“Why?” Elijah asked, grief strangling him. Delores wasn’t moving. The image was haunting. So haunting he could barely think straight.
“She saw me. And I knew it wouldn’t take long for her to go blabbing her mouth off to you. I had to protect myself. But when it’s all said and done, Michael and I, we have a business to run, and I have to protect that. I’m hoping to retire to Barbados, buddy! Can’t do that from a prison cell, can I?” Paul chuckled without humor. He sounded angry. Angry at Delores, angry at the world and everyone in it, and angry at Michael.
Paul took a deep breath and pursed his lips. He took a step backwards, letting his body fall into the chair behind him. The chair gave a soft squeak as it adjusted to his weight.
“It was all supposed to be so simple, and now it’s just…fucked. I’m sorry I got you messed up in all this.”
Elijah looked away from Delores, thoughts starting to come together and make sense. “Medco, it was you?” he said, staring at Paul. “You and Michael?”
Paul’s shoulders slumped. “I hate my life, Elijah. Annie was the only good thing in it, and then she just ended things with me. Said my prospects weren’t good enough. That I was just a lowly cop like her. She wanted more than I could ever give her on my cop’s wage, so she went back to her husband. It fucking broke me, Elijah. I loved her—still love her. I’m just trying to make a better life for myself, is that so much to ask for?”
“So,” Elijah said, “Michael made you a proposition you couldn’t resist. Is that it?” Elijah saw red. His anger burning like a wildfire inside of him.
“No one was supposed to get hurt, buddy. But in case you haven’t worked it out yet, Michael Stanton is a fucking asshole.” Paul replied. He sounded tired, exhausted from it all. from the lies, the cover ups and from the truth which was now spilling out.
“I actually got that,” Elijah replied angrily. “Can’t say I think much better of you right now though.”
Paul barked out a laugh. “I guess I earned that.” He stood up and glared at Elijah. “But this is partly your fault too. If you wouldn’t have got involved with Delores, she wouldn’t be in this state. Michael is seriously fucked up, in case you hadn’t figured that out. He saw you two together and it was pretty obvious what was happening. Drove him fucking crazy with jealousy. Nothing I could say could bring him back round.”
Paul took a step towards the bed, towards Delores. “I guess I should have ended things then, before they got as messed up as they are. But the money, my friend,” he chuckled. “It always comes back to money and that bitch of a wife of mine has bled me dry.”
“I can half understand your greed, but how could you let him mess with her mind like that?” Elijah was trying to buy time, to think of a way to get him and Delores out of this situation. That is, if she wasn’t already dead.
God, she looked dead.
But she wasn’t. She couldn’t be. Not after everything he’d done to keep her alive.
Paul shrugged nonchalantly. “I tell you something, buddy. He hated you. Michael wanted to take you out as soon as he found out about you two, sneaking around behind his back,” Paul whistled through his teeth. “First time I’d seen a proper pair of balls on the guy, if the truth be known. But, me and you, I told him, we go way back. I wasn’t going to let any harm come to you—it wasn’t your fault that you were irresistible to women, that you always did so well at work, that you got everything I always wanted.” Paul gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. “So he took it out on her. If you ask me, he’s the one that needs to be admitted to a psych ward—convincing her she’d killed her kids like that. I mean, that’s some messed up stuff right there. He doesn’t like to get his hands dirty though; wouldn’t just kill the bitch and be done with it. Really wanted to screw with her before he convinced her to kill herself.”
Tears welled in Elijah’s eyes. He finally saw the monster in front of him. His friend vanished and in his place was a criminal and a murderer. In a way, Paul was worse than Michael. Because Delores should have been able to depend on Paul, instead, he’d sent her to die.
“So you came to finish off the job? To finish off what Michael started?” Elijah bit out, his hands curling into fists by his side. “So you’re a murderer and a drug dealer now, Paul? Is that it? And what about me? You think I’m going to let you get away with this?”
Paul raised his pistol and shrugged. “Regretfully, no, though that would make things easier for everyone of course. But I know how you operate; I know you’re a good guy, and I know there’s no way you’ll let this go.”
“You’re damned right!” Elijah yelled and took a step forwards.
“Ah ah ah, buddy. Keep that voice down of yours.”
“You’re insane if you think you’ll get away with this,” Elijah snarled.
Time,thought Elijah.I need to stall for time. Though he wasn’t exactly sure how useful that time would be to him, or what he could do with more time, time was what he needed. The thought of living without Delores was painful, but he also knew he wasn’t ready to die quite yet.
“Christine knows about you, Paul, she’s going to testify against you. Not a lot you can do about that from up here,” Elijah gritted out, sarcasm lacing his anger. “By the time you get back home, Annie will have convinced her to give a statement.”
“She’ll only give a statement to you, Elijah, did you forget that part?” Paul smiled and took a step forwards. Elijah’s gaze fell to the end of the gun.
“But shewillgive a statement, especially when she finds out I’m dead,” Elijah said, even as the dread pooled in his gut.
Paul smiled again. “No, she won’t. By the time they find her, she’ll be dead too. Again, regrettably, of course,” Paul winked. “You know me, I don’t like being around death, and I certainly don’t like being the one to dish it out, but a man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do to survive, you know that.”
Elijah swallowed and looked down at the floor. “Where is she?”
“She’s tied up in Michael’s basement. Fucking perfect, right? By the time they find her, she’ll be dead, and he’ll be blamed for that too. And then I will be the top dog running the show, and you can trust me when I say I will never let things get like this again. I mean, this was a shit show, right? Michael had no idea how to run this business, but I do. And I’ll keep it clean,” Paul stared at Elijah seriously, his expression honourable. “I mean it. You can depend on me. But look, we’ve gotta get this over with,” he said raising the gun to Elijah. “I’m sorry, buddy.”
Elijah dived to the floor, as the shot rang out. His knees slammed against the linoleum and he dragged himself under Delores’s bed. The door opened and Michael walked in, his eyes going wide as he took in the image of Paul holding a gun.
“Paul, what are you doing here?” Michael said, his gaze travelling down to Elijah on the floor. “And what’s he doing here?” he yelled, his eyes bulging in anger. “Shoot him, now!” Michael sneered at Paul, throwing a look at Elijah on the floor.
