Page 110 of Hard Wired

After the door closed, Sylvie asked, “Do you think you might go with him? Move to a new place? Change your identity?”

She’d known this could happen. Yet she still couldn’t begin to get her mind around it. Or what it could mean for her. As if her own needs were even relevant to this conversation.

“I don’t know.” Dominic would barely even look at her. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve had to go through because of me.”

“I feel the same way Raymond does. I’d do it again. I care about you.”

He didn’t respond. He’d dealt with too much today. She understood.

“So you might be in jail for a few days?” she asked.

“Or more than a few.”

“I could come visit you.”

“Please don’t do that. I’m serious.”

Maybe he didn’t want her to see him that way. “But is there some way I can reach you?”

He didn’t answer.

“I know it’s really hard right now. But we probably won’t have another chance to talk for a while. You said you wanted to keep seeing each other, and I still want that, too.”

Dominic’s eyes were hollow. “I did. You’re amazing. You’re everything. But I have nothing to offer you. No home, no money, no future, or security. I don’t know who I am now.”

“You’ll figure those things out.” Her voice sounded high. Desperate. Like she was pleading with him not to say the next thing, even though she could tell it was coming.

“Sylvie, I’m not a whole person.” He looked down at his hands, fingers spread wide. “I’m just…shreds.”

You’re beautiful, she wanted to say. And I’m not talking about what’s on the outside. But she knew that wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now. She looked around for a piece of paper. “I’ll give you my cell and work number, and you’ll call me when you’re ready to talk.”

“It would be better if you forget about me.”

She turned back to face him. “I can’t do that. How could I do that?” Sylvie’s eyes stung with tears.

He got up and walked toward her. “Getting to know you is one of the best things that’s happened to me.” Dominic cupped her cheek and kissed her on the corner of her mouth. “You have no idea how much I’m going to miss you.”

No. Don’t do this.

But what else was he supposed to do? She didn’t know, either. The bail thing would get resolved. She was sure of it. But then the DA would still expect him to testify, and he’d probably want to stay with Raymond. Sylvie might have to testify about some of these events, too, yet she wouldn’t possibly be in as much danger as the Crane brothers. How could she have a future with Dominic when he might be living in some other city, under some new name?

Raymond popped his head in. “Sylvie? Your friends are here.”

“I’ll be right there.” She turned back to Dominic. “Can I hug you goodbye?” Her voice was breaking.

“Of course.”

She held him as tightly as she could, trying to memorize his scent, the sound of his breathing, the feeling of him against her. As if those countless pieces of him could add up to something that would fill his absence.

He brought his lips to her ear. “Goodbye, Sylvie.”

“Bye.”

Raymond stayed in the room to say his own goodbyes to his brother. But Sylvie forced herself to walk away, wiping the tears from her eyes.

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