I snort. “Normal? You think that is possible for us?”
He looks over at me, giving me a sad attempt at a half-smile. “I sure hope so, Evie. I sure hope so.”
The rest of the drive is spent taking turns driving back in one go with minimal stops. Around lunchtime, we finally arrive at Emma and Eduardo’s place after having offloaded the van at a location provided by Eduardo’s family. A sick-looking BMW M8 in a green metallic color is waiting for us.
Mateo walks around the car and whistles. “Wow, that is one badass ride, Evie.”
I snort. “Sure, that doesn’t draw any attention to us, Mateo.” I touch the car with my leather gloves. “If I do say so myself, it matches my eyes.” I look up and find him bent over in laughter. Pointing at me, he coughs, having choked on his words.
“What?” I feign annoyance. “Spit it out already, Mattie.”
“Nothing, that was just too much, Evie. Love you, sis, but come on, I’m driving first.”
“Fine. Whatever.” I hop in the passenger seat and grab the handle atop the window as Mateo throws it into drive, taking the corner hard. “Bro, you know I have motion sickness. Can you tone it down a notch?” I fake the vomiting motions, and he slowsthe car to an average speed. “Plus, we don’t want to get pulled over, right?”
He looks at me and nods. “You know, you are beginning to be such a fun sucker, Evie.”
“Sorry for wanting to avoid the cops after we just killed someone. And I smell…” I hesitate, sniffing my shirt. “Faintly of dead bodies and gasoline.”
“Okay, fine. I get it.”
Upon our arrival, he pulls into the private parking space Eduardo instructed us to occupy, and we step out of the car. I stretch out, elongating my muscles as they ache from lugging around literal dead weight tonight. I intertwine my hand with my brother’s as we head into the elevator on our way up to our sister’s and soon-to-be brother-in-law’s place.
We attempt to knock on the door, and it opens simultaneously. Emma pulls us in, and I push her away before she can hug us again. “Emma, we need to burn these clothes. You don’t want to know what’s on these garments.”
“Girlie pop. I am not afraid of a little blood, babes. I am an emergency room nurse. I see the worst of the worst–”
“Really? How do you feel about bed bugs?” I cut her off before she drolls on and on. “Because I swear, I felt one crawling—” I don’t finish my sentence this time because she jumps backward, face contorted in disgust, shrieking her head off and calling for Eduardo.
Mateo and I start laughing uncontrollably. “Eduardo! Eduardo, come in here quick!” she screams, her arms flailing above her head as she jumps back and forth.
Eduardo quickly enters the room in gray sweatpants with no shirt. His body is sweaty, and I stop laughing, trying not to ogle my future brother-in-law. But dang-gray sweatpants and his chest glistening… my sister is one lucky woman.
“What! What is it?” He looks around, searching for the threat, and Mateo lifts his hand to calm him down.
“It’s nothing, man. It’s just Emma talking about how she can handle anything because she is an ER nurse. When she tries to hug us, Evie tells her it could be bed bugs from the motel room we stayed in that rents rooms hourly. We stayed there before we disposed of the bodies and haven’t changed clothing since.”
This time, it’s Eduardo’s turn to jump back, holding on to Emma.
“Okay, just hand us a bag to dump these clothes, and we’ll shower.” I go to move, and Eduardo halts me.
“Do not come into this house any farther.” He makes us strip down in the hallway, throws our clothes into a sealed garbage bag, and leads us to the showers. Emma proceeds to spray us with Lysol as we walk by.
“Oh, God, babe. My car?” I see her twitch and rub at something on her arm.
Mateo and I chuckle as we walk over to the shower.
“We’ll get you a new one,” he shouts back at her as he leads us away.
Once we are out of earshot, he speaks up. “That was cruel, Evie.” He shakes his head, but I know it could be possible, but more than unlikely.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry. If that were actually true though…” He finishes my thoughts.
“We’d have to burn our house.” I eye him wickedly, letting the irony fall into full effect. He chortles.
“Right?” My eyes sparkle with deviance.
“Let’s kill some bed bugs.” He fist pumps the air. “Death by soap.”
