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I glanced back at the coat now hanging on a gleaming wooden rack, but nodded hesitantly and followed her down a dark hallway. We walked in silence until we reached a large, comfortable looking room with a few chairs and an expansive window, draped with rich, velvet curtains. They reminded me of Antonio’s home, setting off a slideshow of scenes in my mind depicting anything from Magda to my brother, and then my blood.
Lidia still showed no sign that she knew who I was.
Then she gestured to a chair. “Have a seat, and I'll get something to drink. Señor Gálvez will be in shortly.” She gave me one last long glance, assessing me from head to toe before disappearing out of the same room she had just come from.
My heart pounded in my chest, the sound of it echoing in my skull. What was I getting myself into?
Imaginary Antonio hissed in my ear.
His lack of communication was almost laughable, and for as much as I thought he told me, there were hidden multitudes to the things he never mentioned. That seemed to be his way. He’d artfully arranged my campaign funds for the tournaments. He’d also taken care of Magda without me knowing.
I tried and failed to calm my nerves through breathing.
Lidia returned a few moments later with a silver tray supporting two steaming mugs of coffee. Behind her was the Night Merchant. He was a tall, stick-thin, balding man with a look in his eye that put me on edge.
He nodded at me, all practiced politeness and professionalism. “Bienvenida a nuestra casa.”
My skin crawled.
Lidia removed a coaster from a drawer under the bookshelf. After placing both the small cork circle and the cup in front of me, I thanked her quietly and took a sip.
I sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up.
"You mentioned you had something to sell.” Her voice was soft but her eyes were ravenous.
I clenched my jaw. She knew what I had. Her fingerprints were all over it.
For a moment, I had a glimpse into the lives of desperate teenagers and children. They probably expected a vipers den to look the part—hissing reptiles, fangs and all. If I were to come into a house like this, and was treated this way, I might actually buy the sincerity.
I nodded slowly, trying to will my heart to slow down. “Si,” I squeaked, and then followed with, “Perdón.”
The Comerciante Nocturno’s mouth stretched into an amiable smile as he nodded with understanding.
“Well then,” Lidia said, sitting forward. "Let's talk business."
My attention turned back to Lidia. She was here to play the role of benevolent intermediary, but her eyes were devouring the jewels around my neck. It didn’t matter that the Comerciante Nocturno used her just as surely as a carpenter used a hammer.
More acid pooled in my stomach, but I cleared my throat. “All right.”
Lidia sat down, holding the other cup of coffee. Señor Gálvez sat at the other side of the table and watched.
The corner of the woman’s mouth twitched. “First, we want to know a bit more about you.”
I winced, and she saw.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Señor Gálvez is a gentle soul, but he wants to make sure you are genuine. Helping young girls out of nasty situations can get messy, and we just want to know what we are working with.”
My eyes widened. They made it sound like they were saving young people, not profiting off of the awful conditions we lived in. They manipulated people at best, and turned them into zombies, or shipped them off to become the carnal playthings of powerful men and women at worst. Revealing any more information was the last thing I wanted to do.
But I was out of options. Backed into a corner, and I was too tired to attack. When we had spent a weekend on the mountainside, Antonio had been so angry when I didn’t want to help him kill a rabbit.
If you are soft in the wilderness, then you will get crushed.
I had to believe that this was me being strong.
The vultures watched my every move as my hands went to my ear and neck, and unfastened the jewels. Then I slowly set them on the table. “I came here to sell these.”
Both of them stared at the jewels glittering in the soft light. For a moment, Señor Gálvez’s eyes gleamed alongside the diamonds. A feral hunger took over, letting the demon peer out at me for just a few moments before he tucked him back inside.
