you get here?”
“It won’t take too long. Traffic’s light and Theo isn’t wasting any time. We should be on the right side of Saratoga Springs within ten minutes.”
“That’s my cue to get off the phone. Try to reassure Jade rather than traumatize her. We talked about this before. I went into being an uncontested courtesan well aware of everything. She’s being thrown in head first, and if she’s had the boy chasing her all over the country, she’s proud. Honey always works best on the proud women.”
“I bought her a lot of bribes and toys to keep her amused while she settles.”
“Stephani!”
“What? I did. I needed to keep her busy while I filled out forms, so I got her a laptop, books, and other things to keep her amused. If she gets bored, we’re all doomed.”
“Try to reassure her,” Sandro’s father ordered before hanging up.
Sandro’s mother laughed. “Do you feel like you need reassurance?”
“Sandro might need a lot of reassurance,” I replied. “Mostly, I’m tired.”
“Understandable. You’ve had a long few weeks, and being shot’s hard even when you’re healthy, and by the time you got to the East, you were anything but healthy. The auction house wanted to keep you another week, but I requested they move forward with the auction so I could get you home and in a more restful environment. Considering how badly you were pacing, they agreed, as that pacing isn’t good for you right now. You’ll need to exercise, but you need to wait another week or two until you’ve healed. Our family doctor will be able to check you over, and we’ll be taking you to a hospital for tests, but the auction house has a very good clinic, so I have no doubts you’ve been taken care of. That said, I refuse to make any mistakes with your health.”
“Are you crazy?” I asked, unable to resist my need to know.
“I absolutely am. Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. And anyway, you’re what the boy wants and needs, and I need to see the boy. He’s been gone from home too long. Everyone wins here.”
I hoped so, but if she could help me save Tulsa, I’d make the most of my situation—at least until I could decide for myself what I wanted and how I wanted it.
Time would tell.
Seventeen
She’s going to kill him within a week.
Sunday, May 24, 2043.
Lake George, New York.
The East.
* * *
The soup, a spicy chicken tortilla soup that set my mouth and blood on fire, did me in. I barely recalled the Moretti family doctor—no, doctors—having a round with me before I’d gotten to a bed, where I’d flopped and refused to move for at least a day and a night. They had at least three doctors, who insisted on waking me up long enough to force me to eat more soup, take medication, and at one point, bathe while Sandro’s mother supervised.
She did an admirable job of keeping me from drowning.
Sometime on Sunday afternoon, I regained enough base coherency to make my way to the living room, which had an infestation of people with striking resemblances to Sandro, including a younger boy who clung to Sandro’s father and refused to let go.
At least they weren’t too similar to Sandro, and with a little work, I’d be able to figure out which one was which without much difficulty. Still, I turned my ears back and considered the assortment of them, which did a good job of convincing me the Morettis either really liked children or hated birth control.
Sandro’s father chuckled. “Don’t fret, Jade. These are Sandro’s brothers, and they wanted a chance to meet you.”
I underwent scrutiny from the entire lot of them, and they started with my ears and worked their way to my toes. As I refused to be some docile little girl, I turned and pointed at my tail. “A single bad comment about my tail, and I’ll go fetch Peace and beat you with her.”
“Peace is beside your bed near the nightstand, and I’ll fetch her if you need her,” Sandro’s father informed me. “Your tail is beautiful, so don’t worry about that. Stephani was telling me about your tail care this morning, and I asked Theo to pick up better supplies so you won’t damage it. He wanted to go check on his wife and kids, and there’s a salon near his house experienced with foxes and other hybrids.”
“She’s going to kill him within a week,” one of Sandro’s brothers announced.
“Be nice, Francis,” his