Page 114 of Anchor

He hadn’t just left it there or forgot it.

Fuck, he’dgivenit to me.

Tears in my eyes as I spun the charm between my fingers right there in the pocket because I didn’t want this woman to see. He’d given me his charm, his mother’s charm. He’d given it to me, just like that.

“You’ve got to take a selfie with me. I left my phone upstairs, but we can do it on the way out—wow!Rosabel La Rouge!”

I had never hated being me more than I did in those moments, not even when in Madeline’s presence.

“Actually, it’s against the rules,” I choked, the lie coming to me out of nowhere. Or maybe out of my desire tosurvive—who knew? “I, uh…I signed an NDA with the IDD. They forbade me from taking selfies and from appearing anywhere without their knowledge.”

Her smile faltered. “Oh,” the woman said. “Is that why you’re using a disguise?”

Goddess, it was so hot in here, and the only thing keeping me grounded was that charm between my fingers.

“Yes, exactly,” I said. “Exactly that. So, you can’t tell anybody that?—”

“Oh, I most certainly will!” the woman cut me off. “The IDD can’t stop me fromtalking—I can’t wait to tell everybody that you were here!” She giggled and jumped up and down like a little girl, and I died of embarrassment and came alive with anger again.

Fuck, fuck, fuck,I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten thateverybodyknew my face.

And I also couldn’t believe that Taland had forgotten.

Of course, he didn’t forget.Of course, he left me his mother’s charm. Of course, he looked after me even when he wasn’t there. Which made the question ofwhyhe’d disappeared even worse.

What the hell could have possibly taken him from that safe house? Why would he leave me like this?Why-why-why?

“I’ll pay you,” I choked, and the woman stopped clapping. “If the IDD finds out I’m here, I will be in a lot of trouble. I need a week—can you do that? Keep it to yourself for one week, and I’ll pay you.” I reached in my inside pocket for my wallet and gave her all the cash I had, over a thousand dollars. I couldn’t use my card to draw out more without alerting the IDD. Standard procedure to keep an eye on bank account activity when hunting down a fugitive.

The woman wrinkled her nose. “You’re going to have to do better than that. A thousand bucks ain’t gonna cut it. Try…ten.”

Goddess, I wanted to murder her with my own hands right now. Rage like the magically induced one I’d felt in the Redfire challenge of the Iris Roe took over me, and I even saw red. But I’d come here for a reason, and I’d had no idea that I was even wearing a different face, so I couldn’t have been prepared for this. Not with a hat or a wig or makeup. I hadn’tthoughtanythingthrough because I was completely consumed by thoughts of where Taland was and why he’d disappeared.

So, I forced that anger down, took in a deep breath, and said, “Sure. Let me through to my safe first, and I’ll give you ten grand.”

The greed in her eyes was disgusting. “For a week,” she said.

“For a week.” A week would be more than enough time for me to get to the other side of the world if I had to—just as soon as I found Taland.

“Deal, Miss La Rouge.” She offered me her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

When I touched her hand, she squealed. Actually squealed and it was awkward as fuck and now I wanted to do anythingbutstay here. Anything at all.

Instead, I just stood my ground and focused on my breathing and allowed her to shake my hand a million times before she let go, stepped back, and said, “Password?”

“Tallarose.” I was actually surprised that I didn’t scream it at her face.

Then she curtsied. “Be right with ya.”

She turned around and walked into the safe room, and I waited there, hands fisted and tongue between my teeth—anything at all to keep myself under control. Patience had never really been my strong suit and right now what little of it I had was being tested, but I managed to not follow her to the safes, at least. All I did was watch.

The woman walked around the room, searching the safes as she hummed a melody I didn’t recognize. She read the names on the safe doors in order. The letters were tiny so I couldn’t see them from here, but then she would turn to look at me and smile every few seconds, and my stomach would twist and turn in anger, yet I somehow didn’t scream at her to hurry the fuck up.

Eventually, she found the safe she was looking for, the second row from the ground on the left side. She squatted in front of it and announced, “We have a winner!”

She produced her wand again, waved it at the glass sphere hovering in front of the safe door, and began to whisper. I didn’t hear nor understand any other word of what she said, just that password at the end—Tallarose.

Me and Taland. Together—like we were just two days ago.

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