She just stands there looking at me with those shards of glass in her eyes, ready to be flung.At least there’s some life left in her.Gotta make sure it doesn’t wither away.
She’s not moving though.Not doing as I told her.
I’ll give her to the count of ten, which I perform silently in my head.
“Fine, have it your way,” I say when I get to five.
Then I take her arm and lead her out of the room, down the stairs and straight to Nico’s Lambo parked in the garage.
He left the keys in it when we returned from our coke run the other day and they’re luckily still there.Because otherwise I don’t know what I’d do.Probably carry her to the nearest restaurant.
“Where you going?”the guy on the gate asks, looking at Goldie with really big eyes.
“We’ll be back.”
Thankfully he doesn’t argue, just opens the gate for us.But the whole exchange is a stark reminder that I neither have permission nor a plan for what happens next.
I just want Goldie all to myself.Away from Ferro and what I did to her family.On a date, just like the ones she arranged for us.On the beach where I wasn’t this monster she thinks I am now.
Something like that.
Most of all I just want to see the wind in her hair and the sunset in her eyes and to taste her.
And if Ferro asks tomorrow, I’ll tell him I wanted to get her away from the house to soften her up so she’d tell me where she thinks her family is hiding.But that’ll mostly be a lie.I just want the above three things and then I don’t care what happens after.
Maybe not my smartest move, but there it is.
Chapter19
GIANNA
We’re driving so fastthat the blurry landscape outside the window is making me dizzy.But I keep my eyes on it anyway, because it’s the sea and the beach, both things I love, and the light purple colors of sunset are making it look like one of those beautiful impressionistic paintings.I wanted to get out of that old, dusty house, but I didn’t know how much until just now.Who knows when I’ll be outside next?Who knows if we’ll even survive this ride at the speed we’re going.But the sunset is not golden, finally.Maybe things are changing.
We’re not talking.I’m not looking at him.And the heavy rock music blaring from the speakers makes it hard to think.Good.I don’t want to think.I don’t want to imagine what’s happening to my sister.Or where I’ll end up at the end of this ride.I’ll run.I’ll get help.I know that.Don’t know how, but I will.
But I don’t want to think about that too much either.
The landscape changes as we reach the highway, it’s mostly grey now, especially as all light slowly fades from the sky and night falls.Now all the lights are beautiful long lines of brightness in the dark and hope is returning to my chest.
I turn off the radio and face him.“Where are you taking me?”
He glances at me, which is a bad idea given the speed we’re moving at.He’s weaving through traffic like he does this for a living, driving as fast as he did the night he rescued me from that guy in the alley.The night we met.The night all this was set in motion.I wish I’d never gone out that night.
“Atlantic City,” he says.“Ever been?”
No, but I wanted to go.
Of course I won’t say that.
“Why?”
“Because I want to have some fun and I think you do too.”
“Not with you.”
I look back out my window at the lights.They’re growing brighter now and there’s more of them.More cars too, forcing him to finally slow down.
“We’re almost there,” he says and glances at me again.“I bet we’ll even find a nice dress for you to wear.Seeing as you rejected everything I packed for you.”
