Page 31 of This Ravenous Fate
“Hmm.” Giana lifted a brow and slipped the fur shrug over her shoulders. “What did you need? Please make this quick. I need to rehearse my routine.”
Layla took the stool beside her friend. “Did you know a young man named Theo Smith? His mother said he spent a lot of time herebefore he died.”
Giana’s eyes flashed. “You knew him?”
“Hardly. I’m trying to figure out how it was that he turned, but was human when he died,” Layla said.
Confusion twisted Giana’s expression. “Oh, Layla, you know I don’t like getting involved in other people’s dramas.”
“I know, Gigi, but it’s not just drama; it’s reaper business too,” Layla said.
Elise had remained standing, her eyes wandering around the room. But now she turned to stare at Giana and went still.
Giana sighed. “Theo did stop by here a few times. But not to work. For the…” She lowered her voice. “The speakeasy. Jamie could tell you all about it. Theo had a crush on one of the dancers; oh, they were adorable,” Giana said.
“Who?” Layla asked.
Elise also pressed closer, her interest piqued.
Giana paused. Her lower lip trembled as she considered her next words. “Shirley Redfield. She hasn’t been here recently. I’ve heard she’s sick.” Giana breathed in deeply. “When did Theo die?”
“Two days ago.”
“That’s when Shirley stopped showing up for work,” Giana whispered.
Layla opened her mouth to ask another question, but Elise beat her to it. “Do you know where she lives?”
16
Night cloaked the city as they headed downtown. Elise tightened her coat against the wind, but Layla was unbothered, her arms bare even when the temperature dropped several degrees. The arrival of fall stood just around the corner and Elise was glad for it.
She had been on her feet all day, trekking across the city with Layla. Neither of them had come to any clear conclusion about the murders. Whenever an answer felt possible to Elise, it slipped between her fingers, remaining just out of reach.
She also could not shake the unease she’d felt when she realized she had been standing in a room with two reapers, one of whom was a complete stranger. “Why didn’t you tell me Giana was a reaper?” she asked Layla.
Layla continued to stare ahead. “I thought you assumed. I spend my time with other reapers.”
“I did not believe reapers could be at a jazz club. I thought they…”Elise trailed off.
This time, Layla glared at Elise. “You thought they what? Because reapers are beneath you, they cannot participate in the arts?” A bitter smile broke across Layla’s face. “No, you believe that reapers are monsters who have nothing to live for, right?”
Elise looked away. She had never imagined reapers participating in any mundane activities; it seemed futile with their condition. “I do not think it’s absurd to assume nonhumans would not participate in human activities—”
“We were human once. Do you think we just stopped loving what we had and wanted as humans because we turned?” Layla asked. “You really know nothing about us. That bubble you live in is far more opaque than I first believed it to be.”
Elise scoffed. “Oh, please. I have done more and traveled more than you. There is no bubble—”
“That is the bubble,” Layla snapped. “Not everyone can do as they please just like you, Saint. What do you think of the people who cannot get into your fancy jazz clubs because of their skin color?” Layla demanded.
Elise stammered, “I—I have no problem and my family frequents them just fine—”
“What about those who do not have the money and status your family has? Do they not deserve to experience the beauty and sanctity of art and music? Do you even know where it comes from?”
“Of course—”
“Then how can you say something so stupid when you justwitnessed people who look just like you on that stage? They are the heart of the arts you bleed for. Shame on you for assuming otherwise,” Layla muttered. She pushed forward, her strides getting faster, as if she wanted to put more distance between them.
Swallowing hard, Elise followed. She could hardly keep up and she wasn’t sure she wanted to anymore. Layla’s words only weighed her down further.
