on days he’s too restless and claustrophobic to hunker down in the kitchen all afternoon, or I’m feeling particularly unsociable. Armand doesn’t like it, because he’s all about rules and predictability, but Kenny doesn’t care as long as somebody takes responsibility for all the important jobs.
It’s as if just by thinking his name, I’ve summoned him, because suddenly Kenny sticks his head through the door and exclaims, “What the hell, people! Get out here and take care of the customers!”
And we all scatter and take up our new or our accustomed tasks. I’m still a little dazed, but I’m able to focus on what I’m doing and I don’t mess up any of the orders—at least not badly enough to cause anyone to send a plate back. It takes me a while to realize that my despair has lifted, not all the way, but enough to make me think I can see my way out of the darkness.
I’ve never faced the killer before with friends at my back. Maybe they can save me. Maybe they can help me save myself.
* * *
—
After our shift ends, the four of us climb into Juwan’s ancient Ford. It’s so old and decrepit that if I had known Juwan in my previous life, which I hadn’t, he would have been driving the exact same car.
“The hell, J?” Sanjay says as he tries to avoid putting his foot through a rusted-out spot on the floor in the back seat. “How can this thing even run?”
“Don’t see you with a car to your name,” Juwan says as he starts the engine. The whole vehicle shakes so violently it seems like it’s trying to vibrate into teleport mode, but it doesn’t actually break apart into tiny pieces, as I expect.
“I’m taking public transportation till I can afford a real car.”
“This is real enough to get us where we’re going.”
In fact, we make it safely to my apartment, which is much too small to house four people for the night, and which also doesn’t contain any food. No one wants to make a shopping run because they don’t want to leave me alone to face a crazed assailant. Eventually, we order pizza while Lili dashes out to the nearest convenience store. The men stay behind to guard me, and Sanjay explains how to use the weapon he plans to give me in the morning. Turns out it’s a stun gun, not a Taser, but it still sounds like it will be simple enough to operate.
“Once he’s on the ground, kick him in the balls,” Juwan advises. “Then he’ll never get up to follow you.”
Dinner is pretty festive, since Lili picked up a couple of six-packs while she was buying breakfast food, and then I distribute people around the apartment for sleeping. Lili is sharing my bed with me, one of the guys gets the couch, and the other has to sleep on the floor. Sanjay loses the coin toss, so he makes a little nest out of all the blankets I can rustle up.
“Slept on worse,” he says.
Juwan wriggles on the lumpy couch. “Not sure I have.”
I blow them kisses from the doorway of the bedroom. “See you in the morning,” I say. “And—thank you.”
* * *
—
Juwan drives me and Lili to work on Thursday; Sanjay hops onto the L so he can swing by his apartment. As we walk from the car to the door of the diner, Juwan and Lili flank me on either side, shoulders close enough to touch.
I can’t imagine they’ll want to keep up this protective detail more than another day or two, but I am unutterably grateful for the effort they are making now.
When we push our way inside, Armand is behind the counter, restocking the register. His expression is severe.
“There was another creepy guy here yesterday?” he demands.
Kenny must have called him last night, which is surprising, ’cause Kenny and Armand don’t really like each other. “Sasha’s killer,” Juwan says.
Now Armand’s expression is thunderstruck. “Her killer?”
“From her previous lives,” Lili explains. “All of them.”
Armand is staring at me, incredulous,