Please, God, let me do this. Let me survive this. I promise I will lead a good life. Let me be there for my daughter and let her grow strong and healthy. I will live a clean and Godly life, this I swear.
Amen.
There. That was the best I could offer. I nodded and opened my eyes. The matches were so fragile as I pulled one away from the rest, I inhaled and held my breath. Then I struck the first match. It took but quickly fizzled as I dropped it onto the pile. I groaned, thinking I was going to fail at this. After all of this, it might not work and then where would I be? No. I have to make this work. The stakes were too high. I was shaking as I pulled the second match free.
I leaned down so that I was touching the pile before I struck it. It burst into flame. I touched it to the paper and it caught. I moved back, clutching the last precious match in my sweaty palm ruining it by accident.
Thank goodness, I didn’t need it.
The fire burned hot and hard, singeing everything first and then eating away at it. Somehow, against all odds, I had pulled this off. There was no way to tie me to the murder now.
No way, except Paulie.
I watched as my jacket and the shoes turned into chunks of plastic and ash. I pondered my next move. Once I got home, we would have to pack quickly. We had to leave town, that much was certain. I knew I was going to need that money Lucky had left me. I’d find a way to send money back to him. I would repay him no matter what.
But where would we go? We could go down the coast I thought. Or up it… Oregon was pretty. Fresh air for Jacey. I’d find a place in the woods and we’d–
The roar of motorcycles on the road outside made me freeze in place.
I scattered the ashes, looking for chunks. There wasn’t anything much left to hide. I scurried to the entrance and peered out. No one was there.
But Lucky had passed through this way… of course he was here! He was going to rush in there. They had probably found Sal’s body in there. All hell would break loose.
My stomach clenched. Lucky was walking into a trap. I had to stop him.
He was going to get himself killed!
I picked up my phone and called him.
“Angel? Where are you? Are you hurt?”
“No! I’m… I’m safe. Please do not go to the Garage.”
Silence.
“I’m already here.”
I groaned and rested my head in my hands.
“You shouldn’t be there, Lucky… I don’t want you to get mixed up in this.”
“I’m fine. I’m going to just take out the trash. Where are you?”
I swallowed. He meant the body. He knew what I’d done.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“None of this is your fault, Angel.”
“It is though, I should have listened to you,” I whispered, feeling devastated.
But Lucky’s voice was warm and intimate.
“I’m going to remember you said that,” he teased.
“Lucky, I have to say goodbye to you now. I can’t stay here. I have to get rid of my phone.”
“I know. I got us a place about a half an hour away. We can lay low for a few days while we figure this out. Tell me where you are.”
I closed my eyes. Maybe I should trust him. Maybe…
“I’m okay. I’m… I need to get home and start packing.”
“You aren’t home?”
“Not yet. I’m on my way.”
“How? I have your car on lockdown.”
“I walked. I mean, I’m walking.”
“I’m coming to get you.”
“No, Lucky—”
“Tell me where you are or I will come find you.”
“I can’t.”
I heard him breathing and then a soft click.
Uh oh. This was not good. I could stay hidden or I could make a run for it. But I couldn’t just wait it out. I was a sitting duck out here if anyone wanted to hunt me down.
Anyone like Paulie and his guys.
I scooted out of the warehouse and started back towards town, avoiding the main road that everyone took to the Garage. I said a silent prayer of thanks for the matches and paint thinner and another that I hadn’t run into anyone out here.
Not yet, anyway. You aren’t home yet.
I shivered a bit in my dress, pulling my handbag closer to my body and crossing my arms. I had burned my jacket and the night was getting colder by the second.
I scurried along abandoned building after abandoned building. I thought I heard something and hid for a while. I finally peeped my head out and looked around. It was silent. I ran along the edge of a building, turned a corner, and froze.
A giant man with a long beard was leaning against a massive motorcycle staring at me. His beard alone made him look like a Norse god. Or a Viking.