With more grace than I could ever hope to embody, Rosalita muscles her way through her crowd of admirers. My heart may belong to Kiki now, but I am not dead. You’d have to be to ignore Rosalita’s charms.

“Ana! So lovely to see you.” She leans in to kiss the air beside each of my cheeks. I wonder, frantically, if I missed wiping all the blood away, but she doesn’t seem to mind. “And Kiki!”

She treats Kiki to the same greeting. Something small and venomous coils in my stomach at the sight of Rosalita’s delicate hand resting against Kiki’s sleeve. I adore them both, but for some reason, I do not like the thought of Rosalita touching Kiki.

A thought best abandoned, naturally.

“Did you find it?” Rosalita asks, her painted lips a perfect pout of annoyance that her belongings were stolen in the first place.

“Have I ever let you down?” I ask as I toss her the purse. She catches it with a delighted laugh.

“My dashing heroes,” she says, clutching the purse to her chest. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d manage, I’m sure.” Kiki smiles at Rosalita, and that little venomous snake rears its head again.

I put a hand on Kiki’s sleeve, at the very same spot Rosalita touched. “We have to run, but let us know if anyone else bothers you, okay?”

I’m already steering Kiki toward the door when Rosalita calls out. “Wait.”

I pause.

Rosalita steps closer to me so that no one can hear her hushed words. “It might be nothing but…” Her eyes slide to the side. Nervous.

My jealousy disappears like smoke on the wind. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just something I’ve heard. There are girls going missing from some of the brothels. First it was the ones who work the street, so no one really noticed but…”

“Has anyone gone missing from Esmeralda’s?” Kiki asks.

Rosalita shakes her head. “No, thank God, but … I just thought you should know. I know you two are more than capable of taking care of yourself but … be careful. Please.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I pull Rosalita into a firm hug. Shame bubbles thick inside me. Rosalita is my friend, and I’ve known her since we were children. It’s wretched, letting myself feel jealous of her.

“We’ll be careful,” Kiki assures her. “We always are.”

Rosalita steps back with a laugh that sounds like the chime of bells. “Now that I do not believe.” She twirls around in a swirl of skirts to return to her flock of drooling men.

I watch her go, a frown creasing my brow. Kiki takes my arm, tucking it against her side.

“Come on.” She guides me out of the salon. “If we don’t get back home soon, Papa will have both our hides.”