Page 139 of More than Paper

He wanted us to watch.

“Go. If you ever come back, I’ll make sure your death is worse.”

I grab V and pull her out from under the table. “Let’s go,” I tell her.

Only a dozen men are left standing. We’re on our way out when we see her mama.

V starts screaming. Her mama is covered in blood, and her eyes are frozen. There is no life left in her.

V throws herself on her mama, speaking and crying in Spanish. Santiago comes over and spits on her mama. I grab V and hold her back as she tries to hurl herself at Santiago.

“Your window to leave is closing,” Santiago sneers.

I nod at him and pull V out of the house, pushing her into the waiting car.

The driver says nothing as V sobs about her mama on my chest. The next few hours are a haze.

We stop on the side of the road so we can change and wipe the blood off us with bottles of water and rags that were in the trunk. When we get to Bogotá, the driver hands us one-way tickets Santiago bought.

V is a mess.

“Sweetheart, you have to calm down so we can get through security.”

“My mama,” she cries out, and I pull her into my arms again. “I know. I’m so sorry. But we have to go. Cindy is waiting for you, and we can’t do anything about your mama.”

“Cindy?” she says as if she forgot about her.

I stroke her hair. “Yes. She’s waiting for you. I need you to pretend you’re in a movie right now. You’re going on vacation. Can you do that?”

She takes a deep breath and nods.

“Good. Let’s get through security and go home.”

“Home?”

I brush her hair off her face. “Yes. Home.”

She sniffles and pulls herself together. “Okay.”

We make it through security and onto the plane. Halfway through our flight, V finally comes out of her shock. “Do you think they waited for us?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll die if she didn’t.”

31

Quinn

Every daythat passes is another stab to my heart. I miss so many things he did that I took for granted.

The way he would kiss the top of my forehead, or the safe feeling I had when he held me in his arms, or how he would carry my bag for me.

Small things.

But things that made him who he was.

Is. Who he is.I have to keep reminding myself that he is still out there.

I’ve moved into a secure building like Jamison wanted me to and added him to my full-access list, but I’m scared about so many things.

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