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HUSANI KICKED IN THE DOOR TO an abandoned building. Imara peeked in but didn’t see any people. Just plastic bags, broken knife hilts, and photos strewn over the floors. Another one of Sef’s hideouts was officially empty. She didn’t expect it to be easy to recruit gangsters, but she didn’t think it would be this hard either.
“They’re probably just in regular offices now,” Husani said with a huff. He noticed a picture on the floor and let out a long whistle. “My, that is a fine looking woman. Too bad she’s one of the bad guys because otherwise I’d be...”
He trailed off when she rolled her eyes at him.
“I’m sure she has other qualities besides her looks,” he said, flipping his hair out of his face. “But I don’t know them so why should that stop me from enjoying how attractive she is?”
Imara shook her head and marched toward the doors. “Come on, this one’s empty. Let’s try the next one.”
Once they were out the door, she dug her nails into her palms. She never expected to be this angry at Edrice. Strangely, it had very little to do with Abe at all. She was already planning to break up with him before Edrice had planted that kiss. But Edrice didn’t know that. And Edrice was supposed to be her friend. Was it possible to be friends with someone who had dated your boyfriend? Maybe, but the more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed.
“Yo, dreamer!” Husani shouted. “It’s this way.”
She shook her head and brought her attention to the road. Husani gave her a long glance, which would probably turn into a question. A question she didn’t want to answer. So, she asked one of her own instead.
“Why don’t you ever flirt with Edrice?”
He snorted. “Uh, Edrice is my sister.”
Imara’s eyes shot up to her forehead. “Excuse me, what?” She squinted as she thought way back to when she had first met them all. “Oh wait,” she said. “Do you mean because you both lived in the same home for awhile? When you were in the care of the Egyptian Council? Abe told me that’s how you and Edrice met. But just because you lived in the same house, doesn’t mean you’re actual siblings. And Edrice is beautiful and super smart. Plus, it probably would have annoyed Abe, and you love doing that.”
Husani kicked in another door and let out a sigh of disappointment when the room came into view. Also empty. He shook his head and cocked an eyebrow up at Imara. “I see why you’re confused because that is how we met, and we don’t look anything alike, but Edrice is my literal sister. Half sister, anyway. We have different moms, but the same dad. We didn’t even figure out we were related until a month after we met.”
For some reason, this didn’t make her feel better at all. Everything would have been much easier if Edrice had someone else to run to besides Abe. But Husani wouldn’t have been right anyway. He had a thing for Keiko, even if they were still in the middle of a fight at the moment.
“Yeah,” Husani said. “Our dad is... how should I put it? Foul, loathsome, creature of the earth seems too kind, but it gives you the idea anyway. He has a disgusting number of children and somehow has escaped responsibility with all of them. I guess the Egyptian Council has been a little too busy with more important issues. Like Sef.”
Her mouth dropped, and she blinked twice while the rest of her body remained frozen in place.
“Uh,” Husani said as she continued to stare at the road ahead of them.
She didn’t snap her mouth shut until after shaking her head several times. After another twelve seconds, she said, “So, when you said ‘you can’t change your DNA,’ you were talking about yourself? You’re afraid of ending up like your father?”
Husani’s cheeks darkened with a blush as he turned away from her. With a gravelly voice he said, “How did you know about that?”
She rolled her eyes and pressed forward. They still had one last building to check before they went back to headquarters empty handed. If they could find even one person to help them, it would make a difference. Just one person.
Imara glared at Husani, hoping to make him feel some level of guilt. “Keiko thought you were talking about her. She thought you were saying she’s doomed to end up like Takara. Is that what you think about her?”
“What?” Husani said, jerking his head to the side. His surprise seemed genuine. In fact, he almost seemed offended by her accusation. “Of course I don’t think that. Keiko is freaking awesome. She’s rebellious, but in the cool way, not the bad way. She goes rogue, but only to do the right thing. And she doesn’t take crap from anyone. But she also plays the violin, and I don’t know if you’ve ever seen her play, but she turns into this gentle, elegant creature, and she gets really into it, and you can’t help but feel it’s the most beautiful song ever created. Plus, she’s gorgeous. Extremely gorgeous.” Husani stumbled over the air and took a little cough to clear his throat. “What were we talking about?”
She didn’t know when things had changed, but all the sudden, she felt like a big sister. For one brief moment, she was no longer a peer.
