Chapter 26 #2
“I want Juliette walking away from this a free woman,” I said. “He’s dead now. He won’t be her problem anymore. He won’t be anything. And then…”
I wanted to give her everything she had ever wanted.
That house by the beach especially. I could imagine it in my head, every day feeling warm, that smell of fresh water in the air, the gentle sound of crashing waves waking us up.
With her in my arms. In our bed. In our house.
Without anyone to get in the way like her parents had before.
She could paint all day. She could do everything she had ever wanted.
“And then?” Bennett asked.
“And then things will be how they’re supposed to be,” I said.
Eventually. Soon. I just wanted her back in my arms. I was tempted to forget about the whole keeping everything on the downlow plan and just find Juliette.
How the hell was I supposed to go a month without her?
I had survived being without her for five years, but suddenly thirty days felt like pure hell.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Chase suddenly said, grabbing the remote for the little TV that I didn’t even realize was on.
He was turning the volume up, and suddenly, the room was filled up with Juliette’s sweet voice. My brows raised at the sight of her, all big, wide eyes filled with sorrow. Her cheeks were stained with tears as she brushed her fingers along her eyes.
“I’m pleading with anyone who has any information to please come forward,” Juliette said, her bottom lip quivering.
“My husband didn’t deserve to die like this.
He was a good man. A hard worker who loved his family and helping his community.
If anyone knows anything, I’m begging you to please get in contact with the police.
My husband deserves justice. Please come forward if you know who did this. ”
“That’s a good girl,” I murmured. Everything looked believable.
The tears in her eyes, her pained voice.
It was all part of the plan. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the camera.
By the look of him, it looked like a cop.
Someone else took her place. Some old guy.
Gordon’s dad, maybe. I wondered if he knew what a piece of shit his son was.
Chase nodded at me. “Dude, your girl’s a good actor. Why bother painting when she could just do movies and shit?”
“She’s really good at crying,” Bennett said, nodding approvingly. “It all looks very believable.”
Chuckling, I kept my eyes on the screen.
It was too hard not seeing Juliette, but I wasn’t willing to risk her getting caught up in my shit.
We had to wait. Give it time. I could just imagine what would happen if a Chicago cop saw me and Juliette walking hand in hand down the street with a giddy smile on my face.
She was supposed to play the role of the grieving widow and she was doing a real good job at it.
Just a little longer and then she’d be all mine.
“What’s the next step with you and Juliette?” Chase asked.
“I don’t know. We’re taking things one day at a time,” I said. “She had so many plans when we were kids…”
“She’s finally going to Harvard?” Bennett asked. “That’d be great for her.”
“I don’t know if she wants to study. I meant… She never wanted to live in the city. Here in Chicago, I mean. She always wanted something more open…”
“You’re not gonna live on a farm, are you?” Chase snorted. “You wouldn’t last a week.”
“No, no farms.” I chuckled. “She likes the beach. That’s everything she paints. The water, the sand. Lighthouses and boats and big blue skies. She’s always loved that sort of stuff.”
“There’s no beaches in Chicago,” Bennett said. “No good ones, at least.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, and then the room went quiet for a good while.
“You’re moving, aren’t you?” Bennett asked.
“I have to,” I said. “For her. For more than one reason.”
“And those are?” Chase asked.
“She’s always felt trapped here. I want to take her away the second I get the chance,” I explained.
“She wants freedom. She’ll never feel freedom here.
All her life she’s had to… play this role.
Had to pretend to be this perfect, happy little rich girl when really she was miserable.
The debutante balls, the country club, the private school.
She told me about all of that when we were kids.
She hated it then and she hates it now, and now that he’s out of the picture, she’s free to live the life she wants.
And after five years of being stuck with him and eighteen years of being stuck with her parents, I think the girl deserves to look at the beach every day. ”
Chase sighed. “You wanna give her that, huh?”
I nodded. “Badly. Since the day I met her. And there I was, some fucking poor kid with not a dollar to my name, but she still loved me. She loved every single part of me. I dreamt about that. About moving her out of the city and taking her to some little beach house. I could never do it back then, back when I was some dumb eighteen-year-old kid. But now? Now that’s possible. ”
There was a long—but comfortable—silence in the air before Chase put an end to it.
“Don’t you guys miss breaking into houses together?” Chase asked.
I laughed, giving my head a shake. “Yeah, I miss it too.”
“Are we not doing that anymore?” Bennett asked. “Like, even before this move happens?”
“I’m still doing it,” Chase said. “I did it two nights ago.”
“I thought you just said that you missed it,” I said.
“I said I miss breaking into houses together. I still do that shit on my own…”
“Christ, be careful.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re too damn eager sometimes.”
“So, looks like we’re not going back to that.” Bennett sighed. “I must admit: I miss it as well. You can only have so much fun sitting in front of a computer.”
“Speak for yourself,” Chase muttered.
I shrugged. “I guess I’m getting out of the business.”
“You’re retiring at twenty-three?” Chased asked. “This is really happening? You’re checking out and going to some little beach town and we’ll never see you again?”
“No one said anything about not seeing each other again,” I said. “If me and Juliette go to the place I’m thinking, we’ll only be sixteen hours away by car…”
Chase gave Bennett a look, one brow sharply raised. “We’re losing him, man.”
“Yeah, it seems like it,” Bennett said. “But you have to do what you think is right for you and Juliette. For your future with her. I know that’s what you want. The second you looked at that girl that night, I saw it in your eyes. I saw how in love with her you are.”
I eyed them both, wishing it could have been easier, but it was different now for so many reasons. Breaking into houses was a fun time, but it was also a risk. We always had the upper hand going in. Always knew what corners to turn and what to grab and how to make sure we got out safe.
But for the first time, I was wondering what if?
What if we got the wrong guy with nothing to lose?
What if we found a loose cannon? I knew well enough that all it would take would be a bullet to the head and then that would be it.
No more Juliette. And that didn’t seem fair after not having her for so long…
“She’s all I want,” I said. “And I can’t risk not seeing her again. I know I might be screwing you guys over. I trust the two of you with my life. I trust Juliette with you too. But…”
“You wanna make sure you come back home to her every night,” Chase said with a little nod. “I get it. She comes first.”
I nodded at that. She did. She always had. She always would.