Eliana by Evey Brett Page B

yourself, are you? I’ve read a lot of comics. I know what happens to guys who mess with strange formulas. They turn into monsters or develop superpowers or—”
    “I won’t.” Kon grabbed the note, shoved it inside the case, and latched the lid. He tucked the case under his arm and went into the master bathroom. Dane didn’t follow. Kon reread the note for himself, queasy at seeing his father’s handwriting. He did care after all . Vaguely hopeful, Kon stashed the case beneath the bathroom sink behind the set of old towels they never used.
    Back in the main room, Dane had booted up his computer. Kon picked up the shopping bags. “I’m going to check on Eliana.”
    Dane got to his feet and relieved Kon of a couple bags. “I want to meet her.”
    But as they went toward her room, Kon knew before he opened the door that Eliana wasn’t there. He couldn’t sense her fierce, vital essence anywhere nearby.
    “Shit,” Kon said. Inside the empty suite, he picked up the phone and dialed the Chief Warden. “Evan? Where is she?”
    “You’re back? Good. That girl wouldn’t stay put. Gave us hell all day.”
    “Where is she?” Kon repeated, anger rising with every word.
    “Gone. Heading for the bus station last I heard, which was, oh, three hours ago.”
    Kon checked his watch. It was nearly six. “Did anyone give her money?”
    “I didn’t. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t think so. Look, I’m sorry, Kon, but I couldn’t keep her here against her will.”
    Kon jammed the receiver down. “We’re going to the bus station.”

Chapter Eight
    “I said I’d drive you.”
    Eliana startled awake, surprised to see Kon settled into the hard fiberglass chair next to hers. The wall clock said it was past six. She’d been in the depot for over three hours, waiting for the next bus north. She’d sweet-talked one of the men at the front desk of Kon’s building into giving her a fifty, which not only bought her a ticket but also a hamburger and fries to keep her from getting too hungry. “I don’t need your help.”
    People were staring. Not at her. At him and his pretty face. “I know you don’t need it, but I’d like to give it anyway.”
    “I waited as long as I could. I don’t belong in that fancy hotel of yours. That guy—Evan—wouldn’t shut up. He kept asking if I was all right. He was worse than you.”
    “He means well, but I agree he can be a little overbearing. Come back with me. I promise we’ll leave in the morning.”
    “No.”
    “Will a few hours make all that much difference?”
    Logically, it wouldn’t matter whether she arrived at seven in the morning or five in the afternoon. She just couldn’t explain her need to keep moving, not to settle until she found her family—or her lack thereof. She gazed at Kon, wondering at his motives, and noticed how ill he looked. He was worn, drawn from more than exhaustion. “Are you all right?”
    For a few moments, he stared into space. Then he said, “Mi padre está muerto.”
    “I’m sorry.” It was the right thing to say, though she couldn’t sympathize. She hated the only father figure she knew and hoped the bastard had died a long, lingering death in some Mexican ghetto. “Were you close?”
    “I haven’t seen him in twenty years.”
    That didn’t answer her question, but she could hear the pain in his voice.
    “I understand you, Eliana. I know what it’s like to be hurt and betrayed by someone who should have protected you.”
    She froze. She hadn’t said a damn thing to him about her past, yet it was as if he knew her secrets anyway. Her first impulse was to exit the depot as fast as she could hobble, but when he curled his hand in hers, warm, comforting, her desire flagged.
    “Please come with me. Let someone who cares about you take you home.”
    Home . The one thing she craved above all else. She couldn’t have said why she trusted him, but she did. “Fine.”
    With her arm tucked in his, he escorted her out