The Fall(78)

“Couldn’t keep yourself out of trouble, huh?”

Even with my eyes squinting trying to adjust to the light, I knew it was Michael. His voice low and he pushed his way inside and shut the door behind us.

“What are you doing here? Did anyone see you?” I asked, my heart racing, unable to decide if I was glad he was here or terrified of what his appearance meant.

There was small click, a flashlight illuminating the entire room as he looked me dead in the eyes.

“I told you, I was coming back.”





Well shit had hit the fan, hadn’t it?

The plan was I stayed busy doing the rounds for Damon. Sure the busting kneecaps with baseball bats was so f*cking cliché it actually hurt, but it beat sitting around looking out of my window like a paranoid f*cktard. Of course the plan got shot straight to hell when I heard over the police scanner that a meat wagon had called in a DOA from Saint Margaret’s. Coincidence? Please. There was no such thing.

It took the better part of the morning to get some answers. Knocking on the wooden doors and asking questions wasn’t an option and neither was heading to the morgue and getting an eyeball at the corpse. But a few well place phone calls got me the information I needed.

Sister Catherine had decided to take a dirt nap. And f*ck me if that wasn’t inconvenient. This bitch has literally been f*cking up shit since the day I was born, and I hated her more now than ever.

“So, you want to tell me what happened?” I reaffixed the lock even though the chances of anyone coming through the door were slim. “Last time I left here she was a pain in the ass, but still alive.”

“I’m not sure.” Sofia shook her head nervously, her backward step hindered by a bunch of shit on the floor. “I left before the ambulance got there, but when I saw her she didn’t look good. Probably a heart attack.”

Sofia’s usual confidence was missing. She was rattled, her eyes wide and hands fidgety, unable to stand still on her feet as she looked at me.

Of course, being stuck in the dark might have rattled her cage, or it could be knowing the nun had just died. It was a bit much to ask anyone to be solid under the circumstances.

“Well, I guess we need to move our timeline then, don’t we?” I lowered the flashlight on the floor, the thing throwing enough of a glow so we could both see. “There are going to be holy people crawling all over that place like ants. Too many eyes, it will expose us for sure.”

The fact one of the other nuns had the mindset to stash Sofia out of the way was a f*cking revelation. I was positive those do-gooders would have taken the first out and waited for the cops to discover her. Turns out they really are a loyal bunch, who knew? Of course she wasn’t as calm as Catherine. And looked like she was about to join her dearly departed sister when I showed up on their back doorstep. But she told me what I needed to know and didn’t make eye contact. So she was smart too.

“Did you see my father?” Sofia barely made eye contact, her hands squeezed into fists.

“Yep, and you’ll be please to know he was pissed I’d burned you.” Not that knowing would take the sting off your father wanting to kill you, but I hoped it might relax her a little. “I’m probably going to need to find a new president for my fan club.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What about Franco?” Her voice wavered, her eyes hitting my chest but not getting any further.

“What about him?” I took a step closer wondering why she was worried about that *. “He won’t care as long as he thinks you’re out of the picture. If Jimmy is convinced, Franco will fall into line.”

“I think it’s better if I go it alone, from here.” She took another backward step. “I’d appreciate the documents though if you have them.”

What.

The.

Fuck.

“Go it alone? Did you stroke out when the old woman’s heart gave out?” Because that was the only logical explanation for the crazy talk. “Pretty sure we went through this and we agreed I would get you to the border before you channeled your I-am-woman shit.”

“I have some stuff I need to take care of before I go.”

“Stuff?” Maybe I was the one who was stroking out. “Sofia, need I remind you that technically you are f*cking dead? You don’t exist. This isn’t the time to pick up the dry-cleaning you forgot about or take a freaking stroll down at Millennium Park.”

“Look, I know this doesn’t make sense and I know I’ll have to be careful, but there is shit that has been done—”

“Oh for f*ck’s sake!” If the walls hadn’t been solid concrete, I would have put one of my fists through one. “You want to play snitch, you do it from a secure location. That was the plan. We just went through the whole charade so you make it out of this alive, why the hell would you want to risk it now?”

“It’s my decision.” She tipped her chin, a f*ck you if ever I saw one. “Now, do you have those documents?”

“No.” I lied, not willing to hand over shit until I knew why the hell she’d lost her damn mind. “I still need to pick them up.”

Total bullshit of course. Leon had delivered exactly what I needed the day after we spoke. I had a new social, driver’s license and passport tucked away in my pocket, which is exactly where they were staying until I knew why she had developed the sudden need to take care of stuff.