Page 131 of Mud

He flinched. “You had three, if I recall correctly.”

I tried not to let my fear, my uncertainty show in my face. “Yes. I will give you one at a time.”

Suddenly, his eyes turned bloodshot again, and I could have sworn a shadow fell over his face, but it didn’t last.

He blinked and breathed in deeply and composed himself, then forced another smile.

“Very well, then. One today, and the next tomorrow.”

If I’m lucky, I won’t be here tomorrow,I thought, but of course I didn’t say that. “Thank you.”

“I’ll show you to your room when you’re done.” Definitely not all that excited anymore, but at least he wasn’t kicking me out.

“What time is it, by the way?” I asked when he turned to walk away, and for a second, it was like the world stood perfectly still. Even the three sitting on the other side of the fireplace turned and looked at me, eyes wide and mouths slightly open, as if they wereshockedby my words.

“What does it matter what time it is?” Vuvu then asked, like I’d just asked the most absurd question he’d heard in his life.

I blinked. “But how will you know whentomorrowcomes?”

“I’ll know,” the giant said, shrugging his shoulders. “You’ll know. Everyone knows tomorrows.”

With that, he turned around and disappeared behind the other door, and the guests went back to their own conversation and pretending I wasn’t there at all.

The food had been…notdisgustingper se, but close. Very, very close.

However, I ate—pizza and some funny looking meat, some potatoes and some undercooked rice, but I was full. My vision was steady, my limbs full of energy, and there was a bed in the room Vuvu brought me to—an actual bed.

“You may use the bathroom down the hall. I’ll see you downstairs tomorrow—withmy payment,” he said, then stepped aside and pulled the door closed.

He was most definitely not happy that I hadn’t given him all the coins at once, but he’d get over it. Because I was finally all alone in a closed space, and I was as safe as one could be inside the Iris Roe.

The room was small, with a bed with white sheets, a table to its side with a lamp on it—the only source of light in there—an empty wardrobe on the wall across from the bed, and right next to it was a square window. I went to it first, hoping to see the street outside, and I did. Not sure if it was the same street I’d been to—they all looked the same—but it was very likely. Mostly black buildings, asphalt, shops, drunks dancing in the streets, and players, too.

I pulled up the window and I was surprised when it actually opened. Cold air filled my lungs, making me realize just how warm it was inside. Shivers washed down my back when I leaned out to get a better view and found a balcony with metal railings attached to the black exterior of the building I was in, close enough that I could jump on it.

Good to know that I could get out of this room without Vuvu knowing about it if I needed to—or if I needed to escape. With the way my life looked right now, it was very possible.

For now, I closed the window and went to search for that bathroom down the hall, desperate to clean myself, my clothes, empty my bladder, and sleep.

Tomorrow—whenever tomorrow came—I would find my way out of Night City, or I would die trying.

Chapter 27

Rosabel La Rouge

Present day

The water was cold, but it was water. There was some strange-smelling shampoo in one of the bottles, and they only had this tiny tub in there, but I made it work. I scrubbed myself clean, then washed my clothes with the shampoo, too, wrapped myself in the towel hanging behind the door that may or may not have been used by someone before me, and I walked out with my heart in my throat, as if I was being chased.

I wasn’t, but the bathroom door had no lock, and I didn’t want anybody to walk in on me naked.

The hallway was wide, with only four doors along the sides, and so far, I heard nothing. No noise, no voices, no footsteps, just me tiptoeing my way back with my wet clothes in one hand and my boots in the other, feeling a million pounds lighter without all that dried blood on me.

Then I went into the second room left, the one Vuvuhad showed me to, pushed the door open, and I almost passed out.

Taland was sitting on the windowsill of the open window, his leg up and his elbow resting on his knee, a mischievous little grin on his face.

I couldn’t even scream because every inch of my body was locked down, paralyzed in place.

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