He loves me.
I love him.
We have a future together—as soon as I’m safe from Antonio Reyes.
Moses is hunkered down with Trey and Jules, chasing another lead, when my phone rings. I check the display and am shocked to see Celeste’s name on it. The old woman hasnevercalled me before. I even forgot we traded numbers.
Then again, I usually see her at least a few times a week, so she’s neverneededto call me.
I tap the screen to answer. “Hey, Celeste. Everything okay?”
“So you are alive. Mercy me. I was starting to wonder if my gut was steering me wrong.”
“I’m alive. I’m ... dealing with some heavy shit right now. That’s why I haven’t been around.”
“I can sense it. Even though I haven’t seen you, I’ve felt it every day. Been waiting for you to come by so I could see for myself that you were okay, but I got tired of wondering and waiting. That’s why I’m calling.”
A wave of warmth passes through me from the concern in Celeste’s voice.She truly cares. I’ve always thought she did, but now there’s no question in my mind.
“It’s good to hear your voice, Celeste. I really appreciate you calling. I’m fine. Safe. Just ... flying under the radar for a bit until we sort some things out.”
“That explains the card then.” Her rough voice carries a note of something that puts me on edge.
I freeze in my tracks, having been wandering around the suite while we spoke. “What card?”
“I got a powerful urge that I had to draw a card for you, to make sure you were safe, so I did.”
A prickle of concern raises the fine hairs along my arms. “What was it?”
“The Hanged Man,” Celeste answers quietly.
A beat of silence thrums between us as I attempt to call up the exact meaning of the card from memory, but I don’t get that card often and I’m coming up blank. I can only picture the guy hanging upside down from a branch, but not what that symbolizes.
“What does it mean exactly?”
Celeste releases a wheezy breath. “Traditionally, it refers to surrender, sacrifice, or being stuck. He’s not going anywhere while he’s hanging upside down. Then again, some interpretations say he has the ability to get himself out of it too.”
“What does it mean for me, though?” I ask quietly as my mind goes crazy, wondering about the possibilities.
“You said you’re lying low for a while to sort some things out. Itcouldmean exactly that. You’re suspended in time because you haven’t yet chosen which direction you’re going.”
“Could?” I need Celeste to clarify, because I’ve got all sorts of uneasy feelings rushing through me now.
“Yes. Could. You know the cards aren’t always clear.”
I swallow and realize my mouth has gone totally dry. “What about the surrender and sacrifice part?”
“Ultimate surrender or self-sacrifice,” she murmurs, like she’s talking to herself and not to me. “What did you get yourself into, Magnolia, that would require you to sacrifice yourself?”
Instantly, the image of the blood-encrusted knife Cavender slid across the table at the police station pops into my head.
“I ... I told you what I did in the elevator. But what I didn’t tell you is that someone else wants revenge for that now. He wants me to pay. He ...”
“Oh, child,” Celeste says, her voice calm but radiating concern. “How someone else reacts is not your doing. You didn’t have bad intent. You just protected yourself. Isn’t that right?”
I think of the night in the elevator when Ricardo Ortiz lunged at me, determined to end my life. I didn’t kill him with bad intent. It was him or me. Celeste is right. All I did was protect myself.
I didn’t ask for him to attack me. I didn’t make that choice. I just reacted to it.