Chapter 16 #4
The candles flickered, suddenly going out. A burnt smell filled her nostrils, and tendrils of smoke curled like fingers warning her to keep quiet.
Her breathing became shaky. She slammed the booklet shut.
The next shelf was full of framed photographs of people.
An altar of sorts. One caught her eye—an image of what appeared to be a man in a suit, but most of the face had been scribbled out.
Next to it was a stack of documents; the name and other identifying information on them had been blotted out as well.
She studied the photograph again, squinting.
The bottom part of the face hadn’t been fully scribbled out.
She caught bits of wide grin, angular jaw, and deep-set dimples. “Misterioso?”
Was this information about the Gamemakers?
Why would the house send her here? Unless—she remembered the strange tension with the Banker and Misterioso, how the sensation only thickened when Pearla came onto the scene.
Lo studied the papers more closely and found that someone had jotted down words in neat script.
Is there another copy?
She set down the page and found a framed photograph of the Banker.
He looked exactly the same. Long hair slicked back into a low ponytail and all.
On his lapel, he wore a Hispana crest. Lo swallowed hard.
Many members of el orden antiguo wore them like a badge of honor.
To think she had been trying to conspire with a member of La Orden.
There was a twinge of bitter disgust, but apathy washed it away.
With Mamá gone, nothing mattered anymore.
Next to his frame was a locket and a piece of paper.
Lo grabbed the locket and studied it. The gold had begun to tarnish.
She flipped it open and found a cameo of a girl.
She was beautiful with rich brown skin, bright red lips, and the most striking golden eyes Lo had ever seen.
Her black hair was pulled up into a loose bun, and wavy tendrils of hair framed her face. An old lover, maybe?
Lo set down the locket and found a folded-up piece of parchment.
Lo read it again. Wait. This Ana Lùcia came to Fortune’s Kiss in order to be with the Banker? But then how did he end up here as well? He must have followed her. Then … she must not have won the game.
Was there a way Lo could use this information to her advantage?
Then she heard the sounds. Distant wails of agony.
Rasping breath and pounding on the walls.
There was something nearby. She backed up against the wall next to the fireplace, and what she saw on the mantle took her breath away: Mamá’s comb.
The one Lo had brought as her most prized possession.
Mayté’s painting had been taken away too, along with everyone else’s prized possession, Lo imagined, but only Mamá’s comb was here.
The house was taunting her. And it was really beginning to piss her off.
She snatched the comb, barely feeling the blast of hot air and smoke from the fireplace.
The comb was just as she had left it. Without a scratch or chip.
Her gaze traveled upward, and the comb slipped from her fingers.
The painting above the fireplace showed Mamá.
She stared at Lo, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
A scream bubbled in Lo’s throat, but then in the blink of an eye, Mamá winked.
“What do you think you’re doing in here?”
She whirled around and found herself face to mask with Misterioso. His lips, the only visible part of his face, curled down into a snarl.
“I—I—” She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She channeled innocence. “The door was unlocked. I didn’t know we weren’t allowed in here.” When she glanced back at the painting, it had changed once again now portraying a calavera sitting among decaying marigolds.
“I never showed this room on tour, as it is private.” Misterioso moved closer, backing her into a corner. “I know you’re up to something.”
Lo frowned. He seemed … threatened by her. But why? He was the man in control of this murderous place, and she was just a girl. He had every reason to consider her harmless, yet he didn’t.
“I simply wandered in here. I’m sorry.”
“No one wanders in here by chance,” he countered. “I don’t take kindly to contestants lying to me.” His voice lowered. “The house will not stand for cheaters. The Banker let you in here, didn’t he?”
Lo’s eyes widened.
“Actually, I did not.” The Banker stepped into the room.
Misterioso growled under his breath.
“I also have to wonder why you are in here, Misterioso.” The Banker tilted his head to the side. “This is not your study.”
Then whose was it? The Banker had made reference to another Gamemaker. Was it theirs?
Misterioso said nothing. A vein stood out from his neck.
The Banker’s smirk grew. “But if you allow Lorena to leave, I will not mention this.”
Lo took the opportunity to rush to his side.
Misterioso gritted his teeth. “Very well. Just bear in mind, if a player sniffs around where they do not belong, the outcome may not be good for any of us.”
It was a threat, yet the Banker didn’t seem the least bit bothered. “I’m well aware.” He offered his arm. Lo let him lead her out of the study. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to her.
“Lorena,” he began, voice soft and serious.
There was his disgusting pity again. It didn’t suit him the least bit. “Whose study is that?” she interrupted.
He frowned.
She thought Fine. Be that way. “Do you regret gambling here for a woman?”
The Banker stared straight ahead, but Lo felt his forearm tense up. “The outside world no longer matters to me.”
The answer felt stale. Over-rehearsed.
“You followed her here the first chance you got. But here you remain. Which means she must have failed in the games. She’s dead, isn’t she?”
He turned to her, eyes flashing, but then looked away as if putting himself back together.
“A tragedy,” she continued. “One that must have caused you great pain, and yet, now you damn everyone else foolish enough to wager away their souls. How can you live with yourself?”
“Lorena,” he croaked. “I think I know what you want.”
He knew that she wanted to destroy the house? Not likely.
“I can help you.”
“How?” Now she was intrigued.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Not here. Not like this. It’s a delicate line, and if we are careless, it could have disastrous consequences.”
What was he getting at? What did he think she wanted?
He slipped a golden key into her hand. “On the tenth floor past the fountain, there is a locked elevator. Get onto it and go to the top floor. My chambers are the first door on the left. Meet me there.” Without another word, he walked off.
Lo watched him go. Her fingers wrapped around the key. It could be a trap, but if anyone had the power to destroy the house, it was him. And she would do anything to gain that power, no matter the price.