Blake" Fa

ks, I perfected the

a withdrawn, sullen teenager. I

l presence in every room, a cons

ffront. She never spoke to me directly, but h

room, she wo

I would later fin

er always came in the form of harsh whispers.

d it. When Karel wasn't looking, he would slip me cash-a h

der a loose floorb

soon cresting eigh

blood money, destined to sa

to fall, and s

wasn't Clifton Daniels' inconvenient daughter or Karel Sellers'

ce where I c

ather and Karel were out at some

ished gleam of downtown giving way to

partment, struggling with

as th

had dimmed, worn thin

pped the bags. An orange

I saw in my nightma

," she b

t of frantic concern. "Are you okay?

art. I wanted to fall into her arms, tell

uldn't.

me to come back,

logical. "You can't protect me

e thick envelope of cash. I pressed the

sbelieving, flew from

is t

food cart. Edna's Kitchen, like you always talked about. Anything. J