Whispers floated around that Mamá simply ran away.Some were certain she fled with another man, while others thoughtshe was dead.But Lo knew better.Mamá definitely went to Fortune’s Kiss and must have gambled and lost.Surely, she was stuck repaying her debts.Returning empty-handed wouldn’t have helped anyone …
“Well, I for one am willing to risk it,” Mayté said.“I’m tired of the way things are, and I know you are too.Those people who came back with nothing weren’t thinking things through.If we lose, we can stay and spend a few years paying off our debts.In the meantime, the house will travel the world and we’ll be along for the journey!I know it’s not perfect, but isn’t it better than what we have now?”She smirked, and all the exhaustion smeared on her face seemed to magically fade.“Remember our pact?”
Instinctively, Lo touched the scar on her right palm.How could she forget?She used to watch Mayté draw pictures in the dirt, imagining how Fortune’s Kiss looked: a castle made of clouds and rainbows.The perfect fairy-tale escape for two little girls.But that was all it had been, a fantasy.
Now it was real.Risk.Reward.Everything.
Lo shuddered and rubbed her arms.Back then, their dreams had been much simpler.To live like princesses without any burdens or responsibility.
That was before Mamá left.
Before Mayté’s family fell from grace.
“This might be our only chance,” Mayté continued, her dark eyes full of fire.“Don’t you want to gamble?”
Did she?Lo’s heart skipped a beat.She looked between the poster and her best friend.Her fingers trembled.Mamá must have been desperate to risk it all.Was Lo that desperate?Did she want to follow in Mamá’s footsteps?She would have to leave her sisters behind with their father.Didshe want to gamble?
If she won, she and her sisters could escape from him forever.And maybe, just maybe, she could get Mamá back.
The realization made her dizzy.Yes, yes, yes.“Let’s do it.”Even if she lost everything, her best friend would be by her side.She would follow Mayté to El Infierno if she had to.
“Then let’s throw our rebozos into the ring.”Mayté flung out her arm.
Lo snorted.“I’ll toss something much more fashionable, thank you.”
“Oh, hush, you.”Grinning widely, Mayté pointed at the bottom of the poster.“It says it’s at Centro Street.We should investigate that.Maybe we can get more information about getting in.”
It was so like Mayté to gather all the facts.
Despite the risk and everything that could go wrong, Lo’s heart drummed with excitement.At Fortune’s Kiss, there was so much more that could goright.And it would.It had to.
THREEMayté
The de León hacienda may have been the most lavish in all of Milagro with sprawling acres of lush land, hallways lined with painted portraits of family ancestors, chambers furnished with glittering treasures from around the world, and larger-than-life suites for each of the de León girls.But an uncomfortable tension always clouded the air.A five-minute visit had the same effect on Mayté’s body as if she had spent five hours hunched over a canvas.
She always left drained and in need of a stretch.Especially when Lo’s father was around.Always scowling, voice booming through the halls.As a child, Mayté was terrified of him.As much as she hated to admit it, she still kind of was …
Even after Mayté’s family moved to an area full of crime and squalor, Lo still insisted on visiting their tiny shack instead of staying comfortable in her own palace of a home.More and more Mayté understood why.
Lo pressed against a pillar and peeked outside—cautious and swift like a mouse.She shouldn’t have had to be a mouse in her own home, Mayté thought as she peeked out too.
Not a soul in sight.Lo grabbed her hand.“Hurry.”
The two hustled through the huge paradise of a garden.Past the fountain and tall palms, between the potted dahlias and perfectly trimmed bushes.Lo must have had this escaperoute memorized.The gate was not too far off now.Leafy vines slithered down the orange walls lining the perimeter.Lo yanked Mayté behind a tall bush.Her golden-brown eyes bulged, and she smashed a finger to her lips.
What?Mayté mouthed.
Giggles filled the air as Lo’s sister walked down the path.Little Sofía skipped around Serafina, who was carrying a stack of work booklets.The de Leóns all had the same smooth and beautiful faces the color of faded terra-cotta.It was the kind of skin that turned bronzy from the summer sun and faded to the color of pale sand during the gray winter.
“That’s enough!”Serafina snatched Sofía’s hand.“We must finish our studies before dinner.No more goofing off.”
“Hmph.”Sofía pouted.Dark brown curls sprayed out from her bun like little horns, and her chubby cheeks bounced with every stomping step.
Once they were out of earshot, Lo sighed and fell against the bush.The thick leaves kept her upright.“I didn’t want them to see us and have to lie for me,” she whispered.
Mayté remembered how Lo always used to have to lie for her mother.Lo had never liked doing it.
“Come on,” Lo said.“Let’s get out of here.”
