Out of patience, she grabbed my arm. “You can’t puddle jump morality, Leighton. You’re either all in or all out. Ever heard of an eye for an eye?”
“Ever heard of eternal damnation?”
Her wink was deadlier than her smile. “Signed that contract a long time ago.”
She left before I could say another word. It was just as well. Carrying on a conversation while trying not to vomit wasn’t the easiest task. I’d learned long ago that truth and justification made deadly lovers.
Hugging the clutch to my chest, I stood with its imprint burning into my skin. Every step I took felt like my feet were encased in concrete, and just as my fingers touched the brass handle on the wooden door, I paused. A heavy weight settled on my shoulders, as if God, Himself tried one last time to hold me back, warning me that once outside, His protection would be lost to my own twisted need for revenge.
An eye for an eye.
As soon as the thought filled my head, the pressure released, and my feet moved on their own. Once the doors closed behind me, my heart beat again for the first time since stepping inside the sanctuary. At that moment, I knew the darkness had claimed me.
Destiny was an intriguing concept. I’d always condemned the acts of those around me, standing on the side of the righteous and winged. However, maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe the ones I loved suffered because I’d refused to look in the mirror and accept the truth.
I’d spent my life running from monsters when I was one of them all along.
Standing on the steep steps outside the church, I watched the tail of Jackie’s black Acura fade away down the busy street in downtown Houston. The clutch weighed heavy in my hand, but it no longer felt like a curse. In fact, it felt like I held long awaited justice.
My father dedicated his life to serving justice in the eyes of the law and look where that got him. The kind of justice I planned wasn’t moral or righteous, but it would satisfy the monster inside me who craved the kind not offered within the walls behind me.
Walking out of the Starbucks bathroom, I dropped my hat and the black clutch into the trashcan. Carrying my coffee outside, I sat on the outdoor patio while making my calls. To the casual onlooker, I appeared to be a normal young woman on a typical Tuesday afternoon. I looked safe and unassuming. No one gave me a second glance.
That was unfortunate. If they’d cared to pay attention, they would’ve known I was probably the most dangerous person in Houston at that moment. I had a loaded gun aimed right at the heart of the city, and I couldn’t wait to pull the trigger.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I dialed the first number and waited for them to pick up.
“Yes?”
I didn’t have time for pleasantries. “I need to see you. I have something I think you’ve been looking for. Meet me in the parking lot at two o’clock.” I hung up before a single rebuttal could be formed.
Dialing the second number, I took another sip of my coffee, irritated to find it unpleasantly cold. Now I was pissed.
“Hello?”
“I think we can help each other. I’m not as stupid as you think I am, but that’s okay, neither are you. It’s time to cut the crap and be who we are, don’t you think?”
“But...”
“I said, cut the crap. I know everything. Meet me at three o’clock. I’ll text you the address.”
I hung up again, adrenaline rushing through my veins. God, that felt good.
Two down, one to go.
While dialing the third number, I dumped the shitty coffee into a nearby trashcan.
“Leighton, thank God. I’ve been trying to call you.”
“Yes, well, I had my phone on silent. You’re supposed to do that in church, you know. But I suppose you wouldn’t know that since I bet you’d burst into flames if you stepped foot in one, huh, Alex?”
“Where are you?”
“Not important. However, I do need to see you later. Around four o’clock, perhaps? You can pick the place, although I’m sure your tired old sedan holds a special place in your heart.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you drunk?”
I laughed, causing the guy next to me to glare up at me from his laptop. “Only on love, agent. I am a newlywed, you know.”
“Yes, thanks to you, I’m back to square one.”
“I’ll order another coffee so I can cry in it for you. In the meantime, about four o’clock...”
“Screw four o’clock, Leighton. Where the fuck are you? I need to see you now. It’s important.”
It was out of order, but I did have time to kill before my first meeting. Shaking things up seemed to be working for me so far today, so why not give it a go.
“Okay, fine. I’m at the Starbucks near Bagby. Give me about twenty minutes, and I’ll meet you at—”
“No! Stay there. I’m right around the corner. I’ll pick you up in five minutes.”
“Wait, no, Alex!” I pulled the phone away, and realizing he’d hung up on me, slammed it onto the table. “Fuck!”
Almost immediately, my phone rang, and for the first time since walking out of the church, I doubted what I was doing. My heart constricted, knowing I’d left him in the dark, but my actions started this, and it had to be my actions that finished it. Just because Mateo was my husband, didn’t mean I would drag him into this mess.
Just to stay focused, I turned my ringer off.
Tires squealed in front of me, and I glanced up as Alex pulled the dark sedan up on the sidewalk with horns honking all around him. Sighing, I tucked my phone in my back pocket and hopped over the fence in front of the car. I’d barely gotten in when he slammed on the gas, causing me to slide off the seat.
“No, thanks,” I scowled, “I don’t need a seat belt. I’m fine.”
“Buckle up then.”
He drove north on I-69 for what seemed like forever in silence. He seemed off. No, frantic was a better word. His usual calm, arrogant attitude was gone, and an anxious, uptight stress ball bounced around in its place.
Well, anxious and uptight worked for me. No time like the present.
Smirking, I draped my forearm against my window. “I found out some interesting information today, Alex.”
He pressed harder on the gas. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I know you were the one who called in the tip that got my father shot. I also know you were promoted and paid well for it. I have proof.”
I sat back, waiting for the shock to set in. I waited for the rage I expected for besting him at his own game. I waited—and got a shrug.
“Good. Great. We have bigger problems.”
I shook my head and leaned forward, not sure he’d heard me. “Maybe I wasn’t clear. I know you had my father killed. That’s why you wanted me to get shit on the Carreras. They own you, don’t they?”
Again, I waited for some kind of stunned reaction. I fucking deserved it. And again, I was denied as he sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. After taking the Lauder exit, he quickly headed down a side road. “Leighton, listen to me. Estella is missing.”
My limbs went numb. “No.”
“Yes, Leighton.”
“When?” I barely whispered. “How?”