I made myself let go of the bars, trying to appear calm, as if I didn’t want to rip out his throat. “When you found out, why didn’t you let her go?”
He shrugged, but his eyes held too much pain to pul off such an offhand gesture. “I wanted to, but Miguel said her Pride was already looking for her, and that if we let her go, she’d turn us in. Her father would have had me kil ed. You know he would have.” He glanced at me for confirmation, but I didn’t know what to say. He was right.
“So you let them kill her instead,” Abby said. It wasn’t a question.
“I…” He glanced at me, then at her, already backing toward the stairs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come down here. I can’t expect you to understand.”
“Sean, wait,” I said, following him as far as my bars would let me. But he didn’t wait. He turned and ran up the stairs, slamming the door as he left.
“I tried to warn you,” Ryan said, shaking his head at me as if it were my fault.
“Is that what you were doing?” I sat at the base of the bars, pulling the fast-food bag back into my lap. “I thought maybe you were trying to fly.”
“Cute.” He leaned back against the staircase, thin arms crossed over his chest.
“Sean isn’t doing so hot today.”
“So I noticed. What happened?”
He frowned. “I’m not sure. It may have been going after you. Or maybe knowing they’re gonna take —” he caught his slipup just in time “—another tabby.
The whole thing’s snowballing, and he knows there’s no way out. He’s acting like he might let go of that last shred of sanity any minute.”
“Serves him right,” Abby said. We both turned to look at her. She held a biscuit clenched in one hand, crumbling between her tiny fingers.
“Yeah, well, I think he’d agree with you,” Ryan said.
“If he feels so guilty, why’d he let them kill her?” I asked.
“He didn’t let them. He just wasn’t here to stop it. And I’m not sure he could have, anyway.”
“Michael said Sean’s scent was al over her,” I said, my food untouched on my lap.
Ryan sighed and sat down, apparently resigning himself to a long explanation.
“That was from before. When Eric and Miguel went after Abby—” he glanced at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes “—they left me and Sean here with Sara. Sean spent the whole time down here with her, trying to work his Don Juan magic. He left the door open, and I heard part of it from the kitchen.
“He told her how much he loved her and begged her to marry him instead of Kyle. She said all the right things, agreeing to everything he asked and telling him she loved him. According to him, they even ‘made love,’ but I suspect she was just too scared to say no. Afterward, I heard her crying, begging him to let her go home.
Sean completely freaked out, accusing her of lying to him. He came upstairs blubbering and said Miguel was right, that they couldn’t let her go. He slammed the front door on his way out, and I remember thinking he was gone for good, and we were down to three out of five.”
My head snapped up in surprise. “Five? Who’s the fifth?” But I was pretty sure I already knew, that I’d already met him. And broken his nose.
“Luiz. The cat Miguel sent after you. He left before I got here, so I never met him, but Eric said he’s another jungle stray.” Ryan met my eyes. “I heard Miguel talking to him on the phone, but I don’t speak Portuguese, so, you know…” He shrugged both thin shoulders.
I gaped at my brother, stunned by how casual y he’d prattled off the news of another murderer on the loose, as if such things happened every day. Maybe they did.
Ryan shook his head as if to clear it. “Anyway, when they got back with Abby, Miguel hit the roof. He said if I couldn’t find Sean by sunrise, they’d go after Hailey to teach him a lesson.”
I gasped in horror. Sean’s little sister was about Abby’s size, but she was only thirteen years old.
“I looked in every bar in town, but by the time I found him and dragged him back, Sara was dead.”
Silence fel over us like a heavy quilt, but instead of warming me, it gave me chil s.
“They thought I was unconscious,” Abby whispered. Her words seeped beneath the blanket of silence like a cold draft.
I turned slowly toward her, hoping I’d misunderstood. She’d abandoned her food for the comfort of her favorite corner of the mattress. Tears stood in her eyes.
She hugged herself, rocking back and forth as she spoke. “I saw what they did to her.” Her words sounded choked, as if she was trying and failing to hold them in.
My breath caught in my throat, and I coughed to expel it. I’d had a feeling she’d witnessed Sara’s death, but hearing her say it was different.
“I’m so sorry, Ab,” Ryan said, and I couldn’t help but believe him.
Tears slid silently down Abby’s face and she turned her back on us both, curling into the fetal position on the mattress. Even in human form she moved with a cat’s grace and flexibility; her posture was as expressive as most people’s eyes. I knew by the tension in her arms and the curve of her spine that she was reliving Sara’s final moments.
“Miguel came down first,” Abby said, her account punctuated by sniffles. “Sara screamed and cried. She tried to throw him off, but he was too strong. He ripped her clothes off in pieces. She wouldn’t shut up, so he choked her ’til she passed out.
