Chapter 23 · What Kira Left Out

Kira didn't come back to the motel room until past two in the morning.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed with the charm she'd given me crushed in my palm. The metal edges had cut into my skin a little. I didn't care. When the door finally opened, I looked up and saw her standing there with dirt on her boots and something dark smeared across her knuckles.

"You went to see him," I said.

She didn't deny it. Just closed the door and leaned against it like she needed the support. "Marco told me where the old Bureau office used to be. Thought maybe there'd be something left in the archives."

"And?"

"Burned. All of it." She pushed off the door and crossed to the sink, turning on the faucet. The water ran rust-colored for a few seconds before clearing. "Someone didn't want records."

I watched her scrub her hands. The knuckles weren't just dirty—they were scraped raw. "You hit something."

"A wall." She dried her hands on her jeans. Didn't look at me. "Layla, about your mom—"

"Don't." I stood up, and the charm fell from my hand onto the bedspread.