Xvi (35 page)

I shuffled through the dirt and pieces of pipe and plasticine until I reached the door on the other side of the room, with Wei close behind me. Through it and up a short ramp was a banquet room where the skeletons of chandeliers, with broken bulbs and loose wires, were hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows in the space. One of the doors to the lobby hung by a rusty hinge and light filtered in through the opening. When I pushed on it, it fell with a crash.

Wei and I held our breath until we were sure no one had heard.

“Look!” On the dusty floor in front of us I saw footprints. They looked relatively fresh, considering the years of grime that covered everything. “Those have to be Ginnie’s.” I put my foot over one. My foot and the print were the exact same size. Just like my feet and Ginnie’s had been. I started to run into the room, but Wei grabbed me.

“People can see in those doors.” She gestured toward the front, where a month earlier Sal had surprised me when I first found Robin’s Roost. “Turn off your PAV light. We don’t want anyone outside to see. We have to be careful.”

“We have to follow those footprints,” I said.

“Okay. Just keep behind things so if anyone looks in they won’t see you.” Wei took over, leading the way through the lobby. First behind the front desk, then a large sofa, an oversize table, and other pieces of furniture. Eventually, we made it to the other side. We followed the footprints to a door near the elport, which opened onto a stairway.

“The building is only ten stories high,” I said. “Come on.”

The stairwell was as black as the Chicago River at night. If we hadn’t had our PAVs, it would have taken a lot longer to get to the roof. The door at the top of the stairs wasn’t locked, but it was a bit harder to open than the one in the basement. It took both Wei and me ramming ourselves against it, but it finally gave way. A drift of snow on the other side had been the problem. When we walked out onto the roof, I checked my PAV—still no signal, still DZ. Of course, like Gran had said, this used to be a B.O.S.S. building; they’d have it rigged to keep it a DZ, and keep out any kind of surveillance.

“There are no footprints,” Wei said. “The snow has covered everything.”

“Ginnie left something up here. I’m sure of it. We just have to figure out where.”

“I’ll take this side,” Wei said. “You take the other.”

I walked over to the edge of the roof. Streetlights were coming on everywhere and Lincoln Park twinkled like a fairyland. I stopped for a moment and looked out over the skyline and the city. This was the view Ginnie’d loved, and I understood why. I went and got Wei; she had to see it, too. When we got back to where I had been standing, my foot caught on something. I knelt down and felt around. My pulse quickened. “There’s something here.”

I swiped the snow aside and there was a metal cover. I snatched at it with my fingers, nearly tearing them to shreds. It had no intention of giving way. “I need something to pry with.”

Wei searched the roof and eventually returned with a rusty length of metal. “Here, try this.”

I worked it under the cover and tried to lever it with all my strength. I felt a few wet flakes of snow—we had to hurry. At the same moment as the piece of metal broke, there was a
pop
and the cover opened.

I shined my PAV into the hole. Inside, wrapped in all-guard, was a packet. Wei and I sat down in the snow and I opened it. There was a note in Ginnie’s handwriting and three chips. The note said, Here’s the proof. FeLS is a cover for sex trafficking. I know you can stop this ...

I didn’t read any further because the heavy wet flakes of snow started coming down harder. I wrapped everything back up and stuffed the packet in my jeans.

“Let’s go,” I said. “We’ve got to get this to my father. Do you think your father’s been in touch with him lately?”

“I hope so.” Wei went back into the building first. “Be careful on the steps,” she said. “My shoes tracked in some snow and it’s slippery.”

She wasn’t kidding. My foot nearly skidded off the first step. I grabbed onto the banister to keep from falling and felt the metal give under my weight.

We hurried down the stairs as quickly as we could, Wei in the lead. I’d just rounded a corner when I heard a thump in front of me.

“Wei?” I hissed. No answer.

“Wei?” I stepped carefully down the flight of stairs. Wei was lying at the bottom of the landing.

“Wei, are you okay?” Nothing.