She sighed. “If you ever tried giving Keiko a genuine, well thought out compliment like one of those, instead of the stupid pick up lines you say all the time, you two might have a shot at an actual relationship.”
“Whoa,” Husani said throwing his hands in the air. “Who said anything about a relationship? I like being free and enjoying every lady. I don’t need to settle down.”
Imara snorted. “Please, that act won’t work on me. Especially now that I know more about you. You flirt with every girl you’ve ever met because you’re afraid if you don’t, one of those girls might develop some actual feelings for you. And if you have actual feelings for her, then you have a chance to hurt her, just like your dad has hurt all the women he’s ever been with.”
Husani scoffed and opened his mouth to respond, but seemed to be stuck trying to come up with the words. He puffed his chest out, but his bravado was pointless now. They both knew the truth. With an angry growl, he said, “I don’t need relationship advice.”
Imara gave him a sideways glance.
Husani cocked one eyebrow up and asked pointedly, “Did you really break up with Abe?”
In an instant, the big sister feeling faded, and he had the upper ground. She sniffed and turned away from him as a flood of emotions overcame her. “I had to,” she said in a whisper.
Husani laughed. “Oh, you had to? You didn’t want to, but you had to?”
She marched forward on the street and tried to hold her head high. “That’s exactly what happened.”
She frowned. “You didn’t know me before, but I wasn’t very nice. I was judgmental and cruel. I saw the worst in everyone. It’s because of Abe that I’m different now. I stayed here so I could help him like he helped me. But the thing is, the people I hurt most of all were the ones I care about the most. My sister and my parents. Mostly my sister. I resolved to do better and make things right with her, but...”
Husani nodded. “But you can’t fix your past mistakes until you go home and spend time with your family.”
It wasn’t a question. What it was, was frustrating. How had Husani figured out in three seconds what it took her months to realize? Either way, it didn’t matter now. Her shoulders slumped. “Abe needs to save his business. It’s a completely worthy goal. I can’t possibly ask him to give that up for me. But I can’t give up my sister for him either. And since our goals require us to be in different territories...”
For the first time, Husani actually looked sad. He wasn’t necessarily rooting for them, but he did seem to feel bad about it. For some reason, his sympathy did the worst thing of all. It made her say something she never would have under normal circumstances.
Imara bit her lip and let out a little sniff. “I’m sure Abe won’t need long to get over me. He only broke up with Edrice a month before we met. And he kissed me within hours of meeting. If he fell for me that fast, I must not be anything special. Probably, I was just there and he was lonely.”
She sniffed again, and it all sounded so pathetic. And yet so true. All these months she had been trying to convince herself they had something special. But if he cared about more than her looks, it should have taken longer for him to fall for her.
For his part, Husani seemed to be conflicted about what to say next. There was no way he couldn’t tell how devastated she was. It was written plainly all over her face. Right in the middle of a mission. She was supposed to be the level-headed one who didn’t let interpersonal issues get in the way of things. So much for that.
“I don’t know...” Husani started. But then he didn’t volunteer anything else. In fact, he tapped his ring, apparently to distract both of them.
Since the act wasn’t convincing, Imara asked, “What? You don’t know what?”
Husani shifted, turning his shoulder away from her. After a quick jiggle of the head, he said, “Abe’s not that kind of a person. He’s nuts about some things, but...” he shrugged. “He’s loyal and... He’s not that kind of guy. He wouldn’t have kissed you if he didn’t feel something.”
She raked her fingers through the curls on top of her head. She didn’t know if that should make her feel better or worse. It actually made her feel a little bit of both. She tapped her ring to check the map and scowled when she saw how far they still had to go. Another block and a half.
Another block and half to think, or maybe worse, talk.
Thinking seemed to be the better alternative for most of the trip, but too much thinking only brought more questions to her mind. Just before they reached the hideout, one question escaped her lips. “Do you think they’re going to get back together? Abe and Edrice?”
She wished she could recall the question the moment she asked it. The look on Husani’s face gave more of an answer than she wanted.
Her shoulders drooped, and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Soon?” she asked, holding back a sniff.
Husani threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know,” he said. “Edrice is my sister. I have to hope they get back together because that’s what she wants.”
Imara’s head fell as she tried to nod. Somewhere along the way it got stuck and came out as more of a twitch. At least they had reached the hideout. Husani lifted his foot to kick in the door, but dropped it again at the last second. He stood there without moving while her heart pounded in her chest.
At last, he took in a deep breath and swallowed. “But I do think you’re better for him,” he said.
