WHEN I GET back to the vault, Margo is standing. Not too steady, but at least she’s on her feet. Lamont has one arm around her waist.
“My shoes,” says Margo. “What happened to my shoes?”
“Sorry,” Lamont replies. “Lost in the shuffle.”
“The floor is so cold,” says Margo.
Lamont sweeps her up into his arms.
“Better?” he says. Margo smiles warmly and nuzzles his neck.
“My hero,” she says. She winks at me. “He really is.”
“Yeah,” I say. “He kind of grows on you.”
“Lamont, I want to go home,” says Margo, flicking the stained black bow over her chest. “I need to get out of this filthy dress.”
“Don’t worry about that,” says Lamont. “Maddy will find you something to wear.”
Margo looks me up and down. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind. The kind of dress she’s wearing only exists in the rich sectors, and in old movies. Definitely not in my collection.
“Margo, we can’t go back to your place right now,” Lamont explains. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that her stylish midtown apartment was probably occupied by squatters. “And Maddy’s apartment is too dangerous.”
“What about your mansion, Lamont? I have some clothes in the closet there.”
Lamont looks at me.
“Lamont!” says Margo. “Don’t tell me you’ve sold it!”
“Of course not,” says Lamont. “It’s just…not a good place for us at the moment. For right now, until you get stronger, we need to stay here.”
“I found some stairs down the hallway,” I say. “I’ll see if there’s any room on the second floor.”
“Don’t be long, dear,” says Margo. “I have a terrible chill.”
I head back out into the hallway and take the branch off to the side where I was exploring before. When I get to the stairs, I can see daylight coming down from above. The sun must be rising. Partway up, there’s a landing with a dirty window. At the top of the stairs there’s a metal door. I give it a shove. It doesn’t move. I put my shoulder into it and it swings open. Suddenly, I’m looking at a warehouse floor the size of a soccer field. I could fit Grandma’s apartment in here about ten times!
I can see a few walled-in spaces at the far end. Maybe storage rooms or offices. There’s a row of windows running along one whole side. The windows must be facing east, because the morning sun is pouring in. The ceilings are about two stories high. I can hear birds fluttering around somewhere in the rafters.
This is one hell of a hideout. I think the Shadow will approve.
I run halfway back down the stairs and call out.
“Lamont! Margo! Come on up!”
I hear Lamont’s footsteps on the stairs and then see him come around the corner. Margo is walking on her own now, still in her bare feet. At the top of the stairs, I pull open the door.
“Take a look!” I say.
Lamont and Margo step to the doorway and peek in.
“Excellent,” says Lamont. “This will do.”
“Lamont!” says Margo. “You cannot be serious!”
“It’s just for a while,” says Lamont, “until I figure some things out.”
“Please,” says Margo. “Figure it out quickly. I’m not a factory girl.”