Page 121 of Our Last Resort

He sounds dejected.

“I do.”

But he knows I don’t.

Or, rather, I don’t know if I do. It sounded so real when herecounted it just now. And also so convenient. A way to explain it all—the lies, the phone, the hair clip. An unimpeachable narrative: The only person who might challenge it is dead.

“We should leave,” I say.

It’s the only conclusion. Whether I believe Gabriel’s story or not, we should absolutely get out of here.

“No,” Gabriel says.

I shoot him a look.

“Why on earth would you want to stay?”

He folds his arms across his chest.

“Because I didn’t do anything. You wouldn’t—”

“We stayed because we didn’t want to attract Harris’s attention,” I cut in. “But that ship has sailed. We’re persons of interest, Gabriel.”

“I don’t care,” he says, defensive. Almost angry. “I’m not guilty, and I’m not going to start acting guilty.”

“But you already are!” I explode. “You’re lying to the police. You’re hiding things from me. Gabriel, this is serious. William Brenner is angry. He’s rich, he’s powerful, and the police know they’ve pissed him off. They need to catch someone. And you—you’re the perfect way to make all their problems go away.”

Gabriel stands.

“I can’t believe this,” he says. “I thought you’d be on my side.”

“I am on your side!” I yell.

I stand, too, and slap dirt off my shorts.

“I’m trying to keep you out of prison,” I say. “Gabriel, do you not realize how serious this is?”

“You think I don’t know?”

There’s a mean tinge to his amazement, like I’m so stupid he can’t believe his ears.

“Trust me, Frida, I know exactly how serious this is.”

Gabriel turns away from me. He surveys the desert. I’ve been thinking of our perch as a hill, but—it occurs to me as I gaze down into the void beneath us—“cliff” might be more accurate.

“I let people chase me away once,” he says slowly. “I’m notrunning away again. Let them come at me. Let them charge me. I don’t care. I’m innocent.”

“And you think innocent people never get convicted?”

Maybe he’ll hate me for being honest with him. Maybe what I’m about to say will banish him from my life forever. But I need him to hear me out. I need him to get the hell out of here.

Maybe I need to lose him in order to save him.

“Two women,” I say. “That’s a lot for one man.”

He whips around.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

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