We pull into Gabriela’s lot a couple hours later, some of her crew running us inside with guns drawn. Seems in all the chaos there’s a lot of gunfire in the neighborhood, some aimed, most not. Give people an excuse and they’ll shoot guns in the air. One guy got a round through the head that way a couple hours ago.

We stagger in exhausted, and I hang back, letting Letitia go ahead. Vivian’s waiting for her and she disappears into the infirmary to see Annie. I’ve kept the sticker on, and all the normals ignores me. I go sit in a corner and watch people buzzing around the warehouse, around me. Even at almost 6 a.m. things are always in motion.

“I hear you had a problem with a roofer,” Gabriela says. She sits in a chair next to me, wincing. Vivian does good work, but she’s not going to be at her best for a while.

I show her the bandaged hand, blood crusted over the gauze. “Could have been worse. Could have been a drywaller.”

“Ya know, Vivian could—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence. She’s got enough shit to deal with without me taking up her time. It’s not like she’s the only mage doctor in town. Some of them owe me favors. Might take a few days, though.”

“Gonna suck until you get it fixed,” she says.

“That’s why God made Oxy,” I say.

“That shit’s gonna catch up to you one of these days, man.”

I shrug. “Oh, I know that. That’s nothing new. But that’s what detox spells are for. If magic can’t let you do a shit-ton of drugs, then what good is it?”

Gabriela shakes her head and pulls herself out of the chair. “We’re fucked up, you know that? Not just you and me, all of us. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore or why I’m doing it but I can’t stop. Do you know why you do it?”

“Trying to not make things worse? Fuck knows I’m not making things better.”

“Maybe try harder. Now go get some sleep. You look like shit.”

“Stones and glass houses, chica. Stones and glass houses. Just gonna sit here for a bit, then I’ll be on my way.”

“There’s a bunk around here somewhere you can crash on, ya know.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself.” She heads back and meets Letitia and Vivian coming out of the infirmary, the relief on Letitia’s face taking years off of her. I hope she can make it work with Annie. Maybe Gabriela and I don’t know why we’re doing what we’re doing, but Letitia sure as hell does.