Which means I won’t see him until tomorrow morning and by that time Keelah will be dead!
Not just dead but spiked to death—what a horrible thought!
Then don’t think it, Bobbi told herself desperately. Think of something else—think of a solution. You can’t get to Dragon and you can’t get a message to him so what else can you do? How can you save Keelah? Think, Bobbi—think!
She thought desperately and, as she did, her eyes wandered to the end of the Market where the candied meat stall stood. She remembered Keelah telling her about her childhood, running around the fair with her brothers and sisters, and felt a lump in her throat. Poor Keelah, all she’d ever wanted was to go home and now it was looking more and more like she was going to die a horrible death instead!
She tore her eyes away from the candied meat on a stick stand and they landed on something else instead—the end of the Market. And beyond that, the blue light district where the windows were just beginning to blink on, showing a pale, blue light that spilled out onto the dingy street.
Suddenly, Zerlix’s words rang in her head.
“I sold her not an hour ago to her old pimp in the blue light district,” he’d said.
And I know where that is! Bobbi thought, feeling a flash of excitement. She remembered which of the sagging buildings Keelah had pointed out to her—she even remembered her old pimp’s name—Rep. Wheezler.
What if I went down there and bought her myself? she thought. Why shouldn’t I?
But what could she pay with?
The jingling of the thin golden bangles on her arms as they walked briskly down the rows of stalls answered her question. Of course, no doubt it would be considered shocking, a woman using her own wedding jewelry to pay for something, but Bobbi didn’t think the pimp would care. Keelah had said how much he liked jewelry and she had a lot of it.
Also, Dragon would understand. He knew how important Keelah was to her—he wouldn’t be mad at her at all, Bobbi was sure. She would explain that there was nothing else she could do—that he had been inaccessible and she’d had to act on her own.
But could she really do it? Could she march right up to the Pleasure House and knock on the door and demand to speak to Rep. Wheezler and then offer to buy Keelah for some of her bangles?
It’s broad daylight and I don’t have a hit on my head anymore—it should be safe enough, Bobbi thought. Of course, she might have some difficulty sneaking Keelah back into the house, but she was sure she could manage somehow.
I’ll bring her through the side kitchen door and hide her in the pantry, she thought, with a sudden burst of inspiration. Until after the wedding. Then I’ll tell Dragon and he can pretend that he went and bought her.
The question was, how could she slip away from the nasty Saurian women on either side of her and get to the end of the Market unnoticed?
Her answer came in the form of a stall with brightly colored fabrics in exotic new patterns.
“Oooo, stop a minute, Jynah!” Res. Leezah exclaimed, catching sight of the stall’s wares. “I’ve never seen a pattern like that, have you?”
“No, that I haven’t!” Res. Jynah came to a halt as well, mesmerized by the fabric.
“It is really pretty,” Bobbi said tentatively.
The two of them exchanged a look.
“Come to your senses, have you?” Res. Leezah asked, raising one scaly eye ridge. “Are you going to behave yourself now?”
“I’m sorry I was so upset earlier,” Bobbi said. “But I do need to find a present for Rep. Dragon.”
“Well, at least she’s speaking sense now,” Res. Jynah remarked.
“I know,” Bobbi said. “Why don’t the two of you look at that fabric stall and I’ll look over here at the stall selling money-purses? Do you think Rep. Dragon might like one of those?”
“Maybe he would.” Res. Leeza sounded distracted—she only had eyes for the fabric. “Ooo, look at this one! Colors just like the tiles on the women’s room wall!” she said to Res. Jynah. “And just feel the material—so soft!”
“It is soft.” Res. Leeza remarked, feeling it as well. And soon the two Saurian women were immersed in the many different fabrics on display with their backs turned to Bobbi.
This is my one chance—I’d better take it!
Bobbi pretended to peruse the little money purses with their pebbled leather hides for less than a minute, before turning away from the other stall. Pulling the too-big hood well around her head so that it hid her face, she jammed her hands in her pockets and headed for the end of the Market.
She would not abandon Keelah to her horrible fate. She was going to save her friend no matter what, she told herself.