Page 55 of Amber Gambler

A fissure cut through my heart at her conviction no one would bother with her except for their own gain.

“Do you know Farah Kent or Audrey Collins?”

Her mask slipped for a fraction of a second before clicking back in place. “No.”

“We’re trying to find Audrey.” I pressed on the sore spot. “Can you tell us anything that might help?”

“No one helped me,” she said numbly, processing her surroundings. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m sorry, Maggy.” I read the doubt heavy in her expression. “We were too late for you, and Farah.”

“But not Audrey?” She spread her fingers across the stainless steel under her. “She’s still alive?”

“We don’t know,” I admitted, registering her bitterness.

“We don’t have all the bodies yet—” Carter, more hesitant than her usual swagger, strode closer, “—but we’re certain you were all drowned. Ring any bells?”

“Carter,” I warned, protecting the girl as best I could from more hurt.

“So that’s what happened.” Maggy lifted her sheet, shuddering at the view. “I wasn’t sure, you know?”

“Then your body was dumped,” she said, cutting Maggie no slack, “as near as we can tell.”

“Well fuck.” Maggy laughed, the sound startling me. “I knew I wouldn’t make it, but damn. That’s cold.”

Hating to interrupt their rapport, we needed answers. “Do you remember anything from that day?”

“No.” She screwed up her face. “Oh. Wait. Yeah.” She snapped her fingers. “There was a fish fry.”

“A fish fry?” Carter whipped out a bag of cheddar puffs. “You cooked?”

“Not me.” She snorted. “Audrey.” Her tone turned mocking. “Everyone’s new favorite.”

A tingle swept through me, or maybe it was a chill, and I could tell Carter felt it too. “Oh?”

“Farah had a family before. Like a real family. She was soft and sweet when Ian, our boss, found her, but she could be tough when she had to be. She was good for him. Kept him level. Which made her good for us too.”

Perhaps the trusting nature I sensed in Farah was a holdover from happier days. It could explain how Farah warmed up to Audrey so fast, and why she offered her a place to stay if she ditched her fosters. They would have been kindred spirits.

Hopefully not literally.

“Then came Audrey.” Jealousy was a strong emotion, which might explain Maggy’s clear recall. But it was a double-edged sword. This might not be the last thing that happened to Maggy so much as it was the last thing that cut her deep enough to recall even in the afterlife. “Another soft girl for Ian. He couldn’t sink his teeth in her fast enough. She wasn’t worth much, but she could cook.”

“Cooks are always valuable,” Carter murmured, her expression distant.

“She worked at some restaurant for a while. She was a waitress, not a chef. But whatever. Even after she moved in with us, Ian let her keep her gig. Like she was too good to get her hands dirty like the rest of us. Even Farah, who brought her in, was pissed when Ian cozied up to her. They had been together six months. Practically forever.” A hard sigh escaped her. “Broke her heart that he dumped her for the fresh meat.”

Maggy should have known better than most that if Audrey was cozying up to their boss at the cost of a friendship, it wassurvival. I could sympathize with her point of view. Plenty of kids in our gang had called Josie a slut and worse. They thought I was lying about covering her take. Looking back, I couldn’t blame them.

Love was an abstract concept to most of them. Loyalty a myth. They hadn’t understood us, so they wrote a narrative that made sense. Josie was screwing the boss for her spot. Clear and simple. Even if it wasn’t true. But Audrey hadn’t been hustling for her family. She had been clawing out her own existence.

On some level, Maggy knew that. Probably even respected it. That didn’t mean she had to like her for it.

“Farah seems eager to find Audrey.” I waited for her reaction. “She says they’re best friends.”

“Maybe dying gave her brain damage.” Maggy tugged her sheet higher. “She hated Audrey after she caught Ian with his tongue down her throat.”

A cold lump settled in my stomach, but I would have to ask Farah if my instincts were correct.

---