cell phone and the Favors.
He glanced at the open window to see the pinprick glints of witches traversing the dark Sky Road. With a flick of his wrist, he shut the blinds. Then he whispered the most powerful protection spell he knew, the one he usually only used if he wasn’t alone.
The magic flowed easily out from his palms. His magic had recouped from venting and he no longer felt sick from magical poisoning. For the first time in a long time, he was at full-strength. He closed his eyes.
It was almost hypnotic, listening to the clicking of Gentry’s keyboard. Kit kept his mind awake but his body still. It reminded him of the many nights he’d lain in wait near the Redback hideout. Watching. Waiting. Observing habits so that he could get his target alone for a fight. He hadn’t played any dirty tricks as he’d faced each one of Raja’s killers on his own. Which was more than they had deserved.
An eternity later, the typing finally stopped. A chair creaked as Gentry finally left the one domain she had total control over. Kit waited for the bed to sink beside him, but it never came. Only her breaths gave the woman away.
She was sleeping on the floor.
Kit’s eyes snapped open. A frown carved its way across his face. No way in hell was he letting a lady sleep on the floor while he was on a soft bed. But he’d have to wait to correct that later if things went right.
Within minutes, Gentry was snoring, the sound melodic and adorable. As silently as possible, Kit climbed out of bed. He considered casting a silencer spell on the girl, but wasn’t sure whether that would somehow trigger the Favors into punishing him. He couldn’t take the risk of harming a single hair on her head, or else he’d be the one unconscious on the floor.
It was time to free himself so he could save Visha.
thirteen
Kit
Gentry was curled in a ball on the floor, her knees to her chest and her face troubled. He crept around her, his feet silent and sure. She’d wisely put all of her items up in a backpack that was pressed against the wall and her back. But luckily for him, she’d shifted in her sleep.
His lips curved despite himself. Clever girl. But that only made things worse for himself as he knelt down at her head and slowly dislodged the backpack. Gentry stirred slightly but remained asleep.
His heart thundering in his chest, he retreated to the bathroom and cast a silencing charm.
It took some digging, but he found his cell first. Fully charged. He fumbled with the gadget. All thoughts fled his head when he saw his home screen. “Oh no,” he whispered. Visha. Visha had called him twelve times. His heart raced when he saw the last call had come in at midnight the night before, and he immediately tapped on her picture to call her back. And again. No answer.
He called Samar next, who answered on the first ring. “Is everyone safe?” He cut to the chase.
“If you mean that we’re being babysat by Weaver recruits, then yeah, we’re all fine and dandy over here,” his friend responded sarcastically, his voice thick with sleep. “Where the hell are you and Visha? What’d you do to get baby Weavers raiding our supplies for snacks? We are broke enough as it is without mean teenagers stealing our cookies.”
Of course, she abandoned ship.It was typical Visha behavior. “Visha isn’t with me.”
”Well, she left at the same time you did. Days ago. Left me to mind the recruits and everything else. So considerate of her,” Samar said drily.
“Sam, Clea has her hair. She made a deal with the Weavers.”
The line went quiet for a few moments. “She manipulated you into doing something stupid, didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question.
Kit squeezed the phone in his hand and closed his eyes. “Yeah, she did. Only this time she gambled on the one thing I couldn’t do. Now I’m not sure how I’ll get us out of this.”
