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“I’ll see him again,” she chimes confidently.
“No, you won’t.” I tilt my head. “Would you like to say goodbye?”
“Goodbye?”
“Yes, goodbye. That’s all I’m going to give you. Just so you know he’s dead. For real this time” I turn the cell around and my father opens his eyes. I hear her scream on the other end of the call and I lean down so she can see both of us. “Goodbye.” I hang up on her and turn to look at my father.
“I hate you,” I say to him, getting up. “Actually hate is not strong enough. There are no words to describe how I feel about you.”
“Son…” I don’t give him the time of day. I walk over to Roberto and touch his face. I didn’t want to kill him, but if I had to choose between myself or her to live, I would choose her. Roberto didn’t stand a chance.
“Mamma called. Sailor’s leaving. Are you going to let her go?” Joey asks, kicking our father’s foot.
“Yep.”
“After everything?” he questions.
“After everything,” I confirm.
“What do we do about what’s to come?”
“Nothing. Father did this all himself. For him to have everything in motion the way he planned it. No one back home cared except for him.” I put on a shirt and button it up.
“Where are we going?”
“To see Piper. She needs to know about her brother.”
“Do you think you should tell her about that now?”
“Yes. Drink up, we’re going.” Joey doesn’t hesitate, drinking the rest of the bottle before we leave.
Four dead bodies in my apartment.
Two of them are close family.
One I thought I could trust.
The other I thought was already dead.
Joey pulls out another bottle from his pants as we slide into the car, and I can’t do anything to stop him. “How do you think she’ll take it?” he asks.
I scrub my hand down my face before I answer, “I don’t know.” And it’s the truth. I don’t know. It isn’t long before we arrive. We find Piper straight away, just having had surgery to remove the bullets and repair the damage.
Piper manages to open her eyes and tries to speak, “Sailor?” she whispers groggily.
“She’s fine.” I sit next to her, and Joey sits on the other side as she passes back out.
Now we wait.
“Boss.” I open my eyes to find Piper sitting up on her bed. She shivers from the pain but focuses on me. “Why are you still here?” She knows something’s up.
Joey’s snoring softly from the other couch.
“My father paid for what he did to you,” I tell her.
“He was supposed to be dead, but I knew they lied about that. There was never a body,” she says. “But that’s not why you’re here. Tell me. I can see it eating away at you.”
“Roberto is dead.”
Her eyes go wide, and a single tear falls and rolls down her cheek as she stares at me.
“You did it?” she asks.
“Yes.”
Her hand lifts and she wipes the lone tear. “There was no love between us, but he was my brother.” She speaks softly. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”
Chapter Thirty
Sailor
Bianca helps me pack, and it feels like déjà vu.
I’m leaving here again.
Do I go back to my childhood home with Benny? Or find somewhere new?
I’m torn, because a part of me wants Keir to know where to find me, while the other does not.
“I have something for you.” She walks out with Wren in her arms and hands me a piece of paper.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Just a little something for you both.” Opening it, there are two tickets for myself and Wren. “I saw you had passports, so I figured one day you planned to go somewhere. Australia is a great and a safe place to start your life.” She smiles. “I have some properties there as investments, and one is free for the next month. You should both go and spend some time away. Your things will be fine here. Show Wren the kangaroos.”
“I don’t plan to come back here,” I tell her, looking at the flight details, which tells me that the flight leaves later today. “What if I said no? You would have wasted this.”
“If you said no, I would have gone.” She chuckles. “But just so you know, I plan to come visit the last week you’re there. To help if you want to come back, or to visit if you don’t.”
“Does Keir know of this?” I ask, nodding to the paperwork.
“No. And I won’t tell him until you’re gone.” I take a deep breath and look to Wren. “Did you have somewhere to go?”
I shake my head.
“Okay, it’s settled, then.” She bounces Wren on her hip. “You are going on a big plane, little lady. How exciting.”
I step up to her. “Are you okay, after… you know?”
She smiles at me, rubbing my shoulder as if I’m the one who needs consoling. “I loved that man more than I should have. He got what he deserved in the end, and I’m glad I can finally say I’m free of him. The only good things that came out of him were my boys, whom I would never trade for the world. Even if they do give me a headache.” She smiles softly and sighs. “You’ll understand when she grows up and has an attitude.” She laughs and hands Wren to me. “I have a car waiting for you downstairs. You should leave now.”
