Chapter 63
Cort’s abandoned cabin, Wonder Valley, California
‘Travis,’ I say rushing over to him and sinking down beside him. There’s blood everywhere. Antoinette follows me but I hold a hand up to stop her. ‘No,’ I say. ‘Stay there. You don’t need to see this.’
He’s clutching his side, a sticky red stain leaking over his fingers. ‘What happened?’
He looks at me and tries to smile but the pain turns it into a grimace.
‘Got sliced,’ he says, pulling his hand away from the wound and looking at the blood. He’s losing it fast.
‘What are you doing here?’ I say. ‘I don’t understand.’
He fixes me with those brown eyes. ‘I figured it out,’ he says and, despite the massive blood loss, there’s a hint of pride in his voice. ‘The IP address from Antoinette’s iPad.’ His voice is raspy, his breathing becoming increasingly shallow.
‘And you came all the way out here? Alone?’
‘I fucked up, Kitty,’ he says. ‘And I wanted to put it right. I wanted to find Antoinette for you.’
‘You’re an idiot,’ I say, but what I really mean is thank you. Thank you for trying to fix your mistake.
‘I couldn’t live with the thought of you hating me,’ he says as I reach for his hand. It’s cold but, somehow, still clammy.
I squeeze it.
I’ve seen lots of men die.
And I’ve wanted it every time.
But not this time.
I don’t want this.
‘You shouldn’t have come out here alone,’ I say, holding his hand in my lap. ‘What were you thinking?’
He coughs. Something dark and liquidy slides out of his mouth. ‘Can you forgive me?’
I’ve seen enough men die to know that he hasn’t got long.
His skin is already slick and waxy, the colour has drained from his face. He stares up at the ceiling as if he’s watching something play out on it.
‘Kitty …’
I grip his hand tighter. ‘Of course I forgive you. Of course I do.’
He’s trying to say something else but his voice is so raspy now that I can’t make it out.
I lean my ear against his mouth.
‘What is it, Travis?’
‘Lawman,’ he says, his eyelids fluttering. I can feel him fighting to stay with me. Fighting and losing.
‘Police? You want me to go to the police?’
His eyes flutter again. ‘No … lawman … Kitty.’
‘Okay, no police. No police. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’ve got you.’
His eyes flutter closed and I pull his head into my lap, gently stroking his hair as he lets out his final breath.