Page 41 of Fall
I know I’ll be okay eventually. Emmie, with her big heart and sweetness, is waiting for me at our family home. I won’t have to question love; they will offer it unconditionally. The Earth will continue to rotate in the incomprehensibly enormous universe. Iris Kitson will be resurrected.
For hours, I’ve sat here replaying our last kiss, searching for a reason to hate him and coming up with more reasons not to. I’m yanked away from the memory when Sal sinks into the couch beside me. “Iris.” His hand covers mine. “Although it’s tough right now, this really is the best way forward.”
“I know it is,” I murmur, flicking my gaze sideways to find caring eyes. “I’m ready to fly home.” The lie floats to the rafters.
Sal makes himself comfortable. “His vendetta is the driving force behind everything he does. Don’t take it personal. Nothing can compete with it. Not even you.”
My heart spasms. “I understand why he’s going after those people and I also know one day he’ll reach the end of that path, and then he’ll be empty. He’ll need a new life and a new focus,” I point out. “What will he do then?”
“It won’t stop there.” He shrugs. “And to be honest, I don’t think it ever will. He’s a vigilante for justice. It’s surpassed his sister's murder and grown into something so much deeper. The guy is used to a life of solitude. It’s his rules or nothing at all.”
I glare at him suspiciously. “I thought you didn’t know about his past?”
He turns towards me with a slight smile. “When you first asked, I didn’t. If I had known, I still wouldn’t have told you. It’s his business, and I respect his privacy. That doesn’t mean you and I aren’t friends, Iris. If a man is dishonest, he’s worthless.”
I nod, understanding his ethics. “How did you find out about her?”
“He gave me a brief rundown. Her killer is coming to the Oasis and will remain in complete isolation. He’s staying in an off-site location. No one, except a few of el Fatasma’s team are allowed west of here.” The comforting hand leaves, balling on his lap. “I’m running the show until the task is finished.”
Once he’s pulled the trigger.
“If you’re in charge, perhaps you could get me out of here this evening?”
He stares back at me, a little uncertain. “I suppose I could…”
The idea has merits and one obvious downside. Laoch. Sal is too busy to monitor him closely, and Jackson has patients. Freedom is within reach, albeit a one-way ticket out of the Oasis in the early hours of the morning.
I take a few moments to run it over in my head. Sal gives me space to think, glancing at me every few minutes. My face remains straight even though my lungs feel tighter. “If it’s the cub you’re worried about, I’ll take him into the rainforest myself,” he adds.
I contemplate the answer for a moment before I finally decide to follow through on my responsibility. “I will watch over him tonight,” I answer, accepting that time isn’t on my side. I won’t be able to release him before I leave. “Something worthwhile should come from this trip. I’m going back to Scotland with an empty notebook and memories I’ll take with me to my grave. At least I’ll have a story to tell Emmie about the cute cub I rescued.” I shrug with indifference. “Promise me you’ll drop him at the boundary once I’m gone?”
“I give you my word.” He slants into me. “Having you around changed him. I saw it, and so did he.”
“Did he say something to you?” I whisper, behind a nervous breath.
“It’s not what he said. He still doesn’t talk about personal stuff. I know he’s sending you away because he—”
“He thinks it’s for the best.” I finish his sentence with a slight sigh.
Sal pushes deeper into the couch and kicks his ankle up to the opposite knee. “I was about to say, it’s obvious he cares too much for you.” He side eyes me, offering a reassuring smile. “Maybe one day you two will find each other again. But for now, there needs to be thousands of miles between you both. For your sake and his. I’m assuming you know about his sister?” he asks seriously, making my gut pinch. “If anything bad happened to you… Well, I’d dread to be part of the fall out.”
My heart slams against my ribs in the new silence. Laoch fidgets, searching for another cozy spot. Dante and beija flor never had a future together. “I wish things could’ve been different. This is the life he’s created. He craves blood more than he desires relationships. Anyway…” I sigh in resignation. “My family deserves to know I’m alive.”
“I’ll write to you. We should keep in touch.” He snakes his arm around my neck and nudges my shoulder with his. “And don’t worry, I’ll ask him first before I send a letter.”
I tense, wishing the half hug was Dante, but thankful for a shred of compassion. “I’d like that.”
“Right, I’ve got a job to do.” With a final friendly squeeze, he takes back his arm and stands. “I’ll show you to your allocated recovery room.”
I’m drained. Emotionally charged and physically spent. Even the forearms cradling Laoch burn with exhaustion. I’d rather not spend my last night in a clinical facility. “Can I stay in his treehouse? I know the way. It’s peaceful and secure. And the perfect place to rest for the night before I leave the rainforest forever.”
He crosses his arms, considering my request. “You know he won’t arrive in the middle of the night and beg you to stay? You’ll be long gone before he returns.”
“This has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me.” I scowl up at him, almost huffing. “The treehouse is so high in the treetops that the only risk is the parrots.”
Sal scratches his clean-shaven cheek. His forehead wrinkles as the weight of his pending decision runs riot in his mind. “Fine.” He shakes his head lightly. “I guess he won’t mind. But please, promise me you’ll be at the helipad at first light.”
I flex my neck a little, relieved. “Thank you.” The sincerity of my smile reaches up to him, so he smiles back. “We’ll be there.”
