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“But by the time they start to question things, we can be long gone. Don’t ask me to do this, Carmen.” I can hear the agony in his words, but I try not to focus on it.
“I’m not asking you; I’m telling you, Cyrus. Go.” The words crack as they come out, but I stand my ground.
“The cameras. They’ll know I was here, so there is no point. I’m not leaving you.” He jerks his head in disagreement.
“Bradley can handle it, I’m sure. I’ll figure it out.” I don’t want to drag Bradley back into this again, but desperate times call for desperate measures. “William deserves more than what you can give, Cyrus,” I add, and it’s true.
I may not have been able to spend time with him and get to know him the way a daughter should know her dad, but I can at least give him a proper funeral. Maybe meet some relatives and keep his memory alive in some way.
Like something snaps inside his mind, he finally looks at me with clear eyes. “I can’t take that from you.”
I nod and open my mouth to reply, but sirens in the distance have us both going silent. Red and blue lights flash frantically in the dark sky, and it makes me worry we’re too late.
I snatch the gun from where Cyrus tucked it in his pants and push him away. “Go!”
He stares at me for a moment, and I can tell he doesn’t want to leave, but I’m not giving him a choice. “Carmen—”
“Go!” I yell again, looking over my shoulder to see if the lights are any closer.
His nostrils flare, and I know he isn’t happy, but we’re out of time to argue now. He steps forward and grabs my face. Pressing his lips to mine, he whispers against them. “I’ll come back for you.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, telling myself not to let my emotions get the best of me. “I know.”
Quickly, I use my shirt to wipe down every piece of the gun I can, hoping it’s enough.
With that, he lets go, picks up his discarded shirt from the ground, and turns away, disappearing into the night.
I watch him fade the further he goes until he’s completely out of sight, and then I lose it. Dropping to my knees, I let the gun fall from my shirt and release every emotion I’ve been holding back. Sobs rack my body as I melt into the muddy ground.
The sirens get closer, and red and blue lights bounce off the glass windows of the greenhouse, but I don’t move. I’m locked in the fetal position on the ground until someone squats beside me.
Pushing the gun out of my reach, an older woman with short brown hair places a hand on my shoulder. Rain beads off the brim of her hat, almost creating a curtain that shields her face, but I can still see the genuine concern in her eyes. “Ma’am? Are you hurt?”
Yes, I want to say, but it’s not in a way they could fix. In a matter of minutes, I’ve lost more than I can even comprehend, so I shake my head.
“Chief!” someone yells from the greenhouse, and her eyes snap from mine. “We have two fatalities.”
Her gaze moves back to me. “I need you to tell me what happened.” Her voice is calm and smooth.
I nod and force myself to sit up. She gives me a moment, then stands and extends her hand to me. Taking it, she helps me to my feet, then leads me to her car. As she opens the door, I look around and notice more cop cars and an ambulance pulling up.
“Have a seat. I’m going to grab you a blanket.”
I tuck myself into the back of her car and wrap my arms around my center. Within seconds, she’s back and wrapping an itchy gray blanket around my shoulders.
“They’re dead,” I mumble.
“Who are they?”
“My dad and our butler,” I choke out, feeling it would be best to leave out the whole truth.
“Do you know what happened?” she asks again, this time a little firmer but still calm.
I bite my lip and look over her head into the distance. “I came home and found my dad standing over William, our butler…” I bring my eyes back to hers. “He was going to kill me.” My lip wobbles.
Her lips turn down in a frown as her eyebrows pull together. “Did he do this?” she asks, brushing my hair behind my shoulder and revealing the light bruising on my neck.
I nod and turn into myself, squeezing my arms around my center harder.
She rubs my knee gently. “Okay. I’m going to have the EMTs take you to get checked out while we process the scene.”
I nod again but stay silent. I’m already lying while high on adrenaline and shock. I don’t trust myself to say anything else without giving myself away. Or worse, Cyrus.
She walks over to the ambulance and talks to the paramedics for a moment before coming back to where I sit with one of them in tow and another officer. “This is Tony. He’s going to make sure you get to the hospital safely, okay?”
Safely. I know better. They already consider me a suspect and don’t want me running, but it’s fine. I just need to keep my cool and stick with my story. I refuse to let all of this be without reason. When I said everything ends tonight, I meant it.
