Page 87 of Fortress of Ambrose
Every person in the Order has been taught that toushana should be despised. It’s going to take time for her to see how wrong that is. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Check his phone.”
“Good idea.” Abby digs through what’s left of Mynick’s pockets and pulls out his phone. “Who is that?” She points to Yani.
“Jordan’s ex. Long story.”
“Do we like her?”
“We definitely don’t like her.”
Abby gives her a condescending sneer, and my heart swells. I’ve missed having a friend.
“Jordan went into the church—” Abby says, and Yani takes that as her cue to invite herself into our conversation. She looks at Mynick.
“Knew he wouldn’t last. The overly eager ones never do,” she mutters.
I approach the stone edge of the fountain. “Walk me through it again, Yani.”
She explains how Jordan hung back at the fountain and then went to the church steps.
“He used a card to get in or something.”
“How did the card work?” I ask.
“If I knew that, we’d know who he was meeting already.” She folds her arms, dark hair draped over her shoulder. She is annoyingly beautiful.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“Where else was I supposed to go?”
“Literally anywhere. You lose your home, and you follow Jordan like a kicked puppy? You either have no self-respect or are up to something.”
She scowls.
The cold magic inside me awakens. “What are you after?”
“I’ve told Jordan everything. Sounds like he didn’t share.”
“Rude—” Abby starts, but I stop her.
“I know Jordan,” she goes on, “better than you ever could. Imadehiminto who he is. You’re all wrong for him.”
“This from someone who worshiped at the altar of Beaulah Perl.”
“From what I heard, we weren’t all that different a few months ago.” She quirks a brow. “Besides, I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t need to matter toyou. Only him.”
“It doesn’t matter to him.”
“Then why didn’t Jordan rat me out to Willam and the others as a heartless traitor who could never be trusted?” She’s so close to me I smell her flowery scent. It turns my stomach. Nothing she says matters. If he is foolish enough to fall for her, he was never truly mine. I busy myselfskimming the area again, but I can feel her glare still on me. Abby encourages me with an eye roll.
“You can’t understand him,” Yani goes on. “Especially now, with so much power—”
I tighten my fists, keeping my back to her.
“You don’t know what it was like growing up—” she rattles on.
