Page 182 of Hellbent

Sara’s gentle voice carried through the door. “Are you ready?”

Joey slid the shoe box beneath her bed and rose.

“Yeah,” she said. “I am.”

78

Worth the Trying

As Evan crossed the lobby of Castle Heights, Lorilee looked up from her mail slot and caught his eye. She was alone. She smiled at him, and the smile held deeper meaning.

He nodded, accepting her thanks.

He neared the security desk across from the elevator. “Twenty-one, please, Joaquin.”

Joaquin looked up, his security hat tilted. “Hey, Mr. Smoak. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Evan grimaced. “Sales conferences.”

“Livin’ for the weekend.”

“You got that right.”

A voice floated from behind Evan. “Twelfth floor, too, Joaquin.”

“Sure thing, Mrs. Hall.”

Evan held the elevator doors, and Mia slipped past him, her curly hair brushing his cheek.

The doors closed, and they regarded each other.

He tried not to notice the birthmark at her temple. The line of her neck. Her bottom lip.

“Sales conferences.” She smirked. “Ever wonder which identity is the real one?”

He said, “Lately.”

And now that full grin broke across her face, the one he felt in his spinal cord. “How are you, Evan? Really, how are you?”

“Good. I’m good.”

And he was.

At long last Charles Van Sciver was wiped off the books. All that remained of him was the Samsung in the right front pocket of Evan’s cargo pants, pressing against his thigh.

Other matters had been put to rest as well.

Benito Orellana’s next credit-card bill would show a balance of zero, the medical debts from his wife’s illness settled in full. He would still have his primary mortgage, but the second lender who had nailed him with a predatory rate had been paid off. An unfortunate glitch in the same lender’s system had led to the disappearance of a six-figure chunk from the escrow account.

This morning the McClair Children’s Mental Health Center in Richmond had received an anonymous donation that happened to match the six-figure chunk that had gone missing from the escrow account. The money had been earmarked for improving living conditions, quality of care, and the security system.

It could also pay for a lot of Lego Snowspeeders.

The package of letters that Evan had sent would have arrived today, helping kick off a new life for a sixteen-year-old girl an ocean away.

Jack had always taught Evan that the hard part wasn’t being a killer. The hard part was staying human. He was superb at the former. And growing proficient at the latter.

It was worth the trying.