Page 32 of Pretty When She Breaks

Once we were in the stairwell, we were safe.

Claudia wouldn’t be caught dead doing stairs, and she never looked for us that hard, anyway.

We descended to the upper casino floor with happy grins as we entered the smoky, loud slots area.

No one paid us any attention as we stepped around tipsy patrons and past tables where dealers were passing out cards. It was a good place for two kids to get lost in a crowd.

We headed to our favourite place—a small bar area tucked away in a corner that was mostly forgotten. Jule helped himself to some pop, and I hopped up to sit on the counter, only to find it sticky.

“Ew,” I said, jumping back to the floor. Jule snickered,and I stuck my tongue out at him and made sure to splash him as I rinsed off in the sink.

He was already pulling out the bottles of nail polish and makeup we stashed down here.

“Wanna try that sparkly red again?” I asked.

He frowned. “Nah, it didn’t come off properly last time. Prince saw it and threatened to tell his dad.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. I punched him in the nuts.”

I laughed, and he grinned at me.

“It would have come off better if you didn’t get it everywhere,” he added.

“Puh-lease,” I retorted. “I’m way better at doing nails than you are.”

I was interrupted from picking colors when Jule grabbed my arm. “They came back,” he hissed.

I perked up, looking in the direction he had pointed. A small figure was winding their way through the busy casino floor, a stained hoodie covering their head.

“Told you so,” I said, elbowing him.

He shoved me back, grinning as we started after them. “I’ll cut them off,” Jule said. “Get them to the Rose Room.”

“Try not to screw it up!” I said, and he flipped his middle finger at me as he darted away.

I packed away my smile, focusing on my new mission. I picked up my pace, and so did the kid I was following. My heart was starting to race as determination rose inside me.

We would catch them this time, I knew it.

They were fast but had to act casual so they didn’t get noticed. They moved into the corridor that led to the Rose Room, and I broke into a run, my shoes squeaking on the tile as I skidded around the corner. They were already halfway downthe hall, and when they glanced back at me, they looked annoyed.

From our previous times trying to catch them, we’d figured out they knew the layout of the Crimson Palace, so we knew where they’d try to go. Sure enough, they opened the door to the Rose Room, and I heard a yell and a loud thump.

“Ha!” Jule crowed. “I got you!”

“Wegot you,” I added, running into the room. I wasnotletting him hog all the credit.

The smaller kid was putting up a fight, but they had no chance. Jule was thirteen now, and Father made him train with Hugo almost every day.

“Get off me!” they spat, getting a hand free and trying to scratch his face.

Jule laughed and batted them away easily. “Is that all you got?” he taunted. “My little cousin hits harder than you.”

I snorted. That was a lie; Prince was a total wuss.

The kid glared at me as I locked the door behind us and tucked the key into my pocket.