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Vera’s eyes narrowed at Cruz’s outburst. She lifted the gun and I watched her face for any sign of doubt or distress. I saw something in her eyes, but it wasn’t fear. In her hazel glare was the same cool calculation and sure determination that had lodged itself in my soul. It was the look of a killer.
When she pulled the trigger, the kickback pushed her into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and Vera dropped the gun like it was a snake. Cruz Zeros’ body fell to the ground, blood pooling around his head like a halo, probably the only halo the guy would ever wear. I rubbed Vera’s arms, now covered in goose bumps, and fuck if I wasn’t hard. We’ve already established that I was a sick bastard, still, that awareness didn’t stop me from getting turned on by her first kill.
“Nice.” Seven’s voice trickled into our bubble. “There’s not enough room in the McLaren for everyone. You’ll find a way back, I’m sure.” Seven gave me a pat on the shoulder and sauntered out. For a moment I thought I would get away, but that moment was short lived. Seven’s icy tone drifted back like winter wind.
“You owe me.”
* * *
Cleanup wasn’t a big deal and neither was the fact that Seven had left us without a ride, they were just minor annoyances. I always had a guy on standby for cleanup, and the same person who stocked my safe house dropped a car off, calling himself a cab. The problem was Vera. I had her now, but she had no reason to stay. Cruz Zeros was out of the picture.
I drove back to the house, wondering if I should drive slower to prolong the drive. About the same time that thought popped into my brain, I began to wonder when I’d become such a pussy.
Vera was just a girl.
I didn’t get hung up on girls.
As the thought left my mind, I knew it was a lie. Vera wasn’t just a girl, she was the girl. There was no way I was letting her leave. I turned my gaze from the road and to Vera. She was staring at her hands with a blank look on her face. The first kill I had made was in the Navy. I knew I wasn’t like the others right away. For them, it was hell. It was a bit easier because Uncle Sam took some of the burden, but still the guilt wracked and destroyed parts of them.
Not me.
I liked it.
It had unleashed a part of me that would have made my mother weep, had she not already drowned her soul with alcohol.
“You okay?” I asked, turning my attention back to the road.
“Is it wrong that I…” Vera looked out the window. “Never mind.”
“Tell me.” Vera would need what the soldiers had needed: therapy, consoling, and the like. Not me. I was the worst thing for her.
“Is it wrong that I liked it?” I snapped my head to her.
“Liked what?” I knew what she was talking about, but I had to hear her say it.
“I liked killing Cruz.” Vera licked her lips, her gem-flecked gaze pinning me. I was hypnotized. A car honked and I spun away just in time to avoid a head-on collision. I kept my eyes on the road the rest of the way, but I could feel Vera’s on me.
She liked killing. Well, that changed everything.
10
VERA
Charlie pushed the door open with our bodies, his hands tangled in my hair.
“Fuck, you’ll destroy me,” he said, biting my lip and dragging it out. “But I’ll gladly walk to my destruction.”
I pulled back, briefly endin’ our kiss, and said, “I love you, Charlie.” It was the first time I’d ever said the words and meant it. Excitement and terror filled my gut, but I needed him to know where I stood. No more runnin’.
When I pulled the trigger on Cruz, I expected to feel guilty or remorseful. Instead I felt liberated. When the bullet left the chamber, I realized I’d effectively murdered myself. Vera Araya had been dyin’ a slow death for years, though; I’d just ended her misery. Before, I’d kept trying to fit other people’s molds. First Mama’s Catholic Latina princess. Then Hollis’s bride. Then Cruz’s bitch. Each time had slowly chipped away the original: me.
It took meeting Charlie to finally see who I was.
Charlie gripped me on either side of my head, pullin’ me into a long, heady kiss. “I love you, Vera,” he whispered against my lips before pullin’ me back to him. The kiss broke me and put me back together again. His lips were hot and greedy, takin’ everything I had to offer and more.
We fell to the floor in a needy heap, tangled in more ways than just our bodies; our souls twisted and wrapped around each other’s. Charlie undressed me quickly, ripping off his shirt as if it was hot to the touch.
“Wait,” I said as a thought popped into my head. Charlie either didn’t hear me or didn’t care, because he kept kissin’ me, movin’ from my lips to my shoulders to the tops of my breasts. I groaned, losin’ the will to speak. “Wait, I haven’t showered… I’m dirty…” The last place I’d been was the warehouse with Cruz. I probably didn’t taste very good.
