Page 18 of Nemesis
Before I’d moved in, I’d hacked into the property’s security system and discovered the cameras didn’t cover the west side of the garden, right where the guest house was.
Hence why this couldn’t wait.
I had to do this tonight because, starting tomorrow, my newbodyguardwould be watching over my every move. Sneaking out would be a bit of a challenge since he would be living in the said blind spot and I couldn’t afford getting caught, not after all these years of waiting to strike.
Tonight was my only chance to set the rest of the plan in motion.
As I made my way through the thick of these woods, I tried to keep my focus on getting to my destination. Keeping my focus on what I’d worked eight years for, but fragments of my old life kept tugging me back.
Carajo.
A vision of the past followed every step I took away from the house. Memories came flooding back, jabbing me square in the sternum. Memories ofhim.
Mi luz en la oscuridad, mi cielito, mi Theo.
Despite the branches scraping my ankles, the dirty rain pouring over my eyes, both attempting to bring me back to the present, his face was all I could see.
Memories of us etched in my brain.
The confusion he’d experienced seeing me, followed by the subtle recognition that had morphed into hope right before it had been annihilated by two simple words.My wife.
I felt the volume of my beating heart expand, compressing my lungs, squeezing out the air and leaving my throat constricted from the lump it created.
Seeing him after all these years was seriously fucking with my mind. And I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t risk it.
There was more than me at stake.
My heart twitched violently inside my rib cage as the muddy dirt shifted into concrete and I lifted my gaze toward the building ahead of me. Filling my lungs with the wet air to fight the tightness in my chest, I took a step forward, clawing my way out of the darkness toward the run-down abandoned barn where I hoped myRosalinawas still waiting for me.
The barn door was slightly ajar, and I slowly pushed on the old, weathered wood. The door opened with a creak and I slipped inside. It was mostly dark, but slivers of moonlight seeped through the cracked roof, allowing me to see her form.
I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way toward her. I bent down and removed the tarp covering her.
“Here you are,” I said when my eyes settled on Rosalina, uncovered. My ride or die, where I spent countless nights in her back seat until I found a decent paying job that allowed me to rent a place.
I reached for the latch to pop the hood open and grabbed the keys taped under the lining of the hood.
The rain was coming down much harder, thunder rumbling in the distance. I walked to the side of the barn to open the side door. After sliding behind the wheel and clicking the seat belt in place across my damp chest, I started the car. She stuttered for a beat before her familiar rumbling sound filled the air.
I shut off the headlights and pulled out of the barn, turning onto the small driveway.
Once I was on the main road, I turned them back on to avoid any suspicions from patrolling cars. I drove through the streets, taking different turns whenever I felt another car trailing behind me.
My mind was on autopilot and half an hour later, I drove through Bemes until I passed the city’s limit, heading into my old neighborhood.
I hadn't seen this place in almost a year.
I pulled around to the back of the apartment complex and parked my car, but I didn't get out right away. Instead, I turned off the ignition, waiting to see if anyone had tailed me.
Leaning back into my seat, I fought back the emotions clogging up my throat from being cornered into lying to Theo.
Everything about me, about this charade of a marriage—even my name—was a lie. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I also wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to him because of me.
I could live with breaking his heart, but I would never be able to forgive myself if I was the reason it stopped beating. Deep down, I knew this was what I had to do.
When I was confident enough that I hadn't been followed, I reached over the console to grab my gun and gear tucked in the glove compartment. I slipped out of my car and headed toward the last door on the right, sliding the set into my back pocket and holstering my gun in my waistband.
A dark breeze whistled past me, making my nose tingle and my skin prickle with goose bumps.
