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“Anything.”
“What do you plan to do when King is out of the picture?” His green eyes make me shiver when he looks at me this time. There’s a coldness in his stare I’ve not seen before. I try to ignore it but I find myself tugging the front of my sweater closed.
“I plan to celebrate.”
He stares at me quietly a beat. “And then what?”
“And then … I go on with my life. A feeling of accomplishment. Of retribution filling my soul. Maybe I’ll even sleep better knowing he can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
Rigger makes prayer hands, brings them to his mouth, taps a few times as he holds my gaze. “Those all go without saying, Tove. What are you going todo? What will be your new purpose?”
I breathe deeply, allowing my mind to go there, to what life will be like once it’s all over.
WhatwillI do? Have I actually been so preoccupied with finding King that I haven’t given thought to the rest of my life?
“I don’t know. It’s a good question. Maybe get to know my brother or sister? What do you plan to do?”
He exhales hard, kicks a few rocks on the ground with his boot. “I’m having to relocate. For work.”
If I thought I was cold a second ago it’s nothing compared to the way those words slice through me like icy daggers.
“What?”
“Yeah.” He rubs his beard. “In a couple weeks. I’ll be heading to Guam for a month or so.”
“Oh,” I breathe, throwing a hand over my heart. “So you’re coming back. God, don’t scare me like that.”
My phone dings in my pocket and I reach for it.
“No,” Rigger says, his voice low and hollow. “I’m not coming back. After I’m done in Guam they’re moving me to Virginia.”
I let go of my phone, moving my hands over my mouth. It feels like someone has wrapped their fingers around my throat, squeezing so tight I can hardly breathe.
“Virginia? What the hell is in Virginia?”
Rigger blows out a sad laugh. “A new office where I’ll be training some recruits.”
“So … no more field work?”
A shake of the head, eyes closed. I can see how disappointed Rigger is.
But it’s nothing compared to how I feel, losing my best friend to a long-ass move across the country.
“Well, fuck.” I pull my hair back feeling absolutely gutted. Like someone has reached inside my chest and punched my heart raw.
“Sorry. I didn’t exactly know how to break the news to you.”
Knives twist in my chest. “How long have you known?”
“A while.”
“How long is a while?”
“I don’t know, maybe a month?”
“Amonth?” I turn on my heels, not really sure why I’m so mad at him. It’s obviously been hard for him to keep it from me.
“Give or take,” he grunts.
