If it’s plastic surgery, Erika thought dryly, I had them looked at a long time ago and the surgeon said there wasn’t much he could do about it all.
“I’ll be right back,” Kelley declared. “I hope you stay in the dress.”
The curtain was pulled into place, and oddly, that was the moment Erika realized that she hadn’t really noticed the woman. Not what hair color she had, what she was wearing, her height or weight. Erika was so incredibly out of her element that her mind was a sieve. All she could remember was the name.
Two minutes later, Kelley pulled the curtain back again—oh, interesting. The woman was in her early twenties and a redhead. Who knew.
“I think this will be perfect.”
When she held something out, Erika wasn’t sure what the object was: Shiny. Gold. A drape of… links.
“That’s a necklace,” she said stupidly.
“Yes.”
For some reason, Erika reached out and took it from the woman. As her hands were shaking, and Kelley stepped in behind her and helped her put it on.
And then Erika looked at herself in the mirror.
The dress was the same. The necklace made everything different: The links formed a loose pattern all the way down the V of the bodice.
If you knew there were scars, you could kind of see them. If you didn’t? You wouldn’t really notice them. All you’d see was a woman in a really kick-ass red dress.
Erika touched the links. Tilted her head at her reflection.
Then she turned around.
And hugged a stranger.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Down in Erika’s cellar, Balz was pacing back and forth in front of the washer-dryer units. With his cell phone up to his ear, he was ready for an argument, and on so many levels, he hated being at the mercy of another person.
But something hadn’t been right as Lassiter had left, and the angel was not answering texts or calls. So he was back at square one, with his instincts telling him that he needed to go back to basics. Devina wasn’t in him, but if he wanted to find out where she was… he felt like he probably could use the—
“Hello?”
Balz stopped walking. “Hey, sorry to wake you.”
“No, it’s cool.” Sahvage’s voice was quiet. “Let me get out of bed, though.”
There was some rustling, a couple of words spoken to the Brother’s shellan, then the sound of a kiss. After which, footfalls and a door closing.
“What’s up?” the Brother asked in a more normal volume. “Helluva night you had.”
“Guess you’ve heard, huh.”
“Yeah. Look, I know we have our differences of opinion, but God’s honest, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, man. And on that note… I gotta talk to you and I’m not trying to piss you off. Honest.”
There was a pause. “Let me get something first.”
There was more rustling. Then the shhhhscht of a beer getting opened. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect.”
“Whatever it is, I believe that.”
“And I am not trying to shit on your parade.”
“Didn’t know I had one, but generally speaking, the less poop, the better in any situation, so thank you.”
“You know I don’t think the Book’s been destroyed.” Balz started up with the pacing again. “And before you tell me to fuck off, yes, I realize I wasn’t there when you and Mae were going rounds with Devina in that fire. But I’ve been to the site. There’s no way that thing was destroyed. No way—”
“You really need to talk to someone else about this,” the Brother cut in with exhaustion. “I’ve given my honest opinion, and I’m not interested in arguing with you—”
“Devina’s still alive as of a night ago. I saw her.”
Cue the pause. “Wait, what?”
“She stood right in front of me.”
Sahvage cursed and there was another beat of silence. “So I guess this is why we got a meeting scheduled before First Meal today, huh.”
“If she’s still around, so is the Book.”
The sounds of big gulps of beer were like a heart rhythm. And then a deep exhale came over the connection. “I guess I’m not really surprised. I’d had some hope, you know. But… whatever. I’ll fight her again. I don’t give a fuck—”
“Well, see, that’s why I called. I need your help.”
Upstairs, the sound of a door opening and closing was followed by footsteps he instantly recognized.
Balz spoke quickly, but he didn’t scramble his words. He made sure they were clear. And as the door to the cellar opened, he ended the call and looked up. Erika was standing at the top of the staircase, her body a dark silhouette.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry that took so long, but I did some shopping. I’ve got no food in this house.”
“Hi,” he murmured. “You need help unpacking the car?”
“It’s too light out. It’s just after four, so give me a minute? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He frowned as he wanted to bring all the groceries in. Like, for the rest of the woman’s life, he didn’t want a single bag in her hand. Ever.