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I lift the hem of my T-shirt to just under my bra and focus on a spot behind Calix’s head as he checks out my side before wrapping it in clean gauze.
“Alright, you’re done.”
“Thanks. We should go.”
He nods and shoves the last of his things in the bag before swinging it over his shoulder. “Ready when you are.”
I hold the door open and wait for him to toss his bag on the back seat next to the bottle of ouzo.
“Can you pass me that?”
He grabs the bottle and hands it over, a look of distaste on his face as he eyes the brand. The same brand his brother used to drink.
“Be right back.”
I take the bottle into the room and set it on the small dresser under the window after pouring some of the liquid on the end of the drapes. I then tuck the corner of the drape into the neck of the bottle. Once I’m sure it won’t tip over, I let it go before striking a match.
I watch the flame for a second, feeling the power that only comes from fire. The one substance that can raze everything to the ground. The very essence of both destruction and rebirth.
I hope that wherever Demi is now, she finds peace. “Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust,” I whisper into the empty room as I touch the flame to the drapes. I watch the tiny flame spark and catch the material before I drop the match to the ground and leave.
Jumping in the car, I turn the ignition and put it in gear as the flames flash through the window.
“That’s going to draw attention.”
“That’s okay. There’s nothing here anymore.”
CHAPTERNINE
Idon’t drive far, just enough so we can see when the flames paint the sky with all their mighty fury.
“You know they’ll find the bodies, eventually.”
“I know.”
“And yet you don’t seem fazed that we might find ourselves smack in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“Because I’m not. I checked in and out as a single woman, just like a dozen others did. I left a digital footprint, so if someone looks, they’ll see that he had a gas issue. If they’re lazy, which so far has been my experience with the cops here, that will put a bow on it, and they can write it up as an accident.
“If they investigate and do happen to come across Andino and Demi, then any evidence of me and you will have been destroyed by the fire, and there are no witnesses around to identify us. I wore the wig and contacts when I spoke to the others, and none of them saw you. Trust me when I say I’m not going to throw my life away on a sick fuck like Andino.”
“Maybe not, but you’d throw it away for a girl like Demi. I saw that look in your eyes. Even knowing she’s gone, all that—” he waves to the burning building “—was for her.”
I shrug but don’t deny it as I put the car into reverse and head away from the scene. I keep the windows down so I can hear any approaching cars, despite the smell of smoke filling the air, but it’s all clear. I sure as heck can’t hear any sirens. With no neighbors and located off the beaten path, this place could burn for hours before someone notices.
“So where to now?”
“Somewhere, hopefully, nobody will find us,” I answer vaguely as an explosion rocks the area. Calix curses and looks at me, and I smile, flipping on the radio and turning it up.
It isn’t until I have both hands back on the wheel that I realize what song it is. A vicious sensation stabs me in the chest as I recognize the country twang of Sawyer James, one of Lollie’s men, singing the song that brought them together after she starred in his music video, though I suspect there was something there before then. I bite my lip to stop myself from thinking about home. One day, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to go back and beg for forgiveness. But not until I know for certain trouble won’t follow me.
We ride in silence for an hour, each of us lost in thought, when I feel Calix squeezing my knee. I look at him and reach over to turn the radio down.
“What’s up?”
He points at the upcoming drive-through. As soon as I spot it, my stomach grumbles.
“I like the way you think.”
