Page 8 of Secrets of the Six

She smiles and it oddly tugs at my heart. "Call me naive but I am a firm believer that above money and power, people want to belong. We need a purpose. You can deny my request and I will honor my word and get you out of Orlencia tonight, or you can stay and fight for our people and our city. You can have purpose and serve the greater good."

No one has seen value in me. I've been shooed away and thrown out of places where I wasn't welcome because I was considered no better than a sewer rat. But here, in the nicest home in the entire city, I'm invited to sit at the table and told that I matter. I'm not sure if it's the lack of food in my belly that's making my stomach gurgle or the nerves of agreeing to join Otero's rebellion that makes me want to vomit, but I find myself saying, "I want a rowhouse in the Silver District."

An amused chuckle slips from Otero's lips, and she nods, extending her hand for me to shake. "Silver District it is then. Welcome aboard, Ines. Salvador will show you to your quarters. You will find a file on your nightstand. Commit it to memory and then burn it."

Once I've taken her hand to signify our verbal accord, she stands and limps toward the door only to stop in the threshold and turn back with a smile. "I would have agreed to give you a house in the Golden District."

I return her smile. "I would have settled for a warm bed and a meal."

The corner of Otero's eyes crinkle in amusement. She glances at Salvador. "Take care of her."

Salvador bobs his head in understanding as the matriarch slips out into the corridor.

What the hell did I just get myself into?

Chapter 3

Ines

Salvador silently leads me down the second-floor hallway and without the hood over my head, I'm able to appreciate the wondrous beauty of Casa Otero. Dark, wide-planked wooden floors stretch the length of the corridor and stucco archways with bright mosaic tile on the ceiling guide us toward my new home for the unforeseeable future. At the end of the hall, there's a black-trimmed window, but I'm unable to make out what lies outside due to Salvador's broad shoulders blocking the view. He squares his body to a rounded wood door to his right. Without saying a word, he unceremoniously swings it open and motions me forward.

"This will be your room the duration of your stay," he finally speaks, drawing my gaze as I brush past him to slip inside. "Should you need anything, let one of the maids know."

I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the wall nearest the door where he's posted up. "And where will you be skulking about, should I need you?"

The left side of his mouth quirks upward. "Need me in what way? And don't spare any tantalizing details."

Scoffing and rolling my eyes, I lift a hand to douse his fire. "Easy there, Sal. Anything I would need you for is strictly non-sex related."

Salvador tilts his head to the side with a roguish smile. "Pity. And here I was excited thinking of all the mischief we could get ourselves into." The vibrato in his voice probably provokes women's knees to buckle, but I stay the odd excitement that pools in my lower belly. He will receive no such reaction from me. Straightening in the threshold when I remain silent, he winks, "In answer to your question, I'll be around. Don't miss me too much, Vibora."

"I will try to contain my sorrow in your absence."

"Get some sleep." The manner in which he issues the command sends a warmth tingling down my spine. "You're going to need it."

"Oh?" I purse my lips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He ignores me, enjoying my sudden curiosity.

"Are you deformed?" I ask, halting his exit.

"A rude question." A few strands of his dark brown locks fall over the mask when he slowly turns to face me. "Why do you ask?"

I unapologetically point at his face. "The mask. Do you always wear it?"

"Perhaps."

"That's not an answer."

Salvador takes a heavy step toward me, but I stand my ground, not intimidated by him in the least, though I probably should be.

"Perhaps I wear it because I am deformed or perhaps, I wear it because I am so handsome you would find me irresistible and not focus on much else." Before I can refute his claims, he says lowly, "Perhaps I don the mask to keep my identity a secret should you turn on us."

The last comment infuriates me. I may be a lot of things, but a turncoat isn't one. "I gave the Doña my word. I may be a thief, but even thieves have some honor."

Salvador laughs. "A thief with honor. I've never heard of anything more ridiculous."

"More ridiculous than a masked phantom picturing what I look like naked?"