Page 144 of Hell Breaks Loose

“No.” I look around, waiting for someone else to say something. After I get stonewalled, I sigh, sliding down the wall onto my ass. “Fine. I went to City Hall. Place was crawling with Ghosts. So I had to find another way in.”

“Your hiding spot is in City Hall?”

“One of them. It’s a hidden room that only my dad knew about. And me. Family documents only.”

“And?” Ora gestures urgently.

“I got the journal. And I found this.”

Slapping the mud and I-don’t-want-to-think-about-what-else covered bag down beside me, I work the seal open, holding it up for Hellena to reach into. Pausing to analyze the clean interior first, she reaches into it, carefully drawing out the book.

Then the ring.

Everyone leans in as she lays it on the table.

“Four identically shaped, differently sized rings,” Hellena narrates.

“Meaning we need three more?” Ora rubs her chin sardonically.

“And a place to put them,” Alaya muses. I can’t be the only one waiting for her to make a crude joke out of it.

Huh. No dice.

“Or at least we can use it as bait to draw Rachelle out,” Gavin points out.

“What makes you think she would want these?” I play devil’s advocate.

“Because she can’t resist anything to do with the Sinful. And I think she may have one, too.” Hellena smiles that smile that makes my skin tingle. The one where she’s got an idea. Or when she’s about to do something particularly naughty to me.

“Fair point. But if Rachelle has another, it still begs the question, where is the last one?” Gavin looks at each of us.

“Good question. We also have no idea where my mother’s wound up. There’s no way to know what happened to it.” Hell’s brow furrows.

“About that…” Sing speaks softly, but everyone stops short, the whole room’s attention arrowing onto him.

“She may still have it.” He shrugs.

“In her coffin…?” Hellena frowns, looking a little disturbed.

“No. Her apartment. Your mother is alive, Hellena.”

29

HELLENA

“Say that again. Slower.”

Because my brain cannot process this information. My mouth is dry.

I’m exhausted from being awake too long. From running through the Block compound like our lives depended on it.

Because they did.

Fucking place seemed so quiet on the way in.

Then the sun set and it was like a damned vampire movie. Except instead of vampires, it was light-sensitive druggies.

Can things just resemble any kind of normal ever in my life?

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