I crouched low, tucked behind an air conditioning unit on a rooftop opposite Marj's place, waiting for Sasha and Marj to exit the building.
The Narrows were too hot for me to sit on my ass and wait for my enemies to make a move. Sasha would crash with Candice until I could pull enough cash to get her into rehab. Mom would be glad for the company—she was still beating herself up over the Tim mess.
My phone rang.
"She won't come out," Marj said. "She's hysterical."
"Shit. Hand the phone over."
There was a scream and a crash, and the line went dead.
"Marj! Sasha!"
Not today of all days.
I bolted upright, vaulting over the air conditioning unit. Reinforcement surged through me as I leaped off the building, spiking Inverse just before impact. What should've been a catastrophic crash onto the fire escape became a dull thud. Scaling the stairs two at a time, I reached Marj's floor and knocked on the window. Screams echoed from inside. Before I did anything drastic—like punching through the glass—I tested the latch. To my surprise, it was unlocked.
I slipped inside, turning a corner just in time for Marj to launch a kick straight at my crotch.
Thankfully, Inverse saved me from getting gelded.
"Jesus, Marj! I'm scared for the guy that tries to rob you."
"Julius?!" She clutched her chest. "How the hell did you get in here? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Your window was open."
"Shit. Sasha must've left it unlocked. We're on the top floor. How the hell did you get up the fire escape so fast?"
She looked exhausted—bags under her eyes, makeup runny. Probably just back from work.
"What was that noise earlier?" I asked.
"Sasha locked herself in the bathroom. She keeps saying she won't abandon her brother again. She's crying, Julius."
I clenched my jaw. "Let me talk to her."
Marj led me down the hall. I pressed my ear against the bathroom door, hearing quiet sobs.
"Sasha?" I called softly.
"Go away!" she screamed.
"I'm not leaving. Not until you talk to me."
"Why would I want to talk to you?" she spat. "You're a monster. You destroyed my family. Tim hurt me because of you."
The words hit like a hammer to my chest. But this wasn't about me. It was about her. And Marj. And the plan.
"Do you think I don't kick myself every night for what happened to Ed?" My voice came out unexpectedly raw, and my hands curled into fists. "Ed wanted us to hit the target unharmed. If I'd pushed harder earlier that day, had the fight like I was supposed to, then maybe he'd still be alive.
Maybe you wouldn't hate me. Maybe he could be here taking care of you instead of me. But I made him a promise, and I'm not about to fail you a second time. You need help, Sasha. Let me get you somewhere safe."
Silence. Then, a choked sob. "I remember the night Mom left. I was fifteen. Ed had just come back from school, and we curled up on the couch all night, eating ice cream and watching a marathon of Megan on my shitty laptop. I swore to myself I'd take care of him. Do better than our deadbeat parents.
I broke my promise before the month was over. I didn't have many options as a fifteen-year-old dropout, and I had to do a lot of things I'm not proud of. I lost sight of Eddie trying to drown out the pain. You might've taught him how to steal, but I drove him to it."
I didn't correct her. "Help me keep the last promise I made to Eddie. Sasha, please open the door."
"No. I won't leave him," she insisted in a weak voice. "Not after everything. I don't even know where he's buried."
"I do," I said. "I'll take you to him before we leave the city."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart."
Another long pause. Then, the door clicked open.
Sasha stood there, eyes red, cheeks puffy. She looked skinnier than before. Probably hadn't been eating. My breath caught.
"You look better, Sasha."
She collapsed into my arms, clinging to me, sobbing. When she pulled away, she disappeared into a room to gather her things. Marj's gaze burned into the back of my neck.
"That's even more impressive than the window thing," she murmured, sipping from a coffee cup. "She was inconsolable."
"Guess it took the right messenger."
"Where are you off to?"
I glanced toward Sasha's room. "Better if you don't know. Took a page out of your book. Called your cab guy—Farouq. He was quiet the first time. Figured he was good."
She nodded. "Farouq's a favorite with the girls."
Ten minutes later, Sasha emerged, cleaned up and dressed in Marj's hoodie. She adjusted the sleeves over her hands as she climbed into the cab. Her face was a mix of exhaustion and something close to hope—a look I hadn't seen in a long time.
We had a quiet vigil by Gotham River. Her cries echoed into the night, and I stood there, stoic, tears rolling down my cheek. Farouq waited in the car while we mourned.
I plucked a bundle of cash from my socks and peeled off a few hundred-dollar bills for Farouq's trouble. Most of it was to make him forget our faces. He dropped us off some distance away from the bus station, and after handing her the rest of my cash and a burner phone with my number and Candice's preloaded, I put her on a bus bound out of town.
Sasha hesitated before she went up the steps. "Swear you'll get him a proper grave?"
"Swear on Eddie's name."
Sasha clutched her phone, nodded, and climbed into the bus. As it vanished behind a wall of fog and city lights, the weight in my chest lifted. I was glad I did that right. The rest was left to Sasha. I could only hope she had enough self-control to get on the next bus like she was supposed to.
With my hands stuffed inside my hoodie, I turned around, and it was then I saw him—someone peeping from behind a corner.
My breathing turned rough, and my cursed energy churned.
Fuck.
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