I press my finger up against her lips to silence her. “We will, one thing at a time.”
“We need to go now. It’s the right thing to do. We have to go right now…”
“No, Raelyn, just trust me. Please.”
Her eyes narrow at me. I can see the distrust rolling off of her in waves, but there isn’t anything that I can do about that. She’s going to just have to wait. I know what I’m doing… at least I think I do. I hope I do.
24
Raelyn
What the fuck is going on here? I can barely even look at Carter; I don’t know what we’re doing. He keeps telling me that I need to trust him, and I want to, I really do, but I’m not entirely convinced that he knows what he’s doing. I know for sure that I haven’t come to terms with it yet. What’s happened tonight is crazy. We witnessed a freaking murder! That definitely doesn’t happen every day, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to act.
The police. We need to go to the police, I’m sure of it.
But I can’t really argue that point while we sit in the back of a cab with a driver who keeps darting suspicious looks my way as it is. I’m not too good at hiding things, and this is no exception. This is worse because it’s so massive, and I guess that’s showed. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he calls the police on us.
When we get back to Carter’s place, I’m going to do what I can to make sure he listens to me, before this eats me up alive. It’s good that we have an ambulance on the way, but it isn’t enough. I need to know that we’re doing more. That man killed someone, he needs to be locked up before he does the same to someone else.
Eventually, Carter tells the driver to stop the car outside what I presume is his place. I stare at the large building, trying to drink it all in, to learn more about this man just like I planned to, but my brain is completely consumed by images of violence and blood, the sort of thing that I’ve only seen in terrible movies beforehand.
“Are you okay?” Carter asks me quietly, making me realize that I’m gasping desperately. I can’t seem to get enough air in to my lungs however hard I try. It’s like something has them in a vice like grip and won’t let them go. “Just hold it together for a few more minutes and we can be alone, okay?”
He hands the driver a bunch of notes, more than the cab cost I’m sure, and he guides me to the front door. It doesn’t escape my notice that his hands are shaking so hard the keys jangle loudly between his fingertips. I suppose I could comment on it, but I’m in too much of a rush to get inside away from this world.
“You don’t think he’s following us, do you?” I unhelpfully ask.
“Who? The guy with a knife?” Carter’s eyes go everywhere. “I hope not. I did check but I suppose I can’t be one hundred percent sure. I have a good security system though, so we’re going to be safe here.”
I love that word. Safe. It’s something that I don’t have to think much of really, I take care of myself enough to know that I’ll be alright usually… but today it’s the only damn thing that I want in the world.
“Ah, open.” Carter shoves the door and tumbles inside. I follow him inside and slam it shut.
“What do we do now?” I practically scream. We’re alone now, it’s time to decide this.
“We… we wait here for a while,” he says as if this is a decision. “See what happens.”
“Wait and see? That’s your big idea? That’s what I trusted you for? Are you insane?” He just looks at me blankly like he doesn’t understand it at all. “We need to call the authorities now.” As I reach for my cell phone, he grabs my arm to stop me. “Why are you so against me calling the police?”
“There is a big organized crime problem here,” he shocks me by replying. “It’s kept away from the public eye as much as possible, but it’s there. What if this is a part of it?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I scoff. “That’s the plot of a damn movie. This is real life. What I saw were two guys, too young to be in some organized crime bullshit, arguing and it got out of control. We need to tell the police what we saw to make sure the killer is caught and he never does it again.”
My impassioned speech falls on deaf ears. Instead of paying even a scrap of attention to what I’ve said, Carter starts pacing up and down the room while he taps thoughtfully on his chin.
“Carter!” I throw my hands in the air in dismay. “What is going on here? Why are you acting so crazy?”
“I need to think, that’s all. I just need to think. It’s bad enough that we were witnesses to that, it puts us in plenty of trouble. But if we grass as well? I just don’t see that working out for us.”
“But the police will protect us! That’s what they do. They have to, right?”
“You have far too much faith in the police.”
“Are you trying to say that we can’t trust our law enforcement now?”
“I’m not saying that at all. What I’m saying is that I don’t trust the criminals. The police can only do so much; they can’t throw all of their resources at us. I want to make sure that we aren’t killed over nothing.”
“Nothing? This is nothing to you?” How are we on such different pages? I don’t get it.