Siege of Shadows (Effigies #2)(96)

But I was already feeling too embarrassed to elaborate. I got to my feet. “Come on—there are a lot of people on the streets now. Even if we’re all the way up here, we might get recognized.”

I tugged at her sleeve annoyingly, until she got up with a groan and followed me back to the door. For all of our sakes, we had to stop Saul. It was the only way we could go back to our families without looking over our shoulders—or theirs. But as long as we were in this battle, we had to rely on one another. It wasn’t only what I wanted; it was what I needed—the four of us together.

I didn’t want to lose anyone.

? ? ?

We left the bar just before sundown. Our suitcases were still there; the man who ran the bar said he’d keep them in the storage room for us, though Lake had had the good sense to take a few things she said we might need and stuff them into her knapsack. Strapping on our caps and black shades, we did some reconnaissance of the area, scanning bodies as they made their way to nightclubs and the restaurants surrounding the apartment building. No Jessie or Vasily. But we couldn’t be sure how many soldiers Saul had on his roster or who else knew we were in Madrid other than that handful of Sect agents. We’d have to be careful.

We were buzzed in almost the moment we got to the door. Naomi must have been there already. There wasn’t anyone in the narrow hallways, but we moved quickly, going up to the twelfth floor. Belle knew the way. She stood in front of Natalya’s door silently for a moment too long, her hands hovering close to the solid peach wood. I knocked for her.

A man in a black suit opened the door. A Sect agent? I could see his female partner standing by the wall silently, her shades covering her face.

The man nodded to his partner before stepping aside. His broad shoulders nearly bumped against the wall as he moved to let us through.

It was exactly the same as Natalya’s memories. The treelike coatrack on the far left-hand side. The steel fridge next to a little coffee table and a clear sink. Glamorous pop art hanging from the eggshell walls. Something in me stirred when I saw the familiar sights, the narrow hall that opened up into an expansive living room.

The living room.

A sudden vertigo hit me, my head spinning. The crystal decanter on the shelf that I knew was always filled with scotch. The stylish bookshelves and modern furniture, the ceiling that sloped down at one angle. And the chair. The one Natalya had been sitting in the night she’d died. It was in the same place, at the center of the room. Everything was in the same place. A memory, a former life. A crime scene.

“Maia, are you okay?” Lake had her knapsack dangling off one shoulder. Sliding it back up, she hooked my arm with hers so I wouldn’t fall over.

“Were you followed?”

Sucking in a sharp breath of air, I turned and saw her. Naomi. Still beautiful with her clean, youthful skin and long black hair that veiled her chest. In a plain mauve dress, she sat in a chair—not the chair, but a lonely settee by the tall set of windows that spanned almost the entire length of the wall. The nighttime city lights crept through slivers in the blinds, casting a glow across her. The lights in the living room were dim, but I could see her bright brown eyes.

“Were you followed?” she repeated, the urgency quiet but palpable in her voice.

“No,” Belle said.

Naomi paused and took in the sight of us all. “Maia.” She moved the shawl over her dress. “I expected you’d come alone.” Her eyes flicked fearfully toward Belle, and I instantly understood.

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Chae Rin folded her arms. “You’re Rhys’s mom, right?”

“Maia said you were a member of the Council,” said Lake, still holding on to me.

Naomi shifted uncomfortably in her seat, turning her wedding ring around her middle finger. “Ah, is that so? What else did she tell you, I wonder?”

“Don’t get salty about it,” Chae Rin barked. “It’s not like we were going to let her come here alone, so you might as well spill what you know.”

I could stand up straight now, though Lake continued to link arms just in case. The place had the musty smell of an apartment that hadn’t been lived in for some time. I could feel traces of her here.

“Why here?” I asked her. “Why did you want to meet me here? And just me?”

Naomi stood up and walked to the window to look out over the city. “You feel her, don’t you?” she said without turning around. “Like a ghost in the shadows.”

I brought up a hand to my chest, my fingers curling around the fabric of my shirt. “You want me to scry.”

“It’s Marian we need, Maia, not Natalya. The other Effigy in your line. The first.”

First? I could feel Lake and Chae Rin glance at me, surprised. Belle’s gaze never wavered from Naomi.

“Why Marian?” I asked, but Naomi was too distracted to hear me, peering through the blinds, searching the streets below.

“We don’t have much time. I’m supposed to be back at home in Virginia by morning. I told my husband I wanted to stay in England for a little while longer, so he left without me. Nobody but James and Rosa know I’m here.” With a shift of her head, she indicated the two agents who stayed vigilant by the front door. “And I can’t be sure I wasn’t followed. So I’ll get through this quickly.”

“Yeah, talk, please.” Chae Rin tapped her foot impatiently. “Saul is out there planning something big; we can’t afford to stand around anymore.”