“Motherfucker,” Bunny snarled, “that’s why they were so fucking close.” It’s muffled beneath her breath, so she offers no explanation, just silently fumes with rage as we track them back to her apartment, where they spend the night eating and fucking.
“You think they’ll be done soon?”
“Yeah. This is one of their shorter nights.” I respond, watching them finish off a bottle of red.
“Hm,” she grunts. “Maybe they had a long day.”
Had I simply been a regular passerby, witnessing the smiles on their faces while they clinked their glasses, sharing a kiss, I’d think they were just a couple in love, kind of how I want the world to see Bunny and me. “You sure she’s a part of it?” I can’t help but ask, not wanting to hurt someone who doesn’t deserve it. Not anymore.
Taking a moment to answer, Bunny forces me to sit in her silence. A churning begins in my gut, worried that I've upset her.The apology is sitting on my tongue, but I refrain from airing it out loud. I need to be sure, even if it makes her mad.
“She’s the one who passed me onto Marone.” Sniffling, Bunny looks down, wiping little beads from the tip of her nose. “That was after she had me pose naked for the photos she’d sent to him. She said I was the perfect girl for her friend, someone he had been looking for… someone he’d love.” That last part, I know it wasn’t meant for me. It was said with too much emotion, a clear crack in her chest. Bunny has shared a lot with me, but those breaks… they aren’t for me. Not yet.
Taking her hand, I kiss every finger, every knuckle. “We’ll get her, Bun.” I’ll make sure of it, no matter my intrusive thoughts. “We’ll get ’em all.”
When night has fallen, and we’re concealed beneath the shadows of the city lights, we creep out of the car and head straight for the high-end apartment complex. Everyone in this city is in a rush, and you notice how, because of it, no one really looks you in the eye. It would require them to step out of their bubble and focus on someone other than themselves. In Texas, it wasn’t like that. People always had a greeting ready. At least in my hometown, they couldn’t wait to insert themselves into your life. Here, well, I might as well be invisible.
Bunny tears through the crowd without concern: a New York native, that one. But me, I can’t help but shrink and duck my head whenever someone is near, fearful that they’ll know it was me they were talking about on the news. No one stops us, though. They don’t even look.
When we reach the building, Bunny takes us straight to the rear entrance, guiding me through the trash-riddled alley. I bite back the scream at the base of my throat when a rat skitters across my foot. One dashes over hers as well! I don’t even think she noticed.
“Come on,” Bunny whispers, pulling open the heavy metal door. I slip in beside her, the two of us squeezing into the compact space. Before the door shuts completely, sealing us in darkness, we catch a handwritten sign posted.
Elevator Down.
“Shit.”
“It’s okay,” I reassure quietly. Placing my hand on her spine, I gently guide Bunny forward, toward the stairwell. Upon the first step, Bunny’s breath catches in her throat, her foot barely off the ground. I stopped with her, peering around in the darkness to see what she did. But there’s nothing there.
“You okay?” I ask after a moment, hovering over her ear. When I run my hands down her arms, the sharp points of her goosebumps dig into me. “What’s wrong?”
I want to pull her away, to drag her out, back into the car, and drive her somewhere that’ll bring her warmth.We can do this another day, I want to compel, but Bunny huffs out a shuddered breath.
“I don’t like the dark.”
Oh, I can help with that.
Wrapping her hand in mine, I transfer some of my strength into her. I can see the embarrassment in her eyes before her head shoots to the floor. I don’t point it out or ask her anything more. I just hope she lets me guide her as I take another step. She trusts me the whole way up, never once letting go of my hand.
“Fuck,” I pant when we finally reach our floor. “That was bullshit.” Bunny laughs in response, probably because she can’tcatch her breath enough to speak; her bright face shines with a light sheen of sweat. But that laugh, I’d listen to it on an endless loop. It’s better than booze.
It’s better than blood.
“Which one?” Bunny scans the halls, silently mouthing every room number until she selects a random one in the middle.
“Hold on,” she mutters.
“What are you doing?” Chasing after her, I stop behind her back, her fist already knocking on the soft wooden door. “Bunny!” I hiss, trying to draw her attention, but the door begins to open. As a last-ditch effort to hide us away from unnecessary attention, I start to pull Bunny away, and then the door cracks open to reveal the smallest woman I’ve ever seen.
“Can I help you?” she asks, in a weak, fragile voice.
Bunny immediately softens. Had I met her like this, with a gentle smile and innocent eyes, I would have never believed that a killer lived inside her.
“Yeah, hi,” she grins. “There’s a delivery man here looking for Nathan McDermot. Do you know where I can direct him?" With a shaky hand, the old woman points down the hall. “Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice night.”
“You, too.” The door shuts with the softest click, leaving us alone in the hallway. For a moment, all you can hear is our breathing, and then Bunny snorts.
“Holy shit!”
