Page 16 of Double or Nothing
“It’s a long story and one that we don’t have time for right now,” she replies. “Just know that everything is okay with Natasha. We’ll talk about it later.” She steps away from Kit and goes over to stare down at Ivan. “Even with his head blown off, I can still recognize this bastard from the boat. He tried to kill me and would’ve if I wasn’t able to swim for hours. Thank you all for protecting me. Now, how do we get rid of him?”
7
JADE
“We need to bury him in the desert before the sun comes up,” Vulcan says. “I own several acres here, so it’s the best place to put him. If we move him anywhere else, there’s always a chance of someone seeing us.”
“I don’t like the idea of him being buried on your land,” I tell him. “What if the body is discovered at some point? It would lead straight back to you.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he says. “We don’t have the luxury of time. We need to bury him now.”
Leroy walks over to take a seat at the picnic table. I notice he takes great care not to walk close to the body or even to glance at it. I understand why. Ivan is in gruesome shape, and I’m glad to possess a strong stomach.
“I bought a bunch of supplies at the hardware store,” Leroy says. “The first thing y’all need to do is cut off his head and hands. That way, he can’t be identified if his body is found later. There are handsaws and a chainsaw in the limo. Before you ask, I’ll tell you right now that I’m not helping. This is your mess. You clean it up.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary?” I ask, frowning at him. “What are we supposed to do with his head and hands? Bury them somewhere else? Feed them to the coyotes? Throw them in the fire?”
“We don’t have time to cut him up,” Vulcan says. “Did you bring the tarp and shovels? That’s all we’ll need to do the job. It’ll take all of us to load him up and carry him. I’m thinking a couple of miles back into the desert should be far enough.”
“Yeah, I got the equipment,” Leroy replies. “And several of those headlamp thingies that miners wear on their heads, so you don’t have to hold a flashlight in the dark.”
“Good thinking,” Vulcan says. “Jade, go get the tarp while we figure out the best way to load him up. Once we get him on there, we’ll each grab a side to carry him out of here.”
“There are extra tarps in the front seat,” Leroy says to me. “Leave the one down on the floorboard in the back. I’ll toss it later.”
I hurry to the limo and search through the bag of items Leroy bought. Quickly, I grab the tarps, gloves, and the headlamps.
Seven meets me halfway. “How are you holding up?” he asks. “I hated seeing you upset. Are you sure you’ll be alright? I really think it’s better if you stay here in the limo or in Vulcan’s RV. Let us handle this.”
“I’m okay now,” I reply. “Don’t worry about me. It was a lot to digest, that’s all. Take this stuff and I’ll go back for the shovels.”
He doesn’t argue with me and takes everything. I pull the four shovels out of the limo and struggle to carry them. They’re awkward and big, but I’ll manage. If they’re willing to carry the man they killed to protect me for two miles, then the least I can do is carry the shovels to dig the hole to bury him in.
“Jade! What are you doing?” Kit asks, running over to help me. “Give me those shovels. You might trip over them in the dark and hurt yourself. We’ve had enough tragedy for one night, and don’t need you to get hurt on top of everything else.”
“I can’t stand around and do nothing,” I tell him.
“You can walk with us to keep us company,” he replies. “That’s enough.”
Vulcan and Seven have already laid Ivan on the large tarp. Kit places the shovels on top of his body.
“Jade, grab some gloves and help us wrap him up,” Vulcan instructs, his voice barely more than a whisper. I’m happy to help, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves and taking my place beside them. The cold, lifeless weight of Ivan sends a shudder down my spine as we work together to wrap him up.
“Everyone put on a headlight,” Vulcan says. “Watch your step and don’t twist an ankle because I don’t want to carry any of you back. Jade, stick close by me.” He glances over at Leroy, who is screwing around with his headlamp, trying to figure out how to strap it on. “Are you coming with us?”
“Nah, I don’t think so,” Leroy replies. “I’ll wait here for you and hold down the fort.”
“There’s a pack of coyotes that come around here at night,” Vulcan warns. “Jade ran into them when she tried to escape. They’ll be smelling blood. Don’t hurt them if they show up. I mean it. Leave them alone.”
“Coyotes?” Leroy says. “In that case, I’ll come along with you. You might need my expert advice on something, anyway.” He pushes up from his chair and lumbers over to join us. I step into place behind Vulcan and reach down to grab a piece of the tarp, too.
“Everyone ready?” Vulcan asks. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
Our hands grip the fabric tightly, the tension in our bodies evident as we struggle to lift the dead weight. The effort required to carry Ivan’s heavy body is immense, our muscles straining and aching with each step we take.
We begin silently walking through the desert behind Vulcan. The night is pitch black with only a sliver of moonlight, our headlamps barely lighting the path.
It’s slow going since Vulcan is the only one who knows the way, while the rest of us can’t see more than two feet in front of us. A couple of times, I stumble on loose rocks, and he quickly reaches around with one hand to steady me.
