It hurts him to hear what we’ll miss, the adventures we would have lived. A few weeks ago, I would have been right there with him. But I have faith now. And soon, he’ll see. This isn’t just a fantasy, a dream we’ll never experience.
This is a slice of our future. Of our very near future. In fact, the only reason I haven’t booked it yet is that it would look suspicious. But as soon as he’s out, we’ll work on it.
The least he can do to thank me for breaking him out of jail is take me on our dream vacation, isn’t it?
Lunch at my parents’ place is a given. I wanted to see Lex one last time in case it all goes south, and the same applies to them. I need some last hugs, a last delicious dish from my abuela, and a last meal together, all of us. Kate and Rafa are also there, since I insisted. I do my best not to raise suspicions, but these people know me better than anyone else, so they notice my lack of participation.
But I can’t help it. As I look at them talking, joking, and laughing, I can’t help but think of everything I’ll lose if this doesn’t work out. Lex has been my main focus, so much so that it gave me tunnel vision. But I’m not backing down. It’s too late for that.
My mom, dad, and Rafa would be devastated if I were to end up in prison, like Lex. I get the feeling MC would get it, but it’d still take a toll on her. As for Kate… She’d never forgive herself, cursing the day she pushed me into Lex’s arms.
“I need to go,” I say after glancing at the wall-mounted clock above the door.
“I’ll go too,” Kate decides. “I’m parked behind you, and I need to head back to work.”
I hug my mom for a little too long, which she notices. “Is everything okay,pollito?” she caringly wonders.
“Yes, I’m just nervous about the interview. Maybe I’ll come back after, if that’s okay.”
“Of course,mija.” I give her another tight hug and let her go.
Once everyone has gotten the same treatment from me, Kate and I walk out of the house. “What’s going on?” she asks.
“Hm?”
“I know you, Dee. What are you up to?”
I poorly hide my uneasiness. I’ve never been a good liar, but I can when it’s important. With her, though, I’m a lost cause. She can always,always, tell when I’m lying. “What makes you say that?”
“There’s a finality to you. You’re not just mopey, you’re determined. And you insisted on Rafa and me coming for lunch, which is… suspicious.”
It’s disconcerting how well she knows me. I don’t have time to get into it or to think of a lie, so I say, “You don’t want to know.”
“But you’re wrong. I do.”
“Plausible deniability, Kay. Trust me on this one.”
She ponders for some seconds, looking down at me as if she wishes she could read my mind. Eventually, she says, “Maybe it’s a good thing I never got that tattoo on my back.”
A frown and a confused smile twist my face. “What?”
“Yeah, at least now there’s room to tattoo the map of whatever penitentiary you’ll end up in.”
Some of the tension that’s been building up in my shoulders releases with a laugh. “You’re an idiot.”
“And you’re not, so I hope I won’t have to get some ugly design all over me to break you out, you reckless bitch.”
“I promise I know what I’m doing, Kay.”
“You better.” She takes me in her arms, and this time, she’s the one who holds on for a little too long. “Anyway, one day your brother will make an honest woman out of me, and I’ll become the daughter your parents always wanted, so they probably wouldn’t even miss you,” she mumbles in our hug.
“You asshole,” I giggle. “Okay, let go of me. I have an FBI agent to meet.”
When she releases me, I find her tearful. God, no. If she cries, I’ll cry, and my eyeliner will get messy. “Go, move your car,” I order, refusing to let it happen.
She complies, and a minute later, I’m on my way to Portland’s Federal Bureau of Investigation.
There’s barely any traffic, and even though I take my time and drive under the speed limit the whole way, I arrive a little early. I’m in an odd state as I sit in the car, mustering the courage to do what must be done. This doesn’t feel real, but I can’t remember the last time life felt real.
