Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
I drape my arm over her shoulders and shake her roughly. “And risk them finding my secrets?!”
“You mean your old dirty socks and stash of money? Wow, big if true.”
We walk away from my old apartment together. I feel lighter than I have in a while even though I’m happily tired. A truck’s waiting out front packed with what’s left of my old furniture. “Can’t wait to get rid of all this stuff,” I admit once we’re lingering on the front stoop.
“You don’t want any of it?”
“Tallie’s got the house exactly the way she wants it.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Riley’s eyebrows raise high. “Never thought I’d see the day. You’ve always been an independent control freak.”
“We all have to make compromises for the people we love.”
“God, I know that better than anyone.” She laughs and stretches her back. “You really mean it though, don’t you?”
“I’m sticking around.”
“I wish you had told me. All that stuff with the ledgers. God, Brenden, you almost got yourself killed.”
“Maybe, but the risk was worth it in my mind. I wanted to disappear and what better way than to do something insane? I was going to fade into the sunset or I was going to go down in a storm of gunfire.”
“There are always other options, you know.”
“Not to me, at least not when I started this, but you’re right. I met Tallie and now…”
“You want to stay.”
“Stupid, right?”
“Not even a little. I’m still kind of mad you didn’t say anything from the start.”
“You would’ve tried to talk me out of it, right?”
Her jaw ticks. “I mean—“ But she sighs. “Yeah, I would have.”
“And now you know why I didn’t.”
She pushes herself to her feet and drifts toward the truck. “I have one more question before I let you go do whatever you plan on doing. Is that the only one?”
“Only one of what?”
“You know. Come on, a thief can’t have just one safe house, right?”
I laugh despite myself and wave her off. “See you later, Riles.”
My sister watches as I drive off, the truck filled with all my old stuff. It’s shockingly empty. Now that I’ve been living with Tallie for a month, I’m getting dangerously used to having things like blankets, pillow, decorative soap, that kind of domestic crap I avoided like a plague.
But that stuff is home now. It’s comfort and I like it. I don’t have to live like a hermit with all my earthly possessions carried on my back.
I don’t have to run anymore.
I slow the truck and park outside my penultimate stop for the day. I shade my eyes as I climb out, squinting at the person waiting out front for me.
Haik Sarkissian ambles down, grinning like he always does, and roughly shakes my hand. “Didn’t think you’d show,” he grunts and laughs very loudly. “Glad you did though.”
“I wouldn’t last the night if I refused.”
“Damn right. Come in, come in. None of the kids are around for this, don’t worry. I made sure of it.”
I follow Tallie’s father through his house. She didn’t want to be here with me and I understand why. Being in here brings back old memories and makes her feel like the person she used to be, which is exactly what she’s trying to avoid right now. Eventually we’ll come here for family dinners and all that stuff, but for now it’s the two of us trying to figure out who we are and doing it together.
Haik slides open the back door and steps onto his porch. A burn barrel is set up in the middle of the yard surrounded by gravel. He gestures at it like it’s a party trick.
“Doesn’t look like much,” I comment.
“What did you expect? A full fucking band to play the funeral march?” He nods at the bag I’m holding. “Did you bring them?”
“Every copy.” I hand it over.
He peeks inside and gives it back. “I’ll trust you.”
“But does Arsen?”
“I think so, otherwise he’d be here to do it himself.” We walk toward the barrel. Haik takes his time throwing in some kindling and squirting in a bit of lighter fluid. “Do you really have all of them?” he asks like he’s trying very hard not to sound curious.
I know what he’s thinking. These ledgers are power over the Patron of the Brotherhood and a man like Haik can hardly help himself. The idea of having copies is too seductive.
“It’s really all of them.” I give him a pointed look as I dump the bag into the barrel. “And they’re all burning.”
He sighs wistfully but doesn’t argue. I accept a matchbook, light one, and toss it after the ledgers. I have to throw a second before they catch.
We stand back and watch the smoke lazily rise into the air.
I wasn’t lying to him. These really are all my copies. The originals were returned to Arsen weeks ago and this meeting was set up after everyone was comfortable with the deal and the blowback. Now I’m destroying my leverage and if Arsen decides he wants to kill me and Tallie, he sure as hell can do it without any repercussions.