Chapter 13 #4
The crack of the soldier’s neck echoed in the silent apartment and a choked sound of surprise scraped up my throat. Sky made a similar noise, clearly not expecting that kind of violence.
The second soldier was still groaning on the floor, clutching his wounded leg. War crossed the room in two strides, took the gun from my shaking hand, and shot the man in the head. The sound was deafening in the large apartment.
Silence.
I stood frozen, staring at Francesca’s body. Blood was spreading across the floorboards beneath her, dark and thick. I’d killed her. I’d killed a woman I didn’t know. I’d taken someone’s life, something I’d never expected to do. But I did it.
“Kit.” War’s voice was steady, close to my ear. “Look at me.”
I couldn’t. My eyes kept drifting back to Francesca’s face, frozen in surprise with the small hole in her forehead. War laid his hands on my shoulders, turning me away from the body.
“We need to move,” War said. “Now. We need to get rid of her body.”
“I’ll call Rigo,” Sky murmured, still clearly dazed.
He was already on his feet, pressing a hand to his shoulder, wincing but functional.
“He’ll send someone to clean this up. You two need to get out of here before the cops show up.
The Sabbatinis have them paid off, but they could use you against Arrigo and Ric. ”
I finally looked at my brother, shock reverberating through my system.
Sky’s face was pale, blood soaking through his shirt, but his eyes were clear.
Too clear. He was already planning the next move like this was just another mess to manage.
Who was this man? He wasn’t my little brother. Maybe he was another liar, like Dad.
“Come with us.” The words came out rough and desperate. “Leave with us right now. We’ll go back to New Gothenburg tonight.”
Sky shook his head. “I can’t.”
“You just saw what they’re willing to do to you. Francesca was going to kill you, Sky. Your lover—”
“Arrigo will handle it,” Sky interrupted. His voice was firm and final. “I’m loyal to him, Kit. That means something. It means I don’t run the second things get dangerous.”
“You’ll die here.” My voice was shredded, misery and anxiety threading through each word. I’d killed someone. Fuck!
“Maybe.” Sky met my eyes. “But I won’t die a traitor. I love him.”
Something cracked open in my chest, the last hope I didn’t know I was holding on to until it broke. I shot a look at War, who stood quietly. Waiting. This wasn’t anything new to him. He’d killed plenty of people and now I’d seen it with my own eyes. But so had I now.
“There’s a service entrance in the back,” Sky said. “Stairs down to the alley. Go.”
War looked at me, a bodyguard ready to follow me. Or maybe, it was him being a boyfriend. Because he was my boyfriend, wasn’t he?
I stood there for one more second, looking at my brother, memorizing the set of his jaw and the stubborn line of his shoulders.
The same stubbornness that had always been there, that had driven Sky to follow our father into this life while I stayed in the shadows, completely oblivious to what was happening around me.
I really was an idiot. Book smart, sure. But an idiot when it came to life.
“Be careful,” I pleaded.
Sky almost smiled. “You too, big brother.”
I followed War down the back stairs, through the alley, to where the car was parked three blocks away.
We didn’t speak as we slid into the Porsche.
Even if I could use words, I didn’t know what to say.
I hadn’t planned to come here and fucking kill someone.
War drove to some docks. I didn’t ask him why, but when he swept out of the Porsche, I followed.
The afternoon sun was hanging low, nighttime creeping closer.
Darkness was impending, looming around us, and it wasn’t because of the setting sun. No. It was me. I was in darkness.
I stood at the railing and leaned against the cold metal, watching the ripples in the water below us.
I’d just killed a woman. I should be vomiting.
I should be crying. I should feel something other than this hollow, ringing emptiness, punctuated by a strange, cold relief that she was gone and my brother was still alive.
War lit a cigarette and held it out. I shook my head. Getting blackout drunk a few nights ago and killing someone were enough new experiences for me. At least for now. I needed to recalibrate.
“You okay?” War asked.
I thought about Francesca’s face, about the ease with which I’d pulled the trigger, about Sky choosing Arrigo over me and his safety. I considered the fact that I was standing here, watching the water, instead of falling apart.
“No,” I answered truthfully. “But I think I will be.”
I wasn’t sure if that was true. Did he want it to be true?
The city was darkening around us, and War was the anchor beside me, warm and strong and dependable. There was nothing left to do but get in the car and drive back to a dad I didn’t know before flying to a home that wasn’t quite a home anymore.
Who was Kit Uhlig after all this? I guess I was going to find out.