Page 21 of A Memory in the Flame

I lean in, close enough I could count his eyelashes. “Why are you such an asshole?”

His gaze drops to my mouth for a split second before flicking back to my narrowed eyes. “What would you like me to say? That there’s a reason why I’m like this? For who I am? Well, there’s not, Your Majesty. I’m just an asshole.”

“Bullshit.”

“You really want to have this conversation now?” He tips his head back against the building, making no effort to move away. “Fine—forget our investigation. Let’s just stand here and dissect my personality.”

I swallow past the dryness in my throat. “I’m going to figure you out, you know.”

Where the hell did that come from?My heart slams against my ribcage when Noah’s lips twist into a smirk. “Best of luck, sweetheart,” he murmurs, watching me through hooded lashes.

Fuming, I turn away and stomp toward the familiar row of living structures. I don’t slow down until Leo’s comes into sight. Tarian is outside, leaning against the side of his metal house, smoking a joint when I pass. “Good luck with Forrest,” he calls.

I slow to a stop. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tarian releases a billow of smoke. “There are some doors you just shouldn’t open.”

With that ominous warning, he flicks his smoke toward the ground and stomps it out before retreating into his shanty. I decide to contemplate his words later. Right now, there are more pressing matters at hand.

I hurry down the row and stop outside Leo’s shack. I push my hearing inside to make sure it’s empty, then pull the door open to let myself in.

As my gaze bounces around the room, my chest tightens to the point of discomfort.Holy shit.It feels like I’m standing in someone’s chaotic brain. News articles about the Travestys are tacked up, covering an entire wall, along with grainy black and white photos of the royals. The staff are there, too. Gabriela, Alexei, Raphael—they all stare back at me, as well as several others I vaguely recall but can’t seem to put names to.

“I think we just found our terrorist,” Noah says. I turn and find him leaning in the doorway, his expression grim.

Still feeling unnerved, I look around the rest of the tiny, dark space. There’s a cot against the wall adjacent to the horrifying collection of papers and pictures. Half of it is covered with clothes, as if Leo uses them to keep warm at night, and the single pillow at the other end is flat and dirty.

“I’ll take some pictures with my phone,” I say slowly. “Now that he’s seen us here, I have a feeling Leo will get rid of any evidence we could use.”

Noah squats down to pick up a piece of paper lying on the floor. He flips it over and reads whatever is on the other side. “Fantastic—then let’s get the hell out of this place. I already need to shower and burn what I’m wearing.”

Nodding, I pull out my phone and get started. While I do my investigating, Noah does some of his own, and the silence is kept at bay by the slight sounds of his movements as he searches the rest of the small space.

Once I’ve captured every detail of the wall, I turn to Noah, and we leave in wordless agreement. We walk through the Barrens again, both of us searching the chaos all around, hoping for a glimpse of Leo. Several times, I catch myself on the verge of running, eager to leave behind these lopsided homes and lonely castoffs consumed by mold, earth, and the knowledge of being slowly forgotten.

The train ride back toward the city is quiet. Exhaustion clings to my every muscle and it’s difficult to think, much less speak.

“I’ll report back to Bill and let him know what we found,” Noah tells me after a few minutes, rocking back and forth from the motions of the car. He keeps his gaze fixed on something outside the window.

“Thanks,” I say, following his eyes out to the city that’s brought me so much pain and fear. Movement in the sky draws my gaze—a small plane passing overhead. Though I can’t hear it, I imagine the engine as a distant hum. I think about the people it carries and try to imagine the places they’re going. Spotting it a second later, Noah’s head tilts.

Together, we watch it fade into the starry horizon.

Chapter Five

As I return to the hotel, the sky overhead is gray. Tatters of charcoal-colored clouds skim the tops of surrounding houses and buildings. My mind feels like a brewing storm, as well, and I make an effort to put some distance between myself and all thoughts of investigations, pain, and certain green-eyed bounty hunters.

The moment Alexander’s comes into view, my gaze latches on a familiar figure.

No, I think, hoping it’s nothing more than wistful thinking. But that really is Andrew Hayes standing on the sidewalk, gazing up at the hotel like a boy in a movie, throwing pebbles at the pretty girl’s window. My heart lurches in my chest, and I break into a run.

Sensing movement, Drew turns toward me.

“What are you doing here?” I hiss the moment I’m within earshot, stealing his chance to speak first.

His expression is withdrawn, and this version of Drew feels like a stranger when I compare it to the boy I knew until that terrible confrontation with Nina. He lifts one shoulder in an uncertain shrug. “I just wanted… to talk, I guess. You don’t have a phone, so I couldn’t exactly send an awkward text.”

I don’t tell him that I do actually have a phone. Instead, I mutter, “You need to leave, Drew,” as I cast a nervous glance around us.

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