25. For Nadia
25
For Nadia
R OSELIN’S heart pounded in her chest as her eyes peered through the dark. The dim streetlights were the only ones shining their light out into the darkness of the night. Clouds and fog blocked out the stars and the moon, making the clear skies of yesterday only a memory.
Her finger tapped against the steering wheel of Nadia’s car. With deep breaths, she tried to calm her nerves. The vehicle was parked at the corner of the street, overlooking the address on the note. The same building as in the photos.
Hugo’s words rang in her ears. “You’re staying at Ryu’s place with Nick tonight because you’re ill, like Nick told Ryu. I saw you there too before I went with the Driver to work.”
Which gave her an alibi. Fuck, she had an alibi .
She expected Hugo to stop her. Even after ordering her not to tell Ryu—after he got her the car keys from Nadia’s room and a knife from the same set Gale used—she thought Hugo wouldn’t allow her to continue and laugh at her theatrics. Maybe Hugo noticed this was her burden to carry. Whatever the reason, she was grateful because it was indeed her job and no one else’s. Now Roselin had the location, knife, car, alibi, and plan. All she needed was the guts to go through with it.
Her heart seemed to stop when someone walked out of the building. She reached for the knife in the passenger seat but stopped halfway. Roselin rolled her eyes. It was an elderly woman with a cute dog. The breath she held escaped her. She pushed the black cap further down on her head.
Shit, what if Gale wasn’t there? What if they moved him to some other location?
Nick assumed Gale was waiting for everything to blow over before showing his face again, but nothing anchored Gale to the city though. He could go wherever he wanted with his father’s money. Still, no matter where Gale would go, she was going to find him. She’d wait for him. Roselin erred by not letting Ryu kill him, but Gale made the same mistake. She vowed to hunt him till his last breath.
A siren startled her from her thoughts.
“Please go away, please go away,” she whispered in hushed tones. Fuck, it was just a firetruck heading the other way.
Someone emerged from the building again. The guy watched left and right, and Roselin dived deeper into her jacket. He crossed the street and waited on the other side. It had to be one of the guards. Her heartbeat sped up as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Her foot rested on the gas, ready to go.
It was different now than with her ex when panic took over her. She had to defend herself. There was no moment to contemplate her actions. This time, she composed herself better—calmer, except for her pounding heart—but she had thought about this long and hard.
Another guy—a guard, by the looks of it—came out. Under the bright light of the lamppost, Roselin saw him twirling something around his fingers. A weapon or car keys?
He signalled to the guy on the opposite side of the road and made his way down the street. She had never watched anything with this much intensity.
Come on, Gale , where were you?
Her sweaty hands clasped the steering wheel tighter, and she held her breath— come on , come on , come on. Gale strolled outside with a guard standing next to him. With trembling fingers, Roselin started the car. Now, all the guard had to do was leave Gale’s side.
The guard and Gale seemed to have an argument as he flung his arms around. They stepped away from each other. Gale walked a few metres down the street, lighting a cigarette as he waited.
It was as if her body took over from her mind. She pulled out of the parking spot. Her foot pushed the pedal all the way down and the vehicle shot forward. At the last moment, she swerved to the other side of the street. Gale turned to Roselin, but it was too late. Everything happened so fast, right up until she saw Gale’s wide eyes and time seemed to stand still—Did he see her? Did Gale notice Nadia’s car?—Gale’s body was launched over the hood. A scream burst from her lips as he hit her windscreen. Cracks painted patterns on the glass mixed with blood. Gale flew over the car. Gunshots drummed in her ears, and she screamed again. Her gaze darted to the rearview mirror. Heavy breaths left her one after another. Gale’s bloody, broken body lay on the street as the guards rushed over to him.
Gale was dead—or dying—there was no way he was able to survive this… right?
There was no time to slow down. To stop and think. The car jerked as she took a turn. Her foot eased off the gas as her heart pounded uncomfortably against her rib cage, and her throat had never felt this dry. Dizziness blurred her vision, but she couldn’t pull over.
She drove to the city’s outer ring, expecting sirens behind her at any moment, yet it stayed quiet. No one came; the realisation didn’t ease her mind. The car rolled to a halt at an abandoned building, and Roselin jumped out of the vehicle; her stomach emptied beside it.
