“Who wants some bao?” Taj asked aloud. “I needed to see you before you left. Here should be safer than at the airport. How are you?”

He walked slowly up to his friend on the path. 

The cemetery.

Rowan's mother was declared dead after she vanished and the investigation was unsuccessful. By law, the tomb had to be here.

She was still looking for her mother, though. But it was not easy. Rowan's last name was different, so the police thought that her mother wasn't missing but had left her child and was hiding. 

It was very disheartening.

… They were both facing difficulties. Mostly it was about money. Twice already, Rowan had to suspend her studies. Taj was supporting her as much as he could, but he had problems with his debt. 

Not to mention the cartel that was trying to get him back. 

Taj sometimes felt desperate. And now his best friend was just as desperate as he was because of the Clar family.

“I am all right; I went through my mom’s stuff,” Rowan finally said, and suddenly, she added, “Taj, look, money. My mom left a pile of the Sect’s money. I saw it before but didn’t truly take a look, as, you know, her things, privacy. But Taj? Take some; you could repay your debt faster.” 

Taj’s heart melted. 

“Thank you, but no. You need it more. In fact, I want to earn it. I intend to repay with the money I earned,” he said.

“I think I understand.” Rowan nodded. “I hope you will soon do, I mean, be free. And dance your dance-to-death, even if I won’t be able to see it.” 

“I hope so. Thank you,” Taj said and then returned to the main reason for her visit to the cemetery. “What else do you have? Did your mother leave any clues?” 

He was looking at the cup and the jade that Rowan held in her hands. 

She hid some things here, in her mother’s tomb, some time ago. She couldn’t take them to the shelter. 

“So, the only thing that looks like it’s from the Sect and could be useful is this jade something. The cup is mine; I mean, it is a souvenir of sorts,” Rowan explained and added, “Taj, would you mind storing this cup for me? All my things I packed, I have two bags, and that’s all. The rent will expire at the end of this month, so…”

“O, sure, give it to me.” Taj took the cup and hid it carefully in his bag. “When is your flight? You wrote in your message that you took the first available?”

“Tonight, within eight hours or so. Or later? I should be there tomorrow early in the morning or something. Or late at night? I didn’t pay attention. Taj?” she asked suddenly

“Yes?” Taj was looking at her; his feelings were shifting between sadness and anger. 

“I couldn’t rest, so I did this—I wrote down all the things from the interrogation, what they did, and what they asked. I wrote it down. Read it later; do not keep it. I mean, destroy the notes, but please, remember it for me, all right? Someone must. I truly want to forget; I really want to not remember,” Rowan said and gave him loose paper sheets. 

She didn’t say anything more. 

Taj took the notes and didn’t comment; he only nodded. He understood.

“And Taj?” Rowan, this time, was almost crying. “Taj, let’s hug, let’s hug.”

They both, as if starting to understand that they were, for themselves, the only people close in the whole City, and they soon would be very far away from each other.

“Taj? So, it is what it is. I probably could eat something and then need to go to the airport,” Rowan said.

He nodded. 

“What will you do with Riley?” she suddenly asked. 

It was a good question. Riley wrote to him wanting to meet but sent no explanation for what. 

Clar. Could this be an occasion to hurt them, the almighty Clar family?

“I think I will meet with him,” Taj said slowly, still considering options.

“Oh?” Rowan was even surprised. “Really?”

They exchanged looks. 

“Yes. I may even have an idea what to do with Clar.” Taj decided. Revenge was inevitable. “But first, let’s eat something good. I pay,” he added.