Page 96 of Fortune's Kiss
“Why?”Lo asked, her voice stone-cold.
Her words were like a punch in the gut.Mayté couldn’t breathe.
“Lo!”Carlos snapped.
“What are you doing, you stupid girl?”the shopkeeper screamed.“You’re going to get us all killed.”
“Enough,” Lo snapped.“I’ve grown quite bored of this round.Let’s end it.”She pointed at the shopkeeper.“You’re going to listen tome.”
“What?”He jumped up from his seat, but this time there was more than just snobbish irritation on his face.There was fear.Pure terror.“Wh-what are you saying?Y-you’re not going to kill me, are you?You can’t do that.”
“Don’t!”Mayté blurted.Now Lo turned to her, but Mayté wished she hadn’t.The nasty scowl on Lo’s face made her stomach ache.“Please.Think, Lo.You can free us all, right now.”
“He humiliated you,” Lo growled.“He prevented you from finishing your commission: he doesn’t deserve to be free.”
“Wha—?”The shopkeeper stood.“It was nothing personal.Truly!I have a family to feed.My wife had just had twins.W-we weren’t prepared.W-we—”
“Oh, how ironic,” Lo mocked.“The reason you came here is the reason you’ll die.”
“LORENA.”Mayté pounded the table.“Don’t.You.Dare.”No one else deserved to die.No matter how terrible they were.
Lo’s eyes widened.Mayté rarely called her by her full name.A wounded look crossed her face, and she looked away.“I’ll be merciful this time.”She folded her hands together, resting her chin atop her fingers.“Señor Shopkeeper, I order you to fold.”
“What?”the shopkeeper squawked.
“No,” Mayté gasped.“If he forfeits, he’ll—”
Lo simply lifted a hand, cutting her off.“Misterioso, he will work here instead.”
Misterioso looked bewildered.“Very well,” he said.
Lo looked satisfied.“See?He won’t die or lose his soul.Are you happy, Mayté?”
“I—I—” Mayté stammered.Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.No.This was all wrong.Now he would be just like Alejandro, trapped, unhappy, losing his humanity bit by bit, for eternity.She whispered.“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m just playing the game,” Lo replied simply.“I’m keepingourpromise and doing my best to make surewewin.”She turned back to the shopkeeper.“Go ahead!”
“I—I forfeit.”The shopkeeper broke down into bitter weeping.
Mayté looked away and swallowed hard.
“Well, then,” Misterioso said, sounding exhausted.“Antonio Rivera has been eliminated.I suppose this concludes this round.Our final round will begin in two hours.”
“Good.”Lo stood and dusted off her black gown.“Misterioso, Banker, follow me.”She waltzed toward the elevator.
The Banker gasped and Misterioso cursed, but the two followed her, steps wobbling and strained as if they couldn’t control their bodies.
Was the card still in effect?The crown hadn’t vanished from Lo’s head.
“Wait!”Mayté chased after her.
Lo whirled around.“Don’t follow me!”
Mayté’s legs abruptly froze, nearly causing her to fall over.She couldn’t move them, no matter how hard she tried.
“All the rest of you, too.”
All Mayté could do was watch helplessly as Lo, Misterioso, and the Banker stepped into the elevator.She couldn’t do anything to stop the doors from closing.The last thing she saw was Lo’s face.Cold, with a dark glint in her brown eyes.
