Because It Is My Blood (Birthright #2)(61)

I chose my words carefully. “From where I’m standing right now, it looks like you tried to kill off Natty, Leo, and me so that you could take control.”

Fats shook his head. “No. That’s not what happened.”

“So, who did it? Say it if you know.”

“Kid, I am telling you I don’t. I wish I knew. But what I think, what I think is that someone outside the organization wanted to inject chaos into it. Just like with the poisoning last year.”

“Do you mean Yuji Ono?”

“Annie, I don’t know. Could be.”

“Why should I back you to run Balanchine Chocolate if you know so little?”

“All right … Here’s one thought I had.” He lowered his voice and looked across the room at Sophia. “What if she was involved? Her maiden name is Bitter, and Bitter is the perennial fourth-place chocolate distributor in Germany.”

I looked across the room at Sophia Balanchine. It didn’t seem likely that she would have sent me to hide in Mexico, potentially putting her mother’s family in danger. At this point, it felt like Fats would point his finger at anyone to stop mine from pointing at him.

Daisy Gogol put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you copacetic, Anya?”

I nodded and told her I was ready to go.

Fats grabbed my arm. “I remember the day you were born. Your daddy bringing the pictures to the Pool for us to see. I would never have done anything to put you or your brother and sister in harm’s way. You have to know that.”

The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn’t know anything.

XIV

I ENCOUNTER AN OLD FOE; ANOTHER PROPOSAL; WIN LOOKS UNDER THE WRAPPER

FOR WIN’S EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY, his parents hosted a party at their apartment. And by Win’s parents, I mean his mother. Win’s father was still “depressed,” and according to Win, hadn’t done anything to help plan the festivities.

Scarlet came over to my apartment so that we could all get dressed together. Natty and Daisy Gogol were also going.

Scarlet was about six months pregnant at this point and definitely showing. She wore an enormous black tulle skirt and a tiny pink velvet jacket she couldn’t button. Her blond hair had grown almost to her bottom and was glossy. I found her as comely as ever and I told her so.

She kissed me on the cheek. “Why can’t I marry you, Annie? You’d be the perfect husband to me.” After seven years in a Catholic school, Gable Arsley was hell-bent on marrying Scarlet and making an “honest woman” of her.

Scarlet had been too exhausted to procure outfits for us, as she might have done in years past. She did approve our choices. Natty wore that red dress of mine (and my mother’s), the one Win had always liked me in. I wore black pants—I was in a pants phase of my life—and a corset that Scarlet had worn to Little Egypt all those years ago. I was slutty on top and conservative on the bottom. But the thing was, I liked my arms and back after all that farming. As Daisy Gogol was coming with us, I resisted the urge to accessorize with my machete. Daisy was too large to borrow any of our clothes, but as it turned out, she had plenty of her own. She wore a crazy milkmaid dress and a helmet with horns. “Old opera costume,” she said. “This is going to be so much fun!” She clapped her hands.

We rode the bus to Win’s parents’ apartment. The funny thing was, I had only been there two other times as, for an obvious reason—i.e., Charles Delacroix—Win and I had avoided the place.

Jane Delacroix was one of those people who could make everything beautiful. For decorations, she’d strung fruit from the ceiling. And there were candles everywhere to provide illumination. And of course a bar and a band. The truth was, I doubted Win even noticed all the pains she’d taken for him. He was a boy, and he’d never been without a mother.

Nearly everyone from what should have been my graduating class was there, with the exception of Gable Arsley—thank you, Win’s mother. Most of these people I hadn’t seen since the night of my ill-fated welcome-back-to-Trinity party. Chai Pinter came right up to me and started babbling. “Oh, Anya, you look fantastic! I’m so happy to see you!” She hugged me like we were best friends. “I was so worried for you all these months. Where were you?”

Like I was really going to tell the class gossip where I’d been. “Here and there,” was my stock reply.

“Well, aren’t you the cagey one! So, what are you going to do next year?”

Possibly arrange hits on some relatives of mine, I thought. “Stay here,” I said.

“That’s cool. I’ve already gotten into NYU so I’ll be in the city, too! We should totally hang out.”

NYU? My mother had gone to NYU. And the thought of stupid Chai Pinter going to NYU filled me with an inexplicable disgust. I knew I should be happy for her. Why wasn’t I happy for her? Chai Pinter was a gossip, but she was a nice enough girl and a hard worker and …

“So, do you think you’ll even bother finishing high school?” Chai asked me.

“I’ve got a tutor. I’m studying for my GED right now.”

“Good for you! You’ll probably ace it. You were always so smart.”

I told Chai I needed to get a drink. I walked across the room and was immediately accosted by Alison Wheeler. “Annie,” she said. “So, I guess you know that I wasn’t the rebound girl after all.” Alison Wheeler was wearing a skintight black dress and yellow spike heels. It was a new look for her.