Skivs! I put my hand on her neck, felt her pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was still alive, but my PAV light wasn’t bright enough for me to see how badly she was injured. I wasn’t strong enough to carry her. Besides, I was afraid to move her. What if she’d broken something? I started to call Sal before I remembered we were in a DZ. I tried to calm myself and think of what to do next, but my heart was near pounding out of my chest.

“Wei ...” I tried waking her again. Still nothing, not even a moan. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to get help. “Wei, I’ll be back.”

I didn’t even think about anyone seeing me as I crossed the lobby. When I got to the kitchen, I heard a noise and froze. Prickles rose on my arms. Then I heard someone say, “Damn cheap piece of shit! Fucking worthless!”

Ed! For a second I was paralyzed. Then a voice in my head screamed,
Move!
I ran to the hallway door and tried turning the lock, but it was rusted fast. I could feel the panic rising up through my body. Think, Nina, think. I looked for a chair to shove under the doorknob, but there weren’t any. Grabbing a small table, I flipped it over and thrust it against the door. Then I threw some other debris on top of that. Enough to maybe buy me a second or two.

Not daring to turn my PAV light on, I stumbled around the room, tripping over several things. Somehow managing to keep my balance, I fumbled around and grabbed a metal pipe from the floor and ran to one of the counters. Scrambling up on top of it, I tried to reach a window. If I could break one, I could scream for help or climb out. No sooner had I stood up than the countertop gave way beneath me and I tumbled to the floor. I heard the doorknob rattle. I stood stock-still, not even daring to breathe.

“I know you’re in there, Nina.”

My heart was going to beat right out of my chest. The table scraped along the floor as the door slowly opened. Ed was getting in.

“Dead zone, isn’t it? How nice—no one will ever know we’re here. Maybe you and I can have some fun.”

The sick AV images of his vids popped into my mind. I choked back my terror and ducked behind one of the counters, the metal pipe still in my hand.

“Might as well show yourself, Nina.” Ed’s voice echoed through the ruins. “There’s no way out of here except through me.” He grunted and I heard a dull thud, and next thing, the door was completely open. The table tumbled onto its side. “You think some junk is going to keep me out of here? You can’t escape me, Nina.”

I heard him scuffling through the pile of debris I’d thrown in front of the door. Every inch of me wanted to scream, to run, to do something ... but I waited, clenching the pipe tighter and tighter until my hands hurt.

“Don’t be stupid like your blond friend. Would you believe, she actually thought I was taking her for her physical. It didn’t take much for her to tell me where you were.”

Sandy. The only friend of mine that Ed knew was Sandy ...

“As soon as she said ‘Wells,’ I knew you’d be here. You know, your mother had a thing for this building, too. Or so I heard.”

Panic burbled inside of me as his voice grew louder.

“Come on, Nina, don’t you want to know what happened to your friend? I could tell you all the details. She had those sex-teen ways down pat, but you know, she really was a virgin. Bonus for me.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from screaming.

He kept on, like we were having some kind of normal conversation. “You one, too? Or has that scrawny boyfriend of yours already gotten into your pants? Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll enjoy myself either way.”

Nausea gripped me. I swallowed down a bit of vomit.

“You know, Nina, we’ve got some business to take care of before the fun begins.” He waved the light randomly around the room and I heard him trip over a pile of rubble. “Goddamn cheap LED!” Dust swirled like a whirlwind in its faint beam. “There are only so many places you can hide in here, Nina. I am going to find you.”

One of the cabinet doors creaked as he opened it. “You in there?” He slammed it shut. A second later, it clattered onto the floor.

Every muscle in my body ached. Panic clawed at my insides, trying to get out. What if Wei came to and walked in on this? I shut my mind to all of the crazy thoughts.

“Ginnie told you to give a book to Alan. Her idea of having you sing that nursery rhyme was clever, but not clever enough. That nurse made out enough of Ginnie’s words. I know your father is alive. What’s in that book? I suggest you give it to me, or I’ll take your sister and you’ll never see her again.”

