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“Let’s get you into the car.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t die while your wife’s driving, okay? She can’t handle that.”
“She can handle anything,” I say with pride, my voice a bit breathy.
At that comment, she sobs louder and presses her face into the crook of my neck. “Why can’t we call an ambulance?”
“Three bodies, baby. Frank needs to take care of the bodies.”
She sighs against my neck and then nods, seemingly accepting the new plan.
It takes a bit of work, but Frank gets my car from the street where I left it and gets me to the car, helping me settle across the back seat. Before he shuts the door, he grasps Cat and pulls her to his chest. “You’ve got this” is what I think he says. “I’m so proud of you. Be happy. Be amazing. No more telenovelas for you or me, okay?”
“Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?” she whispers through another sob.
He rocks her from side to side. “Because I am. I have to disappear after I clean up this mess. The people my brother worked with—”
“The Mob?” she asks on a sob.
He kisses her forehead, then tips her face up to his and kisses her softly on the lips.
I close my eyes, avoiding the moment he says his final goodbye.
“Yeah, Princess. Please. You need to get Jay to the hospital. Don’t tell them how it happened. Tell them you found him like this. He’ll know what to do.”
I nod to myself as my brain gets fuzzy.Yes. Encourage her to be strong.
My beautiful Cat. The woman of my dreams. The love of my life.
He closes the back door and opens hers for her. When she’s settled and the car is running, he knocks on the roof and walks back to the house.
She adjusts the mirrors and turns in her seat, a look of pure fear on her face. “You have to stay awake, baby, okay?”
I nod. “Tryin’.”
She takes a deep breath and watches the backup camera as she reverses down the drive. My eyes fall shut, and I’m fighting sleep when a violent explosion rocks the car and Cat slams on the brakes. Adrenaline courses through me at the ear-splitting sound, but her screams are what jolt me into a sitting position.
In front of us, the house is engulfed in flames. Fire licks up the walls and smoke billows in thick clouds above it.
“Where’s Frank?”
She doesn’t respond. She only stares in horror at the house with her mouth open in anO.
“Cat!Where’s Frank?”
In slow motion, she turns in her seat. Her eyes are filled with panic, and she gasps for air. “He…he walked in. He was in the house!” she screams.
78
PARIS BY THE CHAINSMOKERS
Cat
Two Months Later
The days are harder now. Too often, I lie in bed, curled up into a ball, fighting back tears.
“Mom,” Chloe calls from the doorway. When I turn, she’s watching me with soft eyes and a frown. “You need to get up.”
I swipe a tear away. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
