Page 41 of Wonder
“Okay, everyone in the closet. No jokes.” Reno spread his arms out and essentially herded us into the bedroom closet. I made sure to grab the camera on the way. “When we got here the door was slightly open.” He pulled it until it was only a couple of inches from closing. I was glad for the light and the air circulation.
We’d barely stopped moving when we heard the apartment door unlock, then open and shut again. Keys hit the kitchen counter, and the refrigerator door was opened. He was home for lunch. I glanced at Reno, and he showed me his phone’s lock screen. 11:43 a.m. Hopefully Emiliano’s lunch break was only thirty minutes. Plates clinked, and what was probably a bag of potato chips rustled. The sink ran, and then we heard the TV turn on. ESPN. At least he wouldn’t hear us if somebody made a noise.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the sound of a fart tore through the closet. A loooong fart. It must’ve been a good five seconds before it stopped.
“Sorry.” Nicky whispered, putting his forehead down on my shoulder. I tried to keep my chuckles silent, but then the smell hit, putrid and heavy.
“Fuck, Nicky!” Reno covered his nose with one arm and pushed the closet door open a little more with the other.
“I’m sorry!” He shrank into me like he was trying to hide.
Shit. I didn’t have a free hand to pat his hand with. “You’re eating regularly for the first time in decades. None of our digestive systems would react well.”
Reno must’ve caught Nicky’s mortification. “Yeah, don’t worry about it, Nicky. Sooner or later Tia Esperanza will make her charro beans and we’ll all be farting for days.”
Nicky snickered, and I sent a wave of gratefulness through the connection to Reno, even though he might not feel it. Nicky’d been outgoing and confident as a child, and I hoped that part of his personality would reemerge someday. Hopefully he’d feel more and more himself as time went on and his body healed.
The TV turned off, and dishes were placed into the sink. The keys scraped the counter as they were picked up. We all held our breaths. Well, for multiple reasons.
“What the fuck?” We heard Emiliano sniffing the air. Oh, shit. I glanced at Jackson and their eyes were closed. Footsteps came into the bedroom. “Shit, better do laundry tonight.”
We relaxed as the footsteps went out of the room, and the front door opened and closed. “He’s gone.” Jackson reached over Reno’s shoulder and pushed the closet door open. They’d been right behind Nicky, so they’d borne the brunt of the stench.
None of us wanted to stay in the bedroom. “What’s left to do? Take some pictures?” I pointed at the shelves of framed photos.
Reno wiped his forehead with the back of his gloved hand and looked around the living room. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll get that stack of mail. Jackson, did you finish in the kitchen?”
“Yes. Nothing unexpected.”
“Okay, can you make sure Emiliano doesn’t come back for some reason while Simon and I finish up?”
“On it.” They stood next to the chair where Nicky had been sitting earlier.
I turned Reno’s camera on and went over to the photos. Emiliano was a cute guy, with dark hair and a fantastic smile. “I think he has a girlfriend.” She was in four or five of the photos, almost as tall as Emiliano, with black hair, pale skin, and a sturdy build. He held onto her like he didn’t want to let go.
I took a few shots of each of the rooms in the apartment in case we thought of something later, but then we were done. Jackson gave us the go-ahead to leave, and we wasted no time exiting theapartment. Reno used the lockpicks again to turn the deadbolt, and it was as if we’d never been there.
We got back in the car and grinned at each other. Reno even smiled atme.
TABORA, TANZANIA – DECEMBER, 1979
They were getting complacent. It’d been four years since I’d last been able to find any evidence of theluchd-òl fola. In this area, such a large group of pale-skinned people stood out and was commented on. They were forgetting their training, which I was grateful for.
I approached the house in the darkness, stopping in the shadow of a shed on the neighboring property. My only goal was to get Prince Nicol out. Once he was safe, I’d hunt down theluchd-òl fola, one at a time if I had to.
I stayed in place for over thirty minutes. There were no patrols, and I didn’t see anyone at the windows. When I felt confident enough to get closer, I crept around the outside of the building, listening for voices. I could hear a television, but no one moving around or talking. I smelled four or five of theluchd-òl fola, but no Wonders.
This wasn’t their safe house. It was a trap.
The exterior lights turned on as I moved to leave. Five of them came at me, and I was gratified that I’d been right about one thing at least. They hadn’t been keeping up with their training.
Only one of the bastards got away alive.
CHAPTER 11
RENO
We stoppedon the way home, and Jackson and Simon stayed in the car with Nicky while I bought some groceries. I was glad for the excuse to get away from Simon for a bit. The man was too attractive for my well-being.
