because we pulled you out of that situation? They could have killed you. They love making examples of people."
She shakes her head. "They would have just roughed me up—made sure I understood what getting in their way meant. And so long as I kept my head down, everything would have been okay. But now … my sisters … my parents …"
"And would you have?" I ask. "Kept your head down?"
"I …"
But she can't answer. She doesn't have to. I already know. I might not know her very well, but Marina's talked about her enough. Ampora doesn't back off.
"So it's better this way," I tell her.
"How's it better? What can you do? Maybe I should be talking to whoever messed you up because somebody sure gave you a beating."
Only because I let them, but I'm not going to tell her that.
"No," she goes on, "you're just a kid that all these paranoid people think is a Wildling, and having some weird-ass cop in your corner isn't going to help. The bandas will eat you both and spit you out."
"He's a real cop."
"Yeah, but Wildlings aren't real, so where does that leave you?"
I raise my eyebrows.
"Oh, come on. Anybody with half a brain knows it's just some government scam to keep us down. And even if you could turn into a bird or a rat or whatever—how's that help with the bandas? The Kings'll just shut you down."
"Trucho didn't seem to think so."
I don't want to get into a pissing contest with her, but I can't stop myself from bringing it up. She didn't see what I did—nobody saw it except for Trucho—but she knows I did or said something to make him shut up and have Lil' Puppet drive them away. In his custom Hudson that only he ever drives.
"Yeah," she says. "What was up with that? You must have something big on him."
"You should go inside."
"But you haven't told me anything. I told you."
"I know. And I appreciate it. It's going to help me figure out how to make the Kings stay away."
"Uh-uh," she says. "You don't get to leave me hanging."
"Maybe not. But you haven't earned enough of my trust for me to tell you anything more."
She glares at me for one long moment.
Then it's, "Fuck you, Saunders," and she stalks up the dirt driveway to her house.
Nice.
I have to admire her spirit even if I don't like her. But that isn't going to stop me from making sure she and her family stay safe.
There's not much cover on her street. Just a few scraggly palms, one of which is on her next door neighbour's lawn. I sit down under it, out of sight of her neighbour's windows, and call my mom to explain why I'm not home. She doesn't like it, but when I explain the situation, she doesn't argue. She just tells me to be careful.
"And Josh?" she adds before I can hang up. "You're not going to let these guys beat you up, too, are you?"
"No, Mom."
Next I text Des to make sure he got home okay. I start to put my phone away, but it vibrates with an incoming call.
"Dude," Des says as soon as I answer. "Is everything cool?"
"Yeah, it's quiet. I think the only danger I'm in is if Ampora decides to come outside and bust my chops again. That girl throws a mean punch."
Des laughs. "I guess the tough chica gene runs in the Lopez family."
It's true. Marina doesn't take crap from anybody.
"Could you send Marina a message?" I ask Des. "Fill her in on what's happening."
"Sure. You're actually staying there all night?"
"Yeah, but I don't think anything's going to happen. Ampora's worried about her sisters, so I'm going to see them safe to school before heading to Sunny Hill with her."
"Which is why you want Marina to know before you show up at school with her sister."
"Pretty much."
"And then what are you going to do?" Des asks. "Because this problem isn't going away."
"I know. We'll have to figure something out. Maybe Chaingang can give us some advice."
"Or Cory," Des says. "Have you heard from him yet? I'm dying to know what he did to Erik."
That reminds me. I promised Cory I'd go talk to Auntie Min, which I really don't have time for right
She shakes her head. "They would have just roughed me up—made sure I understood what getting in their way meant. And so long as I kept my head down, everything would have been okay. But now … my sisters … my parents …"
"And would you have?" I ask. "Kept your head down?"
"I …"
But she can't answer. She doesn't have to. I already know. I might not know her very well, but Marina's talked about her enough. Ampora doesn't back off.
"So it's better this way," I tell her.
"How's it better? What can you do? Maybe I should be talking to whoever messed you up because somebody sure gave you a beating."
Only because I let them, but I'm not going to tell her that.
"No," she goes on, "you're just a kid that all these paranoid people think is a Wildling, and having some weird-ass cop in your corner isn't going to help. The bandas will eat you both and spit you out."
"He's a real cop."
"Yeah, but Wildlings aren't real, so where does that leave you?"
I raise my eyebrows.
"Oh, come on. Anybody with half a brain knows it's just some government scam to keep us down. And even if you could turn into a bird or a rat or whatever—how's that help with the bandas? The Kings'll just shut you down."
"Trucho didn't seem to think so."
I don't want to get into a pissing contest with her, but I can't stop myself from bringing it up. She didn't see what I did—nobody saw it except for Trucho—but she knows I did or said something to make him shut up and have Lil' Puppet drive them away. In his custom Hudson that only he ever drives.
"Yeah," she says. "What was up with that? You must have something big on him."
"You should go inside."
"But you haven't told me anything. I told you."
"I know. And I appreciate it. It's going to help me figure out how to make the Kings stay away."
"Uh-uh," she says. "You don't get to leave me hanging."
"Maybe not. But you haven't earned enough of my trust for me to tell you anything more."
She glares at me for one long moment.
Then it's, "Fuck you, Saunders," and she stalks up the dirt driveway to her house.
Nice.
I have to admire her spirit even if I don't like her. But that isn't going to stop me from making sure she and her family stay safe.
There's not much cover on her street. Just a few scraggly palms, one of which is on her next door neighbour's lawn. I sit down under it, out of sight of her neighbour's windows, and call my mom to explain why I'm not home. She doesn't like it, but when I explain the situation, she doesn't argue. She just tells me to be careful.
"And Josh?" she adds before I can hang up. "You're not going to let these guys beat you up, too, are you?"
"No, Mom."
Next I text Des to make sure he got home okay. I start to put my phone away, but it vibrates with an incoming call.
"Dude," Des says as soon as I answer. "Is everything cool?"
"Yeah, it's quiet. I think the only danger I'm in is if Ampora decides to come outside and bust my chops again. That girl throws a mean punch."
Des laughs. "I guess the tough chica gene runs in the Lopez family."
It's true. Marina doesn't take crap from anybody.
"Could you send Marina a message?" I ask Des. "Fill her in on what's happening."
"Sure. You're actually staying there all night?"
"Yeah, but I don't think anything's going to happen. Ampora's worried about her sisters, so I'm going to see them safe to school before heading to Sunny Hill with her."
"Which is why you want Marina to know before you show up at school with her sister."
"Pretty much."
"And then what are you going to do?" Des asks. "Because this problem isn't going away."
"I know. We'll have to figure something out. Maybe Chaingang can give us some advice."
"Or Cory," Des says. "Have you heard from him yet? I'm dying to know what he did to Erik."
That reminds me. I promised Cory I'd go talk to Auntie Min, which I really don't have time for right
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