He shrugged, but his eyes held too much pain to pul off such an offhand gesture. “I wanted to, but Miguel said her Pride was already looking for her, and that if we let her go, she’d turn us in. Her father would have had me kil ed. You know he would have.” He glanced at me for confirmation, but I didn’t know what to say. He was right.
“So you let them kill her instead,” Abby said. It wasn’t a question.
“I…” He glanced at me, then at her, already backing toward the stairs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come down here. I can’t expect you to understand.”
“Sean, wait,” I said, following him as far as my bars would let me. But he didn’t wait. He turned and ran up the stairs, slamming the door as he left.
“I tried to warn you,” Ryan said, shaking his head at me as if it were my fault.
“Is that what you were doing?” I sat at the base of the bars, pulling the fast-food bag back into my lap. “I thought maybe you were trying to fly.”
“Cute.” He leaned back against the staircase, thin arms crossed over his chest.
“Sean isn’t doing so hot today.”
“So I noticed. What happened?”
He frowned. “I’m not sure. It may have been going after you. Or maybe knowing they’re gonna take —” he caught his slipup just in time “—another tabby.
The whole thing’s snowballing, and he knows there’s no way out. He’s acting like he might let go of that last shred of sanity any minute.”
“Serves him right,” Abby said. We both turned to look at her. She held a biscuit clenched in one hand, crumbling between her tiny fingers.
“Yeah, well, I think he’d agree with you,” Ryan said.
“If he feels so guilty, why’d he let them kill her?” I asked.
“He didn’t let them. He just wasn’t here to stop it. And I’m not sure he could have, anyway.”
“Michael said Sean’s scent was al over her,” I said, my food untouched on my lap.
Ryan sighed and sat down, apparently resigning himself to a long explanation.
“That was from before. When Eric and Miguel went after Abby—” he glanced at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes “—they left me and Sean here with Sara. Sean spent the whole time down here with her, trying to work his Don Juan magic. He left the door open, and I heard part of it from the kitchen.
“He told her how much he loved her and begged her to marry him instead of Kyle. She said all the right things, agreeing to everything he asked and telling him she loved him. According to him, they even ‘made love,’ but I suspect she was just too scared to say no. Afterward, I heard her crying, begging him to let her go home.
Sean completely freaked out, accusing her of lying to him. He came upstairs blubbering and said Miguel was right, that they couldn’t let her go. He slammed the front door on his way out, and I remember thinking he was gone for good, and we were down to three out of five.”
My head snapped up in surprise. “Five? Who’s the fifth?” But I was pretty sure I already knew, that I’d already met him. And broken his nose.
“Luiz. The cat Miguel sent after you. He left before I got here, so I never met him, but Eric said he’s another jungle stray.” Ryan met my eyes. “I heard Miguel talking to him on the phone, but I don’t speak Portuguese, so, you know…” He shrugged both thin shoulders.
I gaped at my brother, stunned by how casual y he’d prattled off the news of another murderer on the loose, as if such things happened every day. Maybe they did.
Ryan shook his head as if to clear it. “Anyway, when they got back with Abby, Miguel hit the roof. He said if I couldn’t find Sean by sunrise, they’d go after Hailey to teach him a lesson.”
I gasped in horror. Sean’s little sister was about Abby’s size, but she was only thirteen years old.
“I looked in every bar in town, but by the time I found him and dragged him back, Sara was dead.”
Silence fel over us like a heavy quilt, but instead of warming me, it gave me chil s.
“They thought I was unconscious,” Abby whispered. Her words seeped beneath the blanket of silence like a cold draft.
I turned slowly toward her, hoping I’d misunderstood. She’d abandoned her food for the comfort of her favorite corner of the mattress. Tears stood in her eyes.
She hugged herself, rocking back and forth as she spoke. “I saw what they did to her.” Her words sounded choked, as if she was trying and failing to hold them in.
My breath caught in my throat, and I coughed to expel it. I’d had a feeling she’d witnessed Sara’s death, but hearing her say it was different.
“I’m so sorry, Ab,” Ryan said, and I couldn’t help but believe him.
Tears slid silently down Abby’s face and she turned her back on us both, curling into the fetal position on the mattress. Even in human form she moved with a cat’s grace and flexibility; her posture was as expressive as most people’s eyes. I knew by the tension in her arms and the curve of her spine that she was reliving Sara’s final moments.
“Miguel came down first,” Abby said, her account punctuated by sniffles. “Sara screamed and cried. She tried to throw him off, but he was too strong. He ripped her clothes off in pieces. She wouldn’t shut up, so he choked her ’til she passed out.
