I put another bullet in his chest, kick away his gun, and stand over his corpse.
My friend.
He fucking betrayed me. Then he tried to kill me to save his own worthless ass.
Pathetic.
I hate him so much it hurts. It fucking hurts. I turn away and have to stomp out a small fire starting in the pine needles.
I think about digging a hole.
But to hell with that.
Whatever lives out here in the barrens, they'll eat well tonight.
I grab his shovel and start back to the car.
My phone rings when I get close to the road. Kira's name is on the screen. I answer it, balancing the shovel in one hand.
“I’ve been thinking,” she says without greeting me. “About our mutual problem.”
“Climate change?”
“Don’t be funny. You sound out of breath.”
“Just out for a hike.”
She pauses. “Okay, right. Whatever. So, the Turks are here to get the book, right? But you can’t move it because you don’t have the key. Which means all we have to do is find the key, put the book in a more secure location, and the Turks won’t have any leverage.”
I grunt, adjusting the shovel. “And now that the mole is dead, they won’t have a fresh stream of information.”
Another long silence. “Frankie?”
“Don’t feel bad for him. He was a fucking prick in the end.”
“We need the key. That’ll fix everything.”
“You offering to help?”
“I mean, it was my dad who took it, so I feel like I owe it to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Kira.”
“Well, I have some ideas too. What are you doing later?”
“My schedule’s clear now.”
“Great.” She clears her throat uncomfortably. “Come pick me up at home. Where are you?”
“The pine barrens.”
“In Jersey? With that devil thing?”
“It’s not so bad, honestly. I kind of like it here.”
“Great, pitch a tent and stay.”
“I’ll see you in an hour.”
