There’s blood on my shirt. Blood on my hands. My father’s blood. And I can’t stop laughing.
Galaki quietly sobs and I don’t care.
Let him cry.
Because I’m alive.
Eventually, the excitement wears off and the adrenaline fades. I pull over in a quiet neighborhood and step out to make a phone call. A young girl pushing a stroller looks at me like I’m a monster and I only smile back and wink. “Ketchup,” I say. As if she understands me.
She hurries off.
Reina’s cell rings twice before she answers. “So, you’re alive.”
“I’m alive.”
“The pilot?”
“Also alive, but very freaked out.”
“Freaked out is fine, yes? We can work with freaked out.”
“Listen, Reina. I need you to do something for me.”
She’s silent for a moment. “You want me to take her to the airport, don’t you? She mentioned this promise.”
“Please.” I close my eyes and feel myself slowly deflate. “I can’t do it myself and I don’t think she’ll go on her own. But I made her swear she’d go if you took her. I can’t come back until she’s gone. I’m going to ditch this car, get new clothes, and bring Galaki to your place in a couple hours. We’ll let the heat blow over and lie low for a few weeks. Please, make sure Adrienne isn’t there when I arrive.”
“Are you sure?” she asks. “I know what this means for you. It is a big thing, to send her away. It will hurt.”
“I killed my father, Reina. And there will be more blood before we’re done. I can’t let Adrienne be a part of this anymore. Please, take her to the airport and send her home.”
“Okay, I will do it, but I cannot promise she’ll be happy. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive you.”
“I can live with that.”
“Good.”
She hangs up and I’m left with silence.
I feel empty. Bitter, broken, and twisted. This is the right decision and it still feels like I’m jabbing a spike through my own chest and using it to tear out my heart. It took me so long to finally make this happen, and in the end, I couldn’t even do it myself. I had to rely on Reina to do my dirty work.
I get back into the car, feeling sick.
Galaki keeps crying. “Would you shut up?” I snap.
He wipes his eyes, staring at me with a mixture of hate and fear. “That man was your father. And you shot him. What sort of person are you?”
“You’re right, he was, and just imagine what I’ll do to you. Now shut the fuck up. You’re acting like you’ve never seen someone murdered before.”
He flinches back and goes quiet.
I grip the steering wheel and drive. I have more work to do.
Chapter22
Adrienne
Two Weeks Later