Sara squeezes my hands. “No.”
I shake my head. “I can’t stay, Sara,” I say. “I just assaulted a man. He might be dead for all we know and it’s only a matter of time before he’s discovered in that hallway.”
“I’ll tell them why you did it,” Sara says instantly. “We can call the police. I’ll tell them he tried to rape me and you were only defending me.”
I stare at her, wondering if there was ever a time when I was that naïve.
“No, Sara,” I say as gently as I can. “They’ll never believe us. It’s our word against his and no one ever believes women.”
“But—”
“Did he get inside you?” I ask bluntly.
“What?” Sara gasps. She recoils from the words.
“Did he put his penis inside you?”
She shudders. “No.”
“Then there’s no evidence of a rape,” I finish. “And even if there was, he can easily claim that it was consensual.”
“Esme—”
“There are no cameras on this side of the restaurant,” I point out. “Even if the police press charges, they’ll be dropped. Mafia guys like that have strings they can and will pull.”
“No. No. Esme, there has to be another way.”
“He could be dead, Sara,” I repeat. “It might be our word against a dead man. And not just any dead man. A mafia boss. Some kind of higher up at least. He might be the head honcho; he might be one of the under bosses. It doesn’t really matter.”
Translation: we’re fucked.
I don’t say it quite like that, but the implication still stands between us.
“What are you gonna do?” Sara asks desperately. “Where are you gonna go?”
“I’ll be fine,” I reply, mostly to stave off her questions.
They’re questions I don’t have answers for.
“Go back in there,” I tell her. “Pretend like you’ve just discovered his body. You’re shaky and panicked, so that’ll work in your favor.”
“Esme,” Sara begs, squeezing my hand. “Don’t leave.”
I don’t want to leave, but I have to.
“This is your home!”
I laugh bitterly. I was a fool to think I could settle anywhere for long.
I have no home.
I grab Sara’s shoulders and force her to look at me. “Go on,” I order her. “I’ll be fine.”
“But—”
“Now.”
I push her back towards the door. She moves forward even as she looks back over her shoulder at me.