Page 150 of Tin God
The basic layout would be the same. The windows and the alcove had already been built. They were adding a bathroom downstairs, along with another light-safe bedroom. The complete reconstruction would probably be done in another two months.
There was still no sign of Layah or Harun. If the little lovebirds had survived, they were not flying back.
In Tenzin’s mind, she liked to imagine Harun heroically leading Layah through the storm and to the fire escape of a little grandmother in Washington Heights who would find the two birds and take them in. They would be pampered and cooed over, treated like the precious bright jewels they were.
Tenzin had made up many stories in her very long life. She decided she liked that one.
“No.” Ben sat on the rebuilt steps that would lead out to the roof. “We don’t need to sell it, but we should move on. At least for a while.”
Tenzin had known Ben wouldn’t want to stay. “Where?”
“Anywhere.” He shrugged. “We’ve been in North America for a while. You want to be in Asia?”
She shook her head. “Politics are too complicated.”
“Selfishly, I’d like to be somewhere back on the West Coast to stay near my sister since she’s going to be an adult in five minutes or something,” he said. “But I don’t think we’re very welcome in the Pacific Northwest right now.”
Things in Katya’s territory were definitely settled down, but there was still a lot of turmoil. She’d dug into Paulson’s activities in more detail and discovered that while no one in her organization was directly involved in the hunts or Henri Paulson’s silent attempt at a vampire coup, there were multiple vampires in her employ who had taken bribes to look the other way.
And there was still the issue of Oleg’s creeping influence. His assistance in rounding up and identifying Paulson’s shadow fleet in the Bering Sea and the North Atlantic was effective, but it was even more evidence that Katya’s hold on the territory was not as secure as it had been a hundred years before.
All in all, it was an area that Ben and Tenzin wanted to avoid even if they had managed to stay above the politics. This time at least.
“The West Coast is big,” Tenzin said. “And South America is an option too.”
“That’s still pretty far from Sadia.” Ben narrowed his eyes. “What about Mexico?”
“What about it?”
“Who’s the VIC in Mexico City these days? Do we know?”
“I don’t know who it is right now, but it could be a relative of Ernesto’s.” Her eyebrows went up. “Ernesto Alvarez still likes us.”
Ben nodded. “What do you say, Tiny? Want to go check out Mexico City and see what we think?”
“It’s a quick flight to your aunt and uncle without being in their backyard.” Tenzin nodded slowly. “Good art market,” she muttered. “Nice museums.”
“Tiny.”
“What?” She blinked her eyes innocently. “To visit.”
Ben smiled and stood up, walking over to her and taking her hand. “You never change.”
“On the contrary, you make it a point to remind me nightly that I’mevolving.” She looked around the room. “One thing that will remain unchanged is my sword collection. Which—thanks to it being metal and not canvas—was mostly undamaged by the fire.”
Ben dropped her hand. “Really?”
“I’m just saying that paint and paper are less secure?—”
“My library was destroyed, and it feels like you’re rubbing it in.” He muttered, “I’m telling Giovanni.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She’d already been on the lookout for some new maps for him, but he didn’t know that yet. “Gold, swords, and jewels are investments. That’s all I’m saying.”
He rolled his eyes but held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go to Gavin and Chloe’s. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
She looked over her shoulder as they walked out onto the remains of the roof. “It will be beautiful again. You will love it here again.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But right now I need to be somewhere new.”