“You know far more about the Orphan Guild than we do. What do you think of this?”
“I...” Her voice was unusually high-pitched. Enne knew she must have recognized at least a few of the names on the list of casualties. “I’m shocked. Bryce keeps the location private, known only to Scavenger, Ivory, and the members of the Guild. There must have been a mole—someone who knew where it was and how to cause the most damage.”
“Butyouknow the location,” Levi said. “Has Bryce made any effort to contact you? He must suspect you.”
Lola stiffened. “I doubt he suspects me.”
“Why is that?” Levi asked.
“Because he made it very clear that he’d kill me if I ever betrayed him.” Enne flinched at Lola’s coldness. Was that how the Guildmaster treated all his associates? “And he knows I’m not thick. Or a killer.”
Levi’s forehead creased with worry. “I’m nervous about this. The Irons is the only gang that doesn’t hire from the Orphan Guild, but this attack was directly prompted by events Enne and I caused.”
Enne shivered. “Which means the other lords might blame us.”
The notion of becoming enemies with Ivory, Scavenger,andBryce left Enne ill. Even if she needed to call herself a street lord, she wasn’t like them. They were...dangerous.
You killed Sedric, she reminded herself.You wanted to.He was despicable. He was a predator.
She remembered the sweetness of the drugged Lollipop Lick on her lips, the pity in the bartender’s eyes. How many girls had Sedric targeted? How many people around him had been complicit in the suffering he’d caused?
You watched Semper die, and you were glad he did.
Enne was just as dangerous.
You killed the whiteboot. You didn’t even hesitate.
She was just as deadly.
You’re not like the other lords. You don’t want this.
It was true that Enne didn’t have a cause to drive her, like Vianca. Or ambition to motivate her, like Levi. But she did have her anger, her grief, her frustration. She felt it all unfurling and writhing inside of her, like a snake rising from its slumber.You do have power, it whispered as it curled around the broken cavities of her heart.
“Enne?” Levi asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. “Do you mind if we speak in private?”
“Of course,” she said, and she cringed watching Levi shakily get to his feet. They walked back into the stairwell, keeping the door propped to let in a sliver of light. Levi leaned against the wall to support himself.
“I want you to know that I’ll still help you,” he told her seriously. “In any way I can.”
Her resentment waning but not quite gone, she said, “You assume I want your help. Last time you called yourself lord,Ihad to rescueyou.”
He put his hand to his heart as though she’d wounded him more than he was already hurt. “I’m offended you don’t think higher of my consulting skills.”
“Then tell me: how will I pay for these associates? Where will they stay? How will I convince them I’m not a fraud?”
He gave her a weak smile. “Just give me some time and a bottle of whiskey, and I’ll find you a few clever ideas.”
She frowned. She didn’t want to hear about his confidence in himself—she’d suffered through enough of that already. She needed to hear that he had confidence inher.
“That life philosophy is why you look like you do now,” she grumbled.
“Like what?” He smoothed the front of his blazer. “I think I look rather dashing. You know, you’re pretty observant, if you guessed my measurements.” He smirked. “Veryobservant, even—”
“You look terrible,” she said quickly, before he could embarrass her further.
His laugh was followed by a wince. “I mean it, though. I’m sorry I don’t have solutions yet, but I will—I promise. I’ve spent all day trying to figure out how to piece my life back together, and it feels like every time I think I’ve gotten ahead, there’s some other problem, some other risk.” His voice grew gradually more heated. “You saved me yesterday, and I don’t have it figured out yet, but give me a chance to think and—” he angrily hit the side of his wounded leg “—and put myself back together, so I can save you, too.”
As touching as his feelings might have been, Enne didn’t want a savior. She wanted a partner.
