Page 38 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
“I can see why.”
“Stop.”
I hear the smile in his voice. We head inside the abbey, and I feel like one of the weights on my shoulders has been lifted. Many remain, but at least I’m not worried about how my feelings for Leila might evolve and affect this team. He said love makes us better. He must mean he’ll be happy for me.
But as we walk into the abbey, Cisco’s cell phone rings. He takes the call, speaking in Italian before making his excuse to leave—forgoing his beer.
Suddenly, there’s nothing in the way of me tracking down Leila.
Seventeen
Leila
“All right,” I say as I open Raven’s door. “Lay it on me.”
She’s reclined on her bed with a cold compress against her forehead. I hesitate. Maybe I should leave. But maybe she needs help.
“You okay?”
She peels the cloth from her head. Her pupils are two pinpricks of pain.
“Migraine,” she mutters, then reapplies the compress.
“Sorry.” I want to ask if she needs a drink or one of the sugar cookies I baked this morning, but something holds me back. She doesn’t look like she wants company. I should make this visit quick. “What did you see in the vision?”
Her breathing falls silent. It’s too much of a tell to ignore. Something about my question unsettles her.
“You actually had a vision, right?” I ask. She could have lied about it... or Thea could have lied.
“Yes.”
“So what aren’t you telling me? Am I going to die? Get tortured? Assaulted? Possessed?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. It’s my future I’m worried about.”
I rub my eyes. “Areyougoing to die?”
“Jesus-fuck, Leila. Why so morbid?”
My lips clamp shut.
She sits and fumbles for her cigarette packet, but when I glare at her, she puts it back down. “I haven’t seen your death or mine.”
“So what can you tell me—just lay it on me.”
“I saw a poker game where you were dressed like a Dom. I saw a man who looked like Rick Moranis wearing an emperor’s helmet. You stood on his face while he looked like he wanted to own you. I saw a car. And I saw flowers and... Dracula. I know that’s weird, but it is what it is.” She frowns, looks at her feet, and shakes her head. “I’ll let you know if I understand any of it. Also, FYI, Rick Moranis is the antiquities collector and...” She frowns. “The helmet he wore was definitely Constantine’s—an emperor known to be one of the worst in history, especially toward women.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah. Tell your cowboy that when it’s time to negotiate with old friends, just tell the truth.”
“Zeke?”
“And tell him gods don’t worry about the rats they step on while protecting the innocent.”
“Okay. That’s weird.”
She sighs and sits back down. Taking it as a dismissal, I move to leave. Raven’s hand suddenly snakes around my wrist. I gasp and glance back. Her eyes are white—clouds cover the irises. She’s having a vision right now.
