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“Gracias por todo Feel free to take whatever money you need—for whatever reason” Then I remembered what I meant to tell her “Your bracelet saved my life”

“I kneould,” she said with satisfaction Before I could question her, she cut the call

I handed the phone to Shan “Ask Jesse to overnight your passport and radio”

We couldn’t travel by rail or ship without ID, and I wasn’t sure if the fake driver’s license in my wallet would stand up to scrutiny by international authorities This ured things out If need be, we could rent a house or a flat while ere here Tia could send small, multiple pay, a buffer against disaster

Don’t think about Chance

Shannon nodded “My phone too, while he’s at it”

The day passed in a blur I got more cheap takeout, walked Butch, and rented the rooh Faith sustained e fro I studied my passport—the one Eva had made—and wondered how Chuch and Eva were How the baby was They seemed so far removed from this life, this crisis Itheir distance from me

I didn’t want to tell the wait, Shan brushed and braidedto distractof my heart, so it pulsed in my blood Eventually, she wrapped her arms around my back and rested her chin on my shoulder

“Thank you for co for me,” she whispered

That drew ed her “Of course You’re my best friend”

We cried together then, as we hadn’t given ourselves ti we’d seen and lost She was the only person in the world who knehat it was like in Sheol At least we still had each other My nose ran,in my ears

“I feel old,” she said finally, easing back to wipe her face with her forearap between us, but between the kidnapping, the time with the Hazo, your rescue…I feel like I lived a whole life there, you know?”

“I think er to me too” A month, Jesse had said

No, Shan was right It had been a lifetime

Exhausted from the emotional catharsis, we napped I didn’t ain This time without the blood This time I saw him in the spray of cherry blosso Beckoning I woke s, , just a cheap rented room and Shannon asleep on her side

Tia calledme “The money should be there, Corine”

I thanked her and went off withfor the best An hour later, I returned with two thousand dollars, and Shannon was signing for her package down at the front desk It was large and bulky, due to the antique radio My heart literally skipped a beat, and then steadied Her ability drained her, but fortunately, we had snacks in the roouilty

I had to know

Upstairs, she unpacked the box and found more than she’d requested Her radio, her fake passport, so—T-shirts and underwear mostly—her phone, which ha’d a picture of Jesse Saldana as the wallpaper when she booted it up, and a prepaid MasterCard As a cop, Jesse would knoas illegal to send cash via FedEx, so he’d tried to help Shannon asthe specifics of her predica she was safe

“I already knohat you’re going to ask,” she said

I produced the adapter, plugged the radio into it, and then connected it to the wall in confir without knowing I dream about him, Shan” My voice broke

“It’s okay,” she said “Let’s do this”