Plastic Smile (Russell's Attic Book 4) by SL Huang

my cousins joined a gang a couple months ago, Pilar had said.
    “This won’t be a panacea,” I suddenly felt the need to warn her. “It’ll help. It won’t wipe out every problem.”
    “So maybe it’ll help enough for a good family to balance things out,” Pilar said, not looking at either of us. She stood up. “I’m going to make some tea. Cas, I’m in if you want me.”
    “I want you,” I said.
    She nodded and went into the kitchen.
    “Don’t do this,” Checker pleaded in a low murmur once Pilar was out of the room. “Don’t. She doesn’t know what she’s getting into.”
    “Yes, she does,” I said. “She’s worked for you guys for a year and a half now. She knows. Stop patronizing her.”
    He flushed. “I’m not. It’s an issue of experience—”
    I scooped up half a deli meat sandwich and took a bite. “Yeah, about that,” I said with my mouth full. “What illegal activities did you and Arthur ensnarl yourselves in? Other than with me. I need to mock him for it.”
    “I did some dumb shit as a teenager, that’s all. As for Arthur, it’s seriously not your business. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
    “Oh, and my past is your business?” I said.
    “I am dead begging you here—don’t bring this up to him,” Checker said, staring at his hands. “It’s done, it was years ago, and you’ll only hurt him. Just don’t.”
    “Fine. But I get Pilar tonight.”
    “ Tonight?”
    “Why wait? What, do you have a hot date or something? Or were you just hoping to talk her out of it?”
    He covered his eyes with one hand, not answering for a moment. “I’m not trying to patronize her.”
    “You’re not trying to.”
    “I still say it’s a stupid risk. She’s never done anything like this before.”
    “Only one way to learn,” I said. “This is an easy job. Besides, she’s successfully represented to both a Mafia boss and the NSA, neither of which you were able to do without being reduced to a gibbering mess.”
    “Those weren’t the same thing. I don’t like it.”
    “You don’t have to.”
    We sat in tense silence for a moment. I finished my sandwich and brushed the crumbs off onto Checker’s couch. He winced. “Can you at least spare my coffee table?”
    I let my boots thunk back down to the floor. “If you’re thinking about backing out of your part of the gig tonight, we’ll still find a way in without you. Only it won’t be as clean.”
    “God, Cas! I said I would help. I don’t like what you’re doing and I don’t like you involving Pilar, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go off and sulk and let you get yourselves caught.”
    “We still wouldn’t get caught.”
    “Sure.” He groped at an end table behind him and came up with a tablet. “Speaking of people’s pasts, let’s hop back on yours. Arthur’s digging into this Simon fellow; he needs intel.”
    “Oh, look at the time.” I stood. “I’d better prepare for the heist.”
    “Prepare what? You’re just walking in and walking out. Pilar and I are the ones doing all the work. Sit yourself down.”
    I tried to rustle up a comeback to that and failed. I sat down.
    “Right,” Checker said. “So. We were talking about…um.” He cleared his throat. “How you met Rio.”
    My irritation slammed up against a massive wall of weighted memory, a black tar seeping up over the present.
    The Lord guides my hand—
    Cassandra. We picked the name Cassandra. Remind her.
    I flinched.
    “Cas? Cas, are you all right?”
    “No.”
    “Do you…are you remembering something?”
    Cas. Do you recall who I am?
    One of the people who killed me—
    My mind cringed away, the spikes of image and sound stabbing and leaving my thoughts speckled with blood.
    “I can’t do this right now.” The words came out steadier than they had any right to, as if it were another person talking.
    “I’ve been thinking,” Checker said. “I’ve been thinking, um…maybe I should talk to Rio.”
    The sentence whiplashed