Page 47 of Fatally Yours
“Well, if it’s that important, I can call him up first thing tomorrow morning, baby doll,” he said. I nodded and gave him another smile, this time more genuine. All we had to do was go to Pine Bluff, pray that the money August scavenged from Officer Wilson’s house would get us there, and hope everything went smoothly when we arrived.
Easier said than done.
That curdle of anger was ebbing in my core, and I balled my fists, ready to face whatever this world and this fiend were going to throw at us—after we got his address. In death, patience was no longer my strong suit.
“Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate it.” And I meant it, too. Without him, we would still be knocking heads and culling criminals for information. “But don’t tell him it was me, alright? It’s a surprise.”
“I didn’t know you two were so close,” he smirked. “I’ll call you tomorrow, then.” He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled the keys out, locking thefamiliar back door I had exited so many times back when I was working. It seemed like forever ago. Once that click happened, he put them away and turned to me.
“Say, you sure you’re okay? You seem different.” My head bobbed.Differentwas a conservative way to put it.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ve never felt more alive.”
XXII
The two of us were sprawled on our couch while the television blared, filling the room with morbid scenes and well-dressed presenters sharing stories of tragedies. The disappearance of Officer Wilson was on every other channel, and familiarly dressed uniformed men were trekking through the nearby woods. Conveniently, there was no word about Devin, me, or August—not even in the newspapers left on our doorstep.
We ducked beneath caution tape to get in and unlocked the door with the spare key we left under the mat. It was strange how the authorities didn’t bother to collect that. Mandy left around fifteen minutes ago, saying she was going to getbreakfast.
Neither August nor I wanted to join. So here we were, watching memories of our crimes flash on the screen in between other misfortunes. I thought about how Mandy was probably picking up something greasy from a fast-food joint, and I thought I felt my mouth water. Though I knew I wouldn’t be able to indulge, it was nice to dream.
“I think I miss being hungry,” I pouted. August turned to me, giving me a pointed look.
“You shouldn’t miss being alive. It’s so much worse than being dead,” he said, taking in a false breath. “Hunger, sleep, emotions. They just hold us back. If I knew dying was this great, I would’ve offed myself a long time ago with a big ol’ shotgun blast to the head.” He mimicked his head exploding with his hand splayed wide along the side of his skull. I wasn’t sure how to take that, so I challenged him.
“I think if you were void of emotion, you wouldn’t have killed me,” I said. “Or Devin. Or Officer Wilson.”
“Maybe I should’ve said empathy,” he said with a raised brow. My eyes veered to the side, knowing all too well what it felt like to lack empathy. That trait was the reason people were scouring for Officer Wilson right now, because I demanded his death without remorse. Before I could sink deeper into my sober thoughts, I reached forward and grabbed the remote, flicking the TV off. August’s eyes met mine with a hint of sympathy as he grabbed my hand.
“Listen. Mandy cannot go with us—”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.”
“That’s not a good reason.” My previous submissive stance roared to life. Her not coming with us had implications I was not ready to face. We were leaving too many witnesses, and I had a feeling that he was picking up on that. If nothing else, I felt like I needed her there to get me through this darkness. Now, I finally felt a kinship with her morbid ways, even if it was caused by something less than traditional. He gave me a stern look as he squeezed my hand, trying to diffuse the tension.
“Because she can’t keep her mouth shut. If we kill someone with heraround, she’ll use it to bond with that Archer freak or something,” he said. “Or she’ll slip up or feel guilty. Even if Clark is a kiddie-creep, murdering asshole. Mandy stillfeels.” My chest felt like it caved in.
“I still feel sometimes,” I said sadly. “But you’re right.”
“We still need her car.”
“We are not killing her if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Get her car. If you can’t, come up with a way to get it. If not—”
“Fine!” I snapped, ripping my hand from his and feeling my body potentially heat. “You don’t touch a single hair on her head without my permission, or I’ll killyou, got it?” I thought he would be upset about my reaction, but instead, he simply chuckled, earning him a glare.
“Now you know how I feel,” he grinned. “Nice to know you think I’m a psychopathic asshole because that isnotwhat I was going to say.”
“Asshole, yes, definitely—” Before I could scold him more, the phone ringing interrupted my thought. I didn’t bother to cast a glance at him and sprinted straight to it. Ripping it from the cradle, I leaned against the wall and put it to my ear, feeling like I could hear my heart echoing through the receiver.
“Nick?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Hey, Tash.” I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders as I pressed my palm to my face, seeing August observe me from my peripheral vision.
“Did you talk to him?”
