Dirty Dealers

I don’t hear any noise of texting or gesturing to unseen company lurking around my door. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, being blind does limit me in certain ways. It forces me to trust people I barely know.

“It might be dangerous,” he says.

“I know. Still… I have to take that chance. I can’t stay here. I have to try and start a new life.”

He takes a few steps to the side as if he’s thinking, considering my statement. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“Yes.” My voice doesn’t waver. “But I don’t belong here. I miss my family.”

He releases a sigh and crosses to where I’m standing. “You’re not a prisoner. If you want to leave, no one will stop you.”

“Really?” Can it be that easy?

“The queen regent vouched for you. She won’t allow any criminal charges to be brought against you.” His tone is academic, as if he’s sorting out a problem, and I try to understand this gift. I think about what Ava said earlier about forgiveness. “Are you planning to betray her trust?”

His question brings me up short. “Of course not! I would never do that.” He has no idea how much I mean those words. “I hope I never see… or encounter Blix again.”

“Here.” Freddie catches my wrist and places something on my palm. My fingers close over it, and I recognize the item at once. It’s my old holster. Only, it’s no longer empty.

“A dagger?”

“I don’t like giving you a weapon,” he says. “I’m afraid it will be taken and used against you. Still, you had this when we found you. I assume it means you know how to use it.”

My fingers move to the top, and I feel the hard metal of the handle. “Thank you,” I say softly.

“Good luck, Kass.” He leaves without another word, and I wait, allowing the sensation of freedom to wrap around my shoulders.

I slip the tiny weapon into the waistband of my jeans.

It’s time to move.

Holding my oversized phone a millimeter from my face, I locate the symbol for my Uber app and select my old address.

* * *

Stepping out of the car on the narrow street, I feel like a lifetime has passed since I’ve been here. It’s all so familiar, but I’ve changed. I’m out in the open, honest and free—for whatever that’s worth. I’m terrified, but I have to take this step.

I walk to the door of my apartment and locate the buzzer. It’s not too late to let Luc know I’m back, and I buzz the familiar rhythm we’ve worked out to let each other know it’s us. The code was actually Luc’s idea. He’d forgotten his key once, and I’d buzzed him in without even thinking. It was my first day here, when I was still working with Blix, and I knew my boss was the worst thing I had to fear.

Luc had yelled at me. He’d stated the obvious—I’m blind—and went on to lecture me in French about rapists and thieves and gypsies. He’d emphasized it was more his safety he was worried about than mine, then he dragged me downstairs and we agreed on a special “top secret” sequence of buzzes that only he and I would use. Once I’d done it correctly and agreed not to open the door for strangers ever again, he stomped up the narrow staircase and returned to his apartment, slamming the door.

It was the longest conversation we’d ever shared.

Nothing has changed tonight. The door releases as soon as I’ve finished with our secret code. I step inside the dim entrance and squint into the hazy fog out of habit. I can’t see anything in this amount of light.

Still… I’m waiting, hoping…

Another second passes…

Click click click, the sound of nails on hardwoods sketches up above. Tears sting my eyes.

“Henri?” I call, and I’m rewarded with a happy staccato of short barks. “Henri!”

I grasp the rail and jog up the stairs. When I get to the top, I slide into sitting, and the husky little terrier is on my lap.

Immediately, he sticks his tongue in my mouth, and I laugh. “So French!”

I catch his muzzle and move it away. He proceeds to lick the salty tears from my cheeks. I get a warm swipe of dog-tongue in the eye, and I squeal. In his happiness, he’s moving too fast for me to catch him. The result is I’m covered in Henri slobber.