Chapter 30

Brushing the dust from his knees, he says, “Now you get your boy.

My part’s done. Have fun.”

As he starts to walk away I call out,

“Wait!”

He stops and turns.

Rising to my feet, I hurry after him.

“What am I supposed to do? Just walk up and demand him back? How am

I supposed to get inside there?” I point back to the Dump

behind me for emphasis.

But Nuri just gives me a maddening

grin. “You wanted me to help you find him. I did. You never said

help you rescue him. You’re on your own for that. Bye.”

He jogs across the empty lot to the

warehouse and I stare after him in stunned disbelief. He’ll just

leave me here, is that it? Kneeling in the dirt and crushed

cigarette butts and coarse grass. That’s it?

Apparently so. He slips through the

door and is gone, my diamonds with him, and I still don’t know if

Tomas’s really here or not. Fuck

Behind me I hear the scrape of a boot

against the fence, and then a soft voice whispers,

“Jace?”

Tomas