I watch her go. Will she come back or will she drive off?
I hope she comes back because I don’t relish hiding both bodies on my own… without a car.
I hook my hands under Petyr’s armpits and drag him backward, dropping him next to the dumpster before moving toward my father.
Now that I’m closer, I can see the shoe still embedded in his neck.
“Impressive improvisation,” I mutter, wrenching it free. Scooping up the other discarded shoe a few feet away, I toss them closer to the entrance. I scan the area quickly, but it’s too dark to see where the rest of the broken shoe landed. Hopefully, if someone discovers it, they’ll assume a drunken club goer is responsible.
“Should have laid off the blinis, old man.” I grunt, dragging my father by the front of his suit jacket. My chest burns with a cold, steady hatred. I can’t find a single cell in my body that cares he’s dead.
Headlights slice through the alley, bouncing off the brick wall. My hand automatically goes to the gun in the holster under my jacket—but when I recognize my car, I release the grip.
Sera pushes the driver’s side door open, and I jerk my chin toward the back of the car.
“Trunk.”
She pushes the button on the door, and the trunk pops open. “I can help,” she says, moving toward me.
She’s still too pale but seems to have found some inner reserves to draw on in the few minutes she’s been away. “I’m stronger than I look.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
Petyr’s slight body is easy to lift, but my father is a different story. Sera lifts his legs, her face set along grim lines, and together we heave his body into the trunk. I don’t miss the pained roll she gives her shoulder and frown.
How many other injuries does her dress conceal?
She looks at me then, eyes uncertain.
“Are the keys still in the car?” She nods. “Okay, let’s go.”
Sera climbs in the passenger seat without a word, but I pause for a moment, looking down at my father’s grey face beforeleaning in to hiss, “I hope you’re in hell right now with the rest of the demons, absolutelymortifiedthat it was a young girl that finally got you, you sick fuck.”
My lips lift into a bitter smile, and I slam the trunk shut before heading for the driver’s side. “Most beautiful karmic payback I’ve ever seen.”
Inside, Sera’s folded in on herself—knees angled together, shoulders curved, arms wrapped tight like she’s trying to hold herself physically together. I place her shoes on her lap and then pull out of the alley, merging into the thick stream of cars in the nightclub district.
With the crowd and the chaos, the Audi won’t stand out to my father’s bouncers at the door, and if anyone notices the blood… Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.
We drive in silence for several minutes. I aim us toward the highway, eyes cutting from the road to the mirrors, but no one pulls out behind us.
As we approach the overpass, I ask, “North or south?”
She blinks. “What?”
“Where do you live? North or south?”
“North.”
I nod and take the ramp, accelerating to merge.
“What happens now?” Her voice is thin. She’s doing a good job of putting a brave face on the situation, but the underlying panic is clear in her voice.
“Right now, I’m taking you home. Do you have a roommate, or do you live alone?”
Suspicion sharpens her tone. “Why?”
“Because I want to know if there’s someone you’re going to have to explain all that blood to.”
