Chapter 16
“You’ll make mistakes, Connie. The trick is making the kind you can learn from instead of the kind you have to hide from.”
— ROBERT MONROE
Constance
It’s almost two o’clock when Trenton pulls into the driveway of the estate. I’d been keeping an eye out front waiting for him and Van to return.
Once they make it inside, Trenton turns to me with a broad grin. “Well?” he asks me. “How did everything go?”
“Pretty smoothly, all things considered,” I reply. “Tony left an hour ago to take Gregory Bianchi home. When he’s back, he can sneak Van out and take her wherever she wants to go. You and I will head out after lunch and go back to the hospital. Did the officer go along with you okay?”
“Yeah, he escorted us. There was no issue at all. He followed us back and now he’s parked out at the road again,” Trenton says.
Then nods to the garage. “I saw a van out by the garage. Looked like a glass repair fellow. When Jamie called me, he just said everything was okay. We try not to go into detail on the phone. What happened, how did it all shake out?”
“The glass repair guy is one of Jamie’s crew.
They’re patching up the Explorer but we’re still going to have to junk it.
Irina took some shots at me and the windshield was pretty messed up.
I was a nervous wreck just driving it the twenty minutes back to the estate.
I was sure I was going to get stopped, but I stayed behind Jamie and we made it back without any trouble. ”
“If they’re patching the windshield, why does it need to be junked?” Trenton raises an eyebrow. “What else happened?”
I glance over at Van, who immediately raises her hands in an I surrender gesture and goes into the kitchen. “I know, I know,” she says as she leaves us alone.
“Irina showed up outside the Wal-Mart just like we planned. I called her and had her move over to the park. It’s a good thing we did because she had a couple of guys following her.
They might have been more Gargoyles, I don’t know.
Anyhow, once we’re at the park as soon as we exchange Gregory and Jacob, she pulls out a pistol and tries to shoot me in the driver’s seat.
I ducked down and hit the detonator to blow Jacob and the van straight to hell. ”
“Is that when the other guys came into play?” Trenton asks.
“Yeah, they pulled up behind the Explorer and the driver jumped out and took a shot at me, too. Jamie and Chris pulled up in the Expedition and hit his door, pinning him to the truck they were driving and then they shot both of them. Irina was messed up, but she was still trying to get to the gun she had dropped, so I threw Gregory in the Explorer and ran her over a few times.”
“Ran her over a few times?” Trenton barks out a shocked laugh.
“Enough to make good and damn sure we won’t have to deal with her anymore,” I confirm. “That’s why the Explorer has to go. I have no idea how much DNA they could pull from it or if I left tire tracks they could match.”
“You guys did the right thing, then. Getting that windshield fixed will make it easier to get it over to the junkyard and get it crushed. Might have to do the Expedition if they hit the other truck. It probably has some paint transfer that could be problematic.”
“It’s a small price to pay for the relief of putting these people down permanently.”
“You’ve got that right,” Trenton agrees. “I called the estate on the way back. Leonard said he was going to make some sandwiches. You hungry?”
“No, honestly my stomach is still an anxious knot. How was Maximo this morning?”
“He’s still out, but the doctor came by and said that his vitals are strong. The nurses said that he woke up for a bit early this morning, but he was really groggy and just wanted to know if you were okay. They reassured him that you had been there earlier, and he passed back out.”
I can’t stop the relieved sigh that escapes me. “I can’t wait to see him. Was there any trouble with Van passing as me?”
“Nah, no one looked close enough at her to notice anything. She kept her head down and her mouth shut. As far as I can tell it went off without a hitch,” he says then shakes his head. “Ran over her…You are a savage, Constance Monroe. Maximo did a good thing keeping you close.”
A blush creeps into my cheeks at the compliment. “Let me get that hoodie Van is wearing so that I’ll look like I’m wearing the same clothes when we go back to the hospital,” I tell him. “Go eat. I’m going to go to the bathroom and clean myself up. I feel like I’ve sweated through all my clothes.”
“I bet you do,” Trenton agrees with another laugh. “I’d be a nervous wreck too if I had a morning like yours.” He pulls out his vape and takes a puff off of it before offering it to me. “Need a bracer?” he asks.
“No, no thank you.” I wave him off politely. “Seeing Maximo is the only thing that will calm my nerves now. I’ll be down in a few. Are you okay driving me back to the hospital and hanging out with me?”
