“Any last words?”
Vita keeps the knife against Patrick’s Adam’s apple, but now she puts the gun’s muzzle to his forehead. By now, I’m certain she senses I’m here. Patrick’s too weak to react, so I approach the gazebo’s steps. Vita doesn’t bat an eye as she pulls the trigger, blowing a hole straight through the center of Patrick’s forehead.
His body tumbles backward, blood pouring from all his wounds, his eyes entirely sightless. I slide my arms around her waist, drawing her back to my chest. She leans against me as I kiss the top of her head. As we hug, I turn off my earpiece. I don’t need my family listening to our private conversation.
“Seems like such a waste.”
“I know,chiquita, but if he hadn’t gotten involved, we wouldn’t know what we do now.”
“True.”
“You can end this, and we can begin our life together,chica, if that’s what you want.”
She turns in my arms and despite the mess, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
“I want nothing more, Daddy.”
The relief that courses through my body overwhelms me. I swallow and nod, choked up for the first time since I was a child and learned what happened toTíoEsteban, my cousins’ deadpapá.
“Chica, you know there’s a reckoning coming your way.”
“I never doubted that.”
As we gaze at each other, I see the hesitation in her eyes.
“You knew a punishment was inevitable, but you doubt my forgiveness.”
“How could I not, Jandro?”
“I’m angry at your methods, and I won’t deny a sense of betrayal. However, I understand it. There’ll be more times than I can count where you won’t want me to go on a mission, and I’ll do it anyway. You’ll have no say in it. Whereas I insisted upon deciding for you, putting you in a position where you felt backed into a corner. Rather than working with you, I worked against you. That’s not what I wanted, so I see my fault in all of this. Considering you wanted to kill me, my forgiveness is unconditional. Once given, we move on. A good nap seems not so bad.”
She releases a strangled laugh, not appreciating my glib humor. I turn my earpiece back on and let my cousins know we’re ready for the cleaners to come. They’ll strip away any evidence of what happened here. Despite the gazebo’s lighting, it’s dark now. If they’d met any earlier in the day, we wouldn’t have had the luxury of such privacy. The crew will need it to disguise their activities.
Javier agrees to follow Vita and me in my Porsche and leave it in the garage before a town car picks him up to meet Madeline when her shift at the hospital ends. Vita and I make our way to my Mercedes where I pop the trunk and open my go bag. I have wipes to remove camouflage paint and blood easily.
I shield her as she strips off her outer layers and drops them into a black trash bag. The cleaners will destroy them, so she leaves none of Patrick’s bio-waste behind. She dons the sweatshirt and sweatpants I keep in the bag. Before donning the pants, she holds them up and shakes them.
“Not a fucking chance you’re wearing these again in public.”
I chuckle. She’s genuinely opposed to me in gray sweatpants. The last time she mentioned them wasn’t the first time I’d heard them referred to as male lingerie. I don’t get it, but I’ll take her word for it.
Our ride home is quiet. We hold hands the entire way back. Once we’re in the condo, we head directly to the bathroom. I turn on the shower to let the water heat.
“Let me help you, little one.”
With the worst of the mess already wiped off her hands, face, and neck, the sweatsuit can go in the laundry rather than me disposing of it. I strip it off her and put it on the counter before giving her a hand into the shower. I practically rip my clothes off before joining her.
I love my shower.
It has two showerheads, so water can beat down on my back after a hard workout or long day while I wash my hair and scrub the rest of me.
I love it even more now.
Neither Vita nor I need to freeze while waiting for a turn under the water. The grazes on my back sting, but considering how much worse my injuries could be, they’re little more than an annoyance. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
She lifts her face and lets the stream pour over her before running the water over her hair. I indulge and gorge myself on the view of her shapely body. I see the same things many would consider imperfections as I did in the hotel. But to me, they make her perfect.
She’s real.
