Page 13 of The Gilded Survivor

Dan looked at me, and then glanced at Fercho. Fernando nodded once, which prompted me to clench my fists. It wasn’t a good sign that he had to give permission for me to see whatever they were hiding.

Fernando may have been the one who brought Magda and I to the theater, but that didn’t mean all of his ideas could be categorized as generous and brilliant. He seemed so strong back then, but three years in this place had taught me he was foolish and naive. Even though he was two years my senior, he reminded me of one of the children I’d grown up caring for in Bendiciones.

I couldn’t help it. Taking care of people around me was as much an instinct as breathing.

Dan reached into his pocket, passed something to Fernando, and I kept my mouth shut. I pretended indifference, even as I was straining to see what would emerge. Anticipation congealed the contents of my stomach, making me feel both full and nauseous. I set my cup down on the table next to the door.

The nineteen year old unfurled his fingers, revealing one golden cuff link.

I recognized it instantly from the night before. My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes shot straight to Fernando. “Where the hell did you get that?” I demanded.

Fernando had always been careless, and somewhat comical in his failures. But those petty crimes were always committed against Trabajadores, sometimes Artistas. This cuff link belonged to an Élite.

What they held in their hand wasn’t a prank. It was a brutality waiting to happen. Non-magical blood just waiting to be spilt. Even if they died valiantly, death still came. Just like it had for that man.

When they didn’t answer me, I reached for the solid gold jewelry. Fernando grabbed the trinket and tucked it into his side pocket. My palms were sweating. “You’re not planning to sell that, are you?”

Fernando’s expression solidified into a defensive tightness around his lips coupled with a dramatic flair of his nostrils. “Everyone is preoccupied with what happened last night. As long as it’s sold before noon, there will be no problem.”

So they had heard about what happened last night. And they were still going through with this? Ash-damned idiots, all of them. “No,” I said through gritted teeth.

He tilted his chin up. “I don’t need to ask you for your permission. I’m older than you.”

The delivery boys watched us volley heated comments, but they didn’t see my hand dart to Fernando’s side. With one swift lunge followed by a quarter turn, I snatched the gold cuff link and positioned myself near the exit.

“Got it!” I yelped.

Fernando’s face grew red as he grasped for me and tried to steal it back. But my height came in handy during moments like this.

“Carmen, I need to sell that,” his voice went higher, more desperate.

They must’ve felt the weight of the plan, because no one followed me as I took a step back. I kept my fisted hand while I speared them with a dirty look and shook my finger.

The morning air wasn’t crisp and welcoming anymore. “Ya basta con sus pendejadas,” I growled.

They all looked down, and I felt reality came crashing down around us in large, lethal pieces.

“This belongs to Antonio Castillas Morales,” I said. “An Élite, and an ex-Campeón.” I sucked in a deep breath and pushed further. “I know you all heard what was going on last night. I watched someone killed in the street. You think no one will be paying attention, but you’re wrong. There will be extra patrols today, and every other day for at least two weeks. If he lived near here, they will watch the area closely.”

Of course, they already knew this. But I needed to make a point and drive it home if they were seriously considering doing this. Fercho looked bored—a familiar defense mechanism of his—but Dan and his friend took a step back as if they had been cursed.

I nodded. “That’s right. If any of you got caught selling this, then they’d strip you of your clothes, confiscate all your money, and slice off your hands. If he finds it missing, it’s possible he might even come looking for it. All of our rooms would be searched.” My throat constricted picturing the events of last night. “Don’t let the glare of potential gold blind you.”

It was a small trinket, but it could cause enormous problems. Élites had earned their place and they spent their every waking breath reminding the rest of us of it.

Silence hung in the air, and one of the delivery boys paled. If they were feeling scared, good. They should be. Everyone else was.

It was Dan that spoke next. “I knew the man. The one who died. He worked for the same family as my mother.” Dan paused, gathering his thoughts, and spoke as if out of necessity. “He was a good person.”

I thought the words that could never be uttered aloud: That was the case more often than not.

I blinked away any moisture gathering in my eyes and lowered my hand while looking at Fercho. “You know where he’s staying, so you should take it to the hotel immediately.”

Fernando shrugged, as if what he had done had been nothing. I scowled. Heat curled in my chest and tightened my shoulder blades. He should have been more careful.

At last he said, “I can’t. If they catch me wandering downtown and asking for Antonio Castillas Morales… things will get messy.”

My ears turned red. Under the anger in my old friend’s eyes was fear. I opened my mouth to argue but he looked at me, and I understood.

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