Page 35 of Up in Smoke

“What has you so excited?” Sandro asked with laughter in his voice. “I know you’ve seen elevators before.”

“I don’t have to skulk around to be here,” I replied, grinning at him. “And I have a wagon full of liquid gold.”

“I’m going to reward you for those acquisitions.” Sandro nodded at the intersection we needed to turn at to reach his house, and as always, I admired the carved support columns making sure Tulsa didn’t fall in on Asylum. “The spices are even more valuable, especially with my understanding that the supplies sent in would have been for survival. Medicine, basic food, and probably a lot of military-style rations. MREs and so on.”

“MREs?”

“Meals Ready-to-Eat. It’s a good way to efficiently feed a large population of people in need of supplies. If we were leaving out of the East, I would have packed a bunch for the train ride, as I find they’re a lot better than trying to make do here. With your stash, I think we’ll be fine for a while.”

“If they brought everything from my cellar, then they would have found my canned goods and water supply, too. The stuff was still good. I think Carl must have recently restocked the place before signing the lease with me.” I wondered about that. Had he made a point of doing a restock? If so, how had he gotten the goods?

The cellar had contained a fortune of goods and months of life for a scavenger like me.

“Mansfield is many things, but he won’t risk his position picking through your cellar. He’ll view you as much more resourceful and useful than he believed, though.” We turned another corner, and Sandro sighed. “Speak of the devil. A guard must have jogged over to let him know we’re back in town.”

I spotted Mansfield waiting on Sandro’s front step, dressed in a suit and presenting a smile. After his machinations, I no longer believed in the authenticity of that smile, and I wondered what he wanted from Sandro—or from me.

Sandro’s body language changed, and he adopted a semi-relaxed pose and an easy-going smile. The smile was one of the more potent of Sandro’s lies, one told with ease.

My fox waited and watched the pair of men, aware both hunted. As she refused to become prey, I joined in the game, too. I stayed close to Sandro’s side while pulling my wagon along.

“Benedict,” Sandro greeted, meandering over and holding out his hand to the ruler of Asylum. “A pleasant surprise. I hope it wasn’t a bother coming here.”

“It’s no bother at all. One of the guards informed me you’d arrived with your courtesan, and I thought I’d welcome you back personally. She’s looking well. I’ve been told she’s been upgraded in the system?”

“My mother believes I’m slow, so she decided to handle Jade’s entry into the Moretti family. She organized the auction in the East and had the papers properly finalized.” Sandro held out his free hand to me, and I abandoned the wagon, stepped to his side, and took hold of his hand. “She tends to be quiet as of late. While it’s safe for her to travel, it’s still tiring for her.”

I played along, nodding and smiling for the man deserving of Sandro’s best poem of the violent variety. “Mr. Mansfield,” I murmured.

“Yes. I’ve received a copy of the medical report and her removal from Asylum to the East. Was that your mother’s doing, then?”

Sandro heaved a sigh. “From top to bottom, yes. She had selected Jade to be my wife and partner in managing the Moretti family when she retires along with my father. For now, I’m getting her used to traversing the quadrants, as a lot of my work requires travel.”

“A wise move. And New Orleans is an excellent place to test her adaptability. How did she do?”

“Quite well. I’m pleased. Vixens are versatile, smart, and tolerant.” Sandro gave my hand a squeeze, which I translated as a warning to behave myself. I appreciated that he understood the conversation would annoy me.

It took work to keep my ears pricked forward and my tail still.

“That’s excellent to hear. Thank you for leaving the keys to her property with me.” Mansfield pulled them out of his pocket and gave them to Sandro. “I was able to confirm that her cellar is part of the ventilated system, which lets us align the old maps with the current city situation. As a thank you for all of the work you’ve put in, I have plans for allocating more land in that neighborhood to you, with four cellar entry points into Asylum. That will allow you to establish a good property. Did the guard speak with you about the old structure?”

“Yes, he had. I told him I would like to restore it as a testament to Tulsa’s determination and will to survive. Once restored, it will be a nice property. I don’t mind it being set up as a landmark if that is something you’re interested in.”

“Actually, it is. A lot of the remaining residents are aware that was your wife’s, and she has built a very strong reputation for herself. She’s responsible for saving many lives here, and people know it. I had no idea your vixen was so involved with the outskirts rescue and burial operations.”

“Jade does not like abandoning people she can save, which is what makes her an ideal matron of the Moretti family. She balances out my tendencies nicely.” Sandro released my hand, retrieved the wagon, and hauled it to the steps. The large wheels let him pull it up without losing anything, and he unlocked the front door using the keys Mansfield had given him. “Thank you for bringing the keys by. I’ll need to get Jade’s paperwork and access cards upgraded. Will it be fine until tomorrow?”

“Take your time. I’ll let the administration know it needs to be done, and I’ll get the ball rolling. You look tired, so get some rest. You’ve had a long journey getting here without the trains.”

“Long and dangerous. We’ve dodged more twisters on the way than I care to think about, but Jade is resourceful and has a sharp eye. She’s very good at spotting unmarked cellars, likely from her time in the outskirts. How have the storms been?”

“They are calming down, and we hold hope that most will stay away from the city edge. The intensity and frequency unexpectedly dropped.”

Of course they’d unexpectedly dropped. His choirs couldn’t sing the storms to life when dead and gone. I would need to thank Ryleigh later. Then again, we’d already thanked her, tit-for-tat style. Because of us, New Orleans still breathed. Because of her, Tulsa clung to survival by a thread.

Our dreams hadn’t gone up in smoke, although we’d toed the line more than I cared to think about.

“I’ll come by tonight,” Mansfield promised before heading down the street at a brisk pace. “Have a good day, Sandro.”