Zora lifted an eyebrow, questioning. There was more to that story, of course, but there wasn’t time for Dorothy to get to it just now. What happened in the future, with Roman, was still too raw for her to think about without risking tears, and she’d be damned if she was going to cry in front of Zora.

She lowered Ash’s gun so it wouldn’t be perceived as a threat and forced herself to meet Zora’s dark eyes.

“Take me with you, and I’ll tell you everything I know,” she said.

Another gunshot exploded in the night. Zora flinched. She looked at Dorothy again, and Dorothy could see the struggle playing out on her face. Zora didn’t want to trust her but, just now, she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Fine,” Zora said, after a long moment. “We can’t be found out here, anyway.” She twisted the handle of her Jet Ski, and the engine growled to life. “Get on.”

Dorothy tucked Ash’s gun inside of her cloak and climbed onto Zora’s Jet Ski, a flicker of triumph moving through her as she wrapped her hands around Zora’s waist. “Do you know somewhere we can go? Where they won’t look for us?”

Zora, gruff, said, “I can think of a place.”

2

A building appeared in the distance, nestled between the taller skyscrapers. It looked like it was made entirely of mirrors, but thick vines crawled over the exterior, making it impossible to tell for sure. Water reflected in the outside walls, creating the illusion that the structure was moving.

Dorothy frowned as they drew closer. They were in Black Cirkus territory, only a few blocks from the hotel that served as the gang’s headquarters, and yet, she’d never been here before. She’d noticed the building before, obviously. It looked almost like a giant diamond, making it hard to miss, but she’d never paid it much attention. So many of the buildings downtown were flooded to the point of being unusable.

“What is this place?” she asked as Zora pulled the Jet Ski up to the dock wrapped around the building’s outer walls. The Jet Ski’s headlight glimmered off the glass, the brightness making Dorothy’s eyes water.

“Old library,” Zora said, cutting the engine.

“This was a library?” The libraries in Dorothy’s time had been dusty, brick structures. Nothing like this.

“Pretty, right?” Zora said, softening. “You should have seen it before the floods. It was my favorite place in the whole city.”

Dorothy fisted her hands, her palms suddenly clammy. Was that kindness she’d just heard? It felt like a foolish thing to hope for, and yet she stole a glance at Zora, blood pounding in her ears. Maybe it wasn’t too late.

But there was no kindness in Zora’s face. Her eyes were cold and narrowed, her lips thin.