His face hardens as he stares at me. “Until Maximo is back on his feet, I intend to be your constant shadow. The bossman would expect nothing less, and I’m not going to disappoint him, or you.
You’re everything to him, and it makes you important to me, too.
Besides, I’m proud of you. Maximo needed a good woman in his life, and you…
I don’t think God could have designed a more perfect woman for him. ”
“Stop.” I shake my head with a smile as the blush spreads.
“I’m just saying you’re a rare one, Constance. Go clean yourself up. Give me that hoodie you’re wearing, and I’ll swap it for Van’s, then we’ll ride when you’re ready.”
I peel the outer garment off and hand it over to him, then walk up the stairs as he heads into the kitchen. I can see Van and Leonard as I ascend and give them a wave before I go to our bedroom and lock myself in the bathroom.
Once I’m safely alone, I sit down on the toilet and lean my head forward between my legs as a sob rips through me.
I’m not sure if it’s relief that it’s all over or the terror of the day gripping me.
Either way, I’m glad to be alone finally.
I’ve held it together the last couple of hours since I’ve been home even while recounting to Leonard everything that happened, but now I can finally relax and just feel everything.
Once the trembling in my body has stopped and my hands are steady, I get up, take off my hat and run a brush through my hair, then touch up my makeup. I’m hopeful that Maximo will be awake this afternoon, and I don’t want to look as messy as I feel.
While I was killing off the rest of the Volkovs, I felt almost high.
Filled with a righteous wrath I felt invincible.
After having lived through my revenge, though, I realize how horribly wrong it could have gone at any time.
My hand drops to my belly to protectively cover my tiny passenger.
“I’m so sorry all that happened,” I whisper to them.
“I did it for us. To make sure that no one will ever try to hurt you.”
Once I’m confident in my appearance, I let myself out of the bathroom and go back downstairs. In the kitchen, Van and Trenton are both drinking a beer while Leonard is putting away the sandwich supplies he had laid out on the counter.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Leonard asks me.
“I’m fine. Thank you, though,” I reply.
“I’m going to take Constance back over to the hospital,” Trenton tells Van. “You hang out here with Leonard until Tony gets back, then he’ll take you back over to the Kings, or wherever you might want to go.”
“I’ll head back to the clubhouse,” Van tells him. “I’ve got an apartment there. You’re welcome to come by anytime, you know,” she adds with a smile to him.
“Oh, hey, you two should switch hats too,” Trenton says in an obvious deflection as he points to my head. “I don’t want there to be any obvious differences when we go back this afternoon.”
Van laughs and tosses the hat she was wearing down on the counter. “Keep both of them,” she says. “They aren’t really my style.”
“Thank you for your help today,” I tell her as I switch my hat.
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to thank me,” she says. “Trenton already paid me. If you guys need a double anytime in the future, you know who to call,” she adds with another smile at Trenton.
“Well, let’s hit the road,” Trenton says awkwardly and turns to me. “We need to go ahead and get going to lead the cop away before the glass guy leaves. It’s a small detail, but I’d rather he not spot the repairman coming and going.”
“Jamie will take care of paying him. I’ll make sure he stays until you guys are clear,” Leonard says.
“Let me know how Maximo is doing and I’ll keep Adeline informed, if she hasn’t already heard from the nurses.
She wants to come by the hospital too, but I told her to wait until everything was settled. ”
“Don’t forget about me,” Van says as she walks over and wraps her arms around Trenton.
“You know I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” He sighs as he returns her hug. “I’ll call you later and check in.”
“Don’t wait too long.” She arches an eyebrow at him. “I might have to do some things to make you jealous.”
“That’s enough of that now,” he chides her gently. “We’ll talk later.”
“All right.” She laughs as she runs a hand down his arm.
“Come on,” Trenton says to me as he hands me the hoodie Van had been wearing.
I put it on and with a wave to Van and Leonard follow Trenton back outside and down the stairs to the car he had been driving today.
It’s a blue older model Camaro that I had seen in the driveway before but never asked about.
“What made you pick this one today?” I ask as he opens the passenger door for me.
“Huh?” He looks surprised. “This one is mine. I’ve been keeping it in Maximo’s garage. I don’t like leaving it out in the weather. She’s a ’69 my dad and I put back together when I was in high school.”