“Shit, fuck, shit.” Her trembling hands raked through her hair. “No, no, no.” This puddle of grossness was evidence, right? Her eyes darted around, not sure what to do. She took the water bottle from the car. Struggling with the cap, she cursed in whispers at the bottle and her trembling fingers. “Please wash away. Please, please, please.”
A car honked, startling her, but the sound wasn’t close. Her knees buckled, hitting the rough ground. Her breath came out shallow and too quickly, making her head more dizzy than it already was.
Pull it together, Rose, this was the plan. Inhale in—one, two, three—exhale out—one, two, three, four, five. Shit, think, Rose, she told herself.
Determined, she scrambled back to her feet. She opened the big double doors to the massive empty building, which seemed to be a former storage for construction equipment. It should do.
The car rumbled alive, and she drove it inside, out of sight from possible curious eyes.
Thank God the city believed cameras weren’t necessary in our wonderful city. Although there were a few. But she had her cap—would they know it was her? She shook the thought away. This wasn’t what she should be focusing on right now. But what was she going to do? The car had her DNA in it. Shit, she should’ve brought things to burn it down.
As she rummaged through her bag, she found hand sanitiser and paper wipes. It would take ages, but it was something. Roselin rubbed the wipes with the sanitiser on the steering wheel. Would the alcohol in this stuff be enough to work? She couldn’t even look it up because she left her phone at home like Hugo told her to. She tried to ignore the broken glass with blood and… she didn’t want to know. Tears blurred her vision as her hands began to tremble.
“Miss Bessette,” a deep voice said behind her.
A scream escaped her, twisting fast in the seat towards Hugo and falling half out of the car. The Driver caught her. He helped her out of the vehicle as Hugo crossed his arms.
“I don’t understand,” Roselin stuttered. “Why are you here? How did you figure out where I was? What…” she spit out the questions.
“Breathe,” Hugo told her as the Driver rubbed her back. “You didn’t expect us to leave you all alone, would ya? Ryu would kill us.” Hugo laughed.
With wide eyes, Roselin blinked at Hugo. She didn’t know what she’d expected. Bile came up again, and she fought it back down. She held her hand against her forehead. “Gale,” she said, shaking her head. “Is he dead?”
“We haven’t checked. We followed you when you turned the corner, but looking at the car, the odds are against him.”
She stared at the blood and dents on the vehicle. “The car—I didn’t… I’ve no idea what to do with it.”
“I know. That’s why we’re here. You take the sin, we clean.”
“I take the sin,” she mumbled. She was already carrying sins. One for her mum, one for Nadia—for Gunter, the people on the tram. She wiped her tears away, putting on her brave face. “So we need to get rid of the car.”
The Driver rested his hand on her shoulder.
Hugo whistled low, and Nick came running in. With his head, he gestured to the car. “Do your thing,” Hugo ordered to Nick.
Nick nodded, creating a flame in the palm of his hand.
They moved back from the car. She tried to stay strong and stand tall, but her trembling hands betrayed her.
“Get in the car outside, Miss Bessette,” Hugo said as the Driver took her arm, but she stayed put. She turned to Nadia’s car. The last thing left. “Miss Bessette, you don’t wish to be here. The fire will attract the first responders.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. I’m sorry , Nadia , she thought. Roselin stopped fighting the Driver and let him guide her outside. With a heavy heart, she stepped into the passenger side. With closed eyes, she leaned back in the seat.
Was it over?
Everything turned into a haze, the voices barely reaching her. The adrenaline left her body, leaving nothing but exhaustion behind. When she opened her eyes again, they were at Ryu’s place.
As she walked upstairs, she considered breaking off the cast, but instead, she wrapped it in plastic and kicked off her clothes. The water of the shower cascaded over her. The warmth prickled her smooth skin. She shut her eyes once more. The tears streamed down her face but were washed away by the water. If only it could rinse away her memories.
A wail slid out of her mouth. Her trembling hand covered her lips. She doubled over, lowering herself to her knees. Her body jerked with every cry as she let everything out. All her tension, grief, and fear left her with each sob. When there were no more tears to shed, she got up and turned off the shower. She slipped into Ryu’s dress shirt, breathing in his scent. If only he were here. The blanket wrapped around her as a warm hug, and she gladly greeted the comfort of the bed.
It was done. Gale was dead. The sin was paid. Perhaps she was destined for hell, but at least she wouldn’t be alone. Ryu would be there, too, with the sins he took.