I couldn’t let him take Dee—all he needed was one DNA screen and he’d find out she wasn’t his daughter. My eyes followed the dim glow from his LED. The dust was filling my nostrils and I prayed I wouldn’t sneeze.

“Nina ... just give me the book, Nina. Are you listening to me?” His voice became strident. “You know that it’s because of your father that I’m a Chooser. I used to be top-level B.O.S.S. People worked for me. I told them he never drowned, but they said I was crazy. I spent ten damn years trying to get the truth out of your mother. But when I give the GC proof that Alan’s alive, they’ll have to reinstate me.”

His voice lowered. “I really loved her.” There was something close to tenderness in his words. “She despised me,” he went on. “You think I didn’t know that? Even after having a kid with me, she still loved your father. Funny, ain’t it? He’s alive, she’s dead. How unfortunate for her.” His voice lowered to a growl. “Even with that knife to her belly, she wouldn’t give him up. Almost couldn’t go through with it, though,” he said. “That woman turned me on—what a waste.”

Then there was silence, horrible silence. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. The taste of bile filled my mouth. Ed had killed my mother. I think I’d known all along that he’d killed her. I clenched the pipe more tightly, my rage growing.

“I’m getting tired of this, Nina. You know what, Nina? I don’t think I need you to get that book. I think Dee knows where it is, and you know she loves her dad. That leaves you ... well, now, I can’t just leave you, can I? Not with all you know, now. That just won’t do.” He kicked some rubbish. “But what to do with you, now ... There’s an old saying ‘like mother—like daughter.’ What do you say we find out if that’s true? And if I like what you do, I might not kill you, least not right away.”

Pervert!
I wanted to scream so badly. Scream and scream and scream, until I’d screamed him into oblivion. I knew if I made a sound it would be all over for me, for Wei ... And after he got to me, he’d go for Dee. I couldn’t let that happen, no matter what. I had to keep focused.

The faint beam of his LED trailed along on the other side of the counter.

This would be my only chance to get away. I watched the light getting closer and closer. Pressing my back against a piece of countertop, I braced myself. He stepped closer to my hiding place, his LED shining right in front of me. I held my breath, waiting.

The moment the light moved past me, I leaped up and the full force of my rage and every other emotion I’d been holding inside surged out. I let loose one horrible shriek and with both hands brought the full force of the pipe down on Ed’s head. I heard a sickening crack and Ed crumpled into the rubble.

Ed’s LED wobbled across the floor, the light throwing shadows everywhere. I grabbed it, then raced to the storeroom and out into the night.

I pulled out my PAV and called Sal. “Sal—I need help, NOW! Wei and I are at Robin’s Roost. Come through the alley. Come now!”

Wei—I had to get back to her, but what if Ed came to? I began to shake and it wasn’t from the cold. I couldn’t leave Wei in there, alone with him, unconscious. I had to risk it. I turned to go back inside when the door creaked open. I pressed against the building, paralyzed, hoping I blended in with the shadows. If Ed found me, I knew what would happen.

“Nina?” Wei’s voice was weak and thready; she slid down the doorjamb into a heap.

I ran to her. “Get up. Come on.”

She tried to sit, but only managed to slump forward, holding her head.

“Wei, come on, we’ve got to get out of here,” I said. “Ed’s inside. I knocked him out but he’s gonna come to. If he finds us ...”

She struggled to her feet, and I half carried her up the steps to the alley. We had almost reached the entrance to the street when I saw Sal and Mike.

“Sal, Mike, over here! We’ve got to get Wei some help. She fell ... and ...”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m just a little woozy.” Her legs kept giving out under her. “No worse than other falls I’ve taken. I just need to sit for a minute, okay?”

The guys supported Wei as we snuck out of the alley and crossed the street. A three-story walk up, with large bushes on either side of the steps loomed in front of us.

“You girls get behind those.” Sal pointed to the bushes. “We’ll keep watch until Ed comes out.”