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“I know that. But we’re only missing the one thing—the programming key, correct?”
“Yes,” Araceli said slowly. “Where exactly are you going with this, Sofia?”
“The key is hardly an integral part of my design,” Sofia said. “We have the engine. You can build a key out of spare parts, surely?”
Araceli looked at her. Then she sighed, stood up, brushed her hand over her hair. “I don’t know, Sofia. Maybe. There’s so much going on right now and—”
“So much? So much what?”
“With Inéz’s death and everything. It shook me up. And I wouldn’t want to rush your procedure. I mean, it can’t take that much longer for the programming key to arrive, can it?”
Sofia felt a sudden flare of resentment. Never mind that she’d carried that empty feeling around after the culling too, never mind that the whole reason she wanted to rush the procedure was to protect Marianella. She still resented Araceli for being so tainted by human weakness.
“I don’t know how much longer it will take,” she finally said. “So I am looking into other options.”
Araceli took a deep breath. “I could probably rig something up. But don’t be foolish, Sofia. This is a dangerous procedure, and I really don’t want to rush it.”
Sofia sighed, a bit of useless programming from her days in the park.
“If I rush it,” Araceli said, “I risk killing you.”
“I know that.” Sofia thought about the dancing. She thought about Marianella’s eyes bright with fear. “I don’t care.”
For a moment, Araceli looked hopeless.
“I need it,” Sofia said, “for our plan to work.”
“From the begi
“I know. But we don’t have that option anymore. My programming needs to be changed now.”
“But why?”
“Cabrera.”
Araceli fell silent, and Sofia explained what had happened. Araceli’s frown deepened as she listened, and her eyes grew dark and guarded.
“This is bad,” Araceli said. “But if there’s any way to delay him—”
“There’s not. I can only fool Cabrera for so long, and we’re dependent on him for the programming key.”
Araceli sighed with exasperation. “I realize that,” she said. “But I’m not willing to kill you, even if you’re willing to kill yourself. This isn’t a simple reprogramming. I’m not going in and giving you new directives; I’m rewriting you completely. The parts you want removed are intrinsic. I can’t just—cut them out. Not without having something to replace them.” She tapped her fingers against her thigh. “It would be like me cutting out my heart and expecting to live. Do you understand?”
Araceli’s words were a slap. But Sofia was a robot. She recovered fast enough.
“They cut out Marianella’s heart,” Sofia said, “and she survived.”
“She survived because she became something new.”
“Which is exactly what you’ll do with me. You have almost everything you need! Find a work-around for the key. You do this every day, Araceli. It’s why I let you live here.”
“Trust me, I know.” Araceli sighed and pushed the hair away from her face. “I might be able to find a work-around if I had your schematics. But those are up in the city offices, and I don’t think we should risk—”
“The city offices.” Sofia’s thoughts whirred. “If I got them, you could program me?”
“If you got them.” Araceli frowned. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s a bad idea—”
But Sofia didn’t let her finish. She stood up and marched out of the cottage, her hope renewed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ELIANA
White dome light filtered through the grimy windows and woke Eliana, but she didn’t bother crawling out from under the thin, forty-year-old blanket. She understood that she had to stay here, in the park. It was too dangerous otherwise. But after her first, fitful night in the Ice Palace, she had asked to stay somewhere else.
Luciano had brought her to one of the cottages, everything faded and coated with a layer of dust. It had once been rented out to visitors, and that, she supposed, was what it was still doing.
Eliana rolled over onto her back and threw her hand over her eyes. Her body ached like it was physically tired, but she knew it wasn’t physical exhaustion keeping her pi
Diego, whose eyes had been cold and glittering, the eyes of a reptile.
Diego, who had pointed a gun at her friend.
Diego, who had always insisted that he was just ru
Tears pricked at Eliana’s eyes. She wiped them away and pulled the blanket up over her head. The cottage was cold because the radiator didn’t work properly; the coils glowed red, but the heat it let off was weak and insignificant. Maybe that was why Eliana didn’t bother getting out of bed.
No. It wasn’t.
The light filtering through the blanket was a lovely orange-pink that reminded Eliana of hothouse flowers. The hothouse flowers Diego had brought for her, all those days ago, were wilting in her apartment right now, dropping petals across her table. And they’d keep wilting until they shriveled up into nothing.
Because Diego was a gangster. Not an errand boy, but a true monster.
And she loved him. She still loved him. That frightened her.
She hadn’t watched Marianella beat Diego that night at the fund-raiser. The plan was one Marianella had developed as they’d ridden down the elevator, clutching at each other and shaking. They would try to run, but if ru
And she’d kept that promise.
Eliana had stood outside the alley, waiting for a taxi to take her to the park. So she hadn’t watched anything, but as she stared down the empty street, she had heard it—Marianella’s frighteningly calm voice, the gurgle of Diego’s replies, the wet smack of flesh against flesh. It was a sound that made Eliana think of blood.
Later, Marianella had promised he was still alive. But what did it matter? He was a murderer. Eliana had tried to convince herself that she was in love with a thief, but it hadn’t worked. She knew what he was.
A knock rattled against the cottage’s door. Eliana pulled the blanket off her head.
“Just leave it in the entranceway!” she shouted.
There was a pause, and then the door scraped open. Eliana waited for the thump of a food bag, but it didn’t come. Instead, footsteps bounced around the cottage. She sat up, frowning.
Luciano stood in the bedroom doorway. He carried a large plastic suitcase in one hand.
“I didn’t want to leave this in the entranceway,” he said.
“I thought you were that woman who brought me food.”
“Ah. Yes. Araceli.” Luciano moved into the bedroom. Eliana pulled her blanket up to her chin. He had skin covering his face again, and in the hazy light Eliana could just make out the faint line of a seam. It wasn’t exactly a scar.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said.
Luciano glanced over at her and smiled. “I’m glad to know that you’re safe as well.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant.”
“I know what you meant.” He set the suitcase on the edge of her bed. “I went to your apartment. I thought you might like your own clothes, rather than those from the park.” He peered at her, a lock of his hair falling into his eyes. “Marianella agreed with me.”
Eliana was surprised by a sudden swell of warmth inside her chest. She hadn’t felt anything like that since the fund-raiser. She felt it now because of Luciano, standing there stiffly at the foot of her bed. Because he had thought to bring her clothes.