Touch (Denazen #1)(66)

I nodded, but didn’t say anything. Why dash his hope with my negativity?

“Any idea where Alex has been? I haven’t seen him for days,” Dax asked.

“Alex is at Denazen.”

Dax dropped his drink to the floor. The plastic cup bounced, sending droplets of blue liquid everywhere. “What?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the flash drive. “Do you know where I can find Ginger? This has the information she wanted. If what’s on here is accurate, we can save my mom and Alex.”

Dax wasted no time. He started for the stairs and motioned for us to follow. It looked like the building had been a department store in its day—we found Ginger at the other end of the building in what had once been the receiving room, surrounded by seven shirtless men holding trays full of fruit punch.

“Must be nice to be the queen,” I whispered.

Kale leaned closer. “Why are they all shirtless?”

Ginger apparently had ears like a dog, because she heard us. Turning to Kale, she winked, taking a sip from her punch. “It’s a benefit of being the queen.” She waved the men off and beckoned us closer. “I hear you’ve found my information?”

We’d only spoken to Dax, who’d never left our side. How she knew why we were here was beyond me. “And then some.” I stepped closer and handed her the drive.

Greedy, wrinkled fingers shook just a bit as they snatched the red plastic from my hands. She examined the drive before handing it to one of the men standing behind her chair. After she whispered something in his ear, he left.

“And?” I said when Ginger made no move to speak. “What about our information? The Reaper?”

“Do you think you still need him? You have the information needed to save your mother and Alex.”

I wanted to ask her how she knew what information I had. She hadn’t looked at the drive, but I was too pissed. I opened my mouth and closed it again. She was right—sort of. I knew Mom was going to be at Sumrun from the email on the flash, but a lot could still go wrong. I wanted a backup, just in case. Plus, I’d busted my ass to get what she’d asked for. I took a huge risk and gave up the secret I’d been hoarding for years. Even if I didn’t need him anymore, fair was fair. Plus, I was way curious.

I stood straighter and folded my arms. Expression fierce and chin out, I said, “A deal’s a deal.”

Ginger considered this for a moment before pointing to Kale.

I glanced at him, then back to her. “What about him?”

“You wanted to know who the Reaper was.” She flicked her wrist at him. “Here he is.”

Kale looked over his shoulder. There was no one there. “What is she talking about?”

Red. All I saw was red. “You manipulative, wrinkled old bitch! You played me! There is no Reaper, is there?”

Knuckles white as they clutched her cane, Ginger stood. The men flanking her all took two steps back. “I did nothing of the sort, child, and I suggest you watch that tongue of yours. Show some respect.” She hobbled around the room, plastic cup still in hand. “Do you know what my gift is?”

“No,” I snapped. “And I can’t say I really give a damn right now.”

“I’m a visionary. I can see a person’s path when I look in their eyes.”

“You only met me a few days ago, yet you’re insinuating I’m the Reaper? Sue told me about him when I was twelve. How can that be?” Kale asked.

“I met you years before you showed up at my party.”

“That’s crap,” I spat.

Kale turned to me and frowned. He was frustrated. “This is very confusing.”

I took his hand and squeezed. Turning to Ginger, I said, “Some people get off on messing with others.”

Ginger narrowed her eyes at us. “I was there when Kale was born.”

“Don’t listen to her Kale, this is all b.s.”

“I looked into those blue eyes and saw the one person who would one day have a shot at saving us from Cross. I started the rumor of the Reaper years ago to give our kind hope.”

She had his attention. The Reaper forgotten, he focused on Ginger. “You know me? If you were present when I came into this world, tell me. Tell me who I am. Tell me who my mother is.”

Ginger’s expression softened. “Felecia. Your mother’s name was Felecia.”

Kale’s face fell. “Was?”

Silently, Ginger nodded and looked away.

“I thought you said no one had ever escaped Denazen before? How did you know Kale’s mother if he was going to be the first to escape?”

“Stupid child,” Ginger hissed. “He was not born in Denazen. He came into this life at a hospital in the city.”

“How did I end up at Denazen? What happened to my mother?”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “If Kale was born in a hospital and you were there and saw him, didn’t you know what would happen?” Rage filled my head and made my blood pump faster. “You knew he’d end up at Denazen and you did nothing?”

Ginger’s brows furrowed in anger, then settled in what I supposed was regret. “There was nothing to be done. These things can’t be changed. Things happened as they were meant to happen so he would one day become the Reaper. Every event in people’s lives shape their future. You cannot change these things.”