Page 60 of Tainted Blood
“The baby?” I hesitate, expecting the worst.
“Is fine.”
“Are you serious?” There’s a distant thud of joy in my chest as she rises from the bed to shut the door before scooting back to me.
“Sorry, I only have, like, ten minutes before my mother returns to my apartment. I can’t breathe right now without her sticking a monitor on my finger and checking the oxygen levels. Santi’s even worse. If it were up to him, he’d lock me up in a hospital and swallow the key.”
“Are you sure?” I prompt again, greedy for lightness in a world that feels far too heavy right now.
“I’m sure,” she confirms, smiling through her tears.
“Does Santi know?”
“Not yet. Fortunately, my doctor is open to every form of bribery.” She holds up a slim hand to show me her lack of jewelry. “Hey, it’s worth it. Once Sam is out of hospital—”
“Sam?” I pounce on the name in disbelief. “Are you telling me Sam survived?”
This time, Lola’s smile isn’t a wilting flower. It’s a sunflower turned toward the blazing sky. Maybe someday I’ll be able to smile like that again.
“Santi heard the gunshots and found him in the parking lot. He and RJ saved him. He won’t stop bitching about it, though...” Her face falls again. “Sam was shot in the stomach. He nearly bled out. He nearly died.”
“Have you seen him? Does he know about the baby?” I’m tripping over my words like a drunk person now. Lola’s news has me reeling.
She shakes her head. “Soon. For now, I’m biding my time… Picking my moment. Did Santi tell you about the truce between our families?”
“We haven’t really spoken much about anything yet.” I sink back down into my pillows again. Whispers in the night aren’t signed confessions.
There’s so much guilt and recrimination waiting for us.
We stare at each other again, and I know she’s thinking the same thing. We’re remembering two women chained to the gates of hell, fighting to keep them shut for as long as possible as the devil rattled the bars.
“I heard you screaming,” she says, reaching out to take my hand. “That night in the maze? When you didn’t come back to the room, I thought… I thought…” She leads her deduction into a sad, terrified silence.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper, moving my hand away. “Not yet.”
“Don’t punish yourself, Thalia,” she pleads, her keen eyes flickering over my face. “For anything. Be kind to yourself. It’s going to take a long time to come to terms with everything that happened.”
Or what that night turned me into.
Reluctantly, she goes to stand. “I better get back. I’ll come again soon, or maybe you can come find me? I’m in the apartment right below this one…” She pauses. “You know, pápa told me Santi didn’t eat or sleep when he was trying to find us. He wouldn’t rest until we were safe. The only reason he kept Sam alive was to extract information about our location. You know how much he wanted to kill him after what went down between us at Rutgers. The only reason he went to see Edier Grayson and your father—”
“He went to see my father?” I’m stunned. “Are they both still alive?”
“For now...” She shoots me a look before heading for the door. “If Santi doesn’t allow him into Legado soon, he’ll be mounting his severed head on the wall in the bar.” She starts fiddling with the lock on the handle. “Look, I know he lied to you, Thalia… I know about the tape and the real reason he forced you to marry him. I know what he put you through is inexcusable, but sometimes the craziest decisions come from places that aren’t overgrown with thorns.”
“Like you and Sam,” I say, feeling her words settle like soft snow on hard ground. Like a boy and a girl ten years ago, trying to make sense of a raging storm.
Muñequita.
“Did he tell you about Z-zaccaria?” I say, stumbling over the name.
As soon as I say it, black images invade my mind...
Begging for water.
Begging for my life.
“You mean that he escaped?” Her expression tightens. “Let’s just say my brother has swapped one obsession for another. He’ll find him, Thalia. He will make him pay.”