“The body in the trunk.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Why would there be a body in the trunk of my car? How would it have gotten there?”
I wrung my hands in front of me. “I put it there.”
“And where did you get this body from?”
I licked my bottom lip and concentrated on the cracks in the tiles under my feet.
“Ari, please tell me you were joking.”
“It was self-defense,” I said. “I had no choice. I swear I had no choice, Daddy.”
Without another word to me, Shaw stalked over to his car. He unlocked the trunk and raised the lid. I didn't move from where I was. I knew what was inside—a man wrapped up in clear plastic and conveniently tied up in a bag.
“Oh my god, you’re telling the truth.” Shaw stumbled back, his face turning green. “You killed him, Ari? Why would you do that?”
I shrugged. “Does it matter why? He’s dead, and I need to get rid of his body.”
“Get rid of his body? Are you insane?”
I stiffened at his words. My dad called me insane and regretted it. But Shaw was different. I loved Shaw. He just didn't get me yet.
“What else am I supposed to do with it?”
“We call the police, and they'll take care of it.”
“So you want to send me to prison?” He didn’t mean that, did he?
“I’m sure they’ll be able to work something out if you tell them what happened.”
“Except this body has been in your trunk all day. If I’d called it in then, I would have stood a chance, but now they'll never buy that it wasn’t something I planned.”
“We don’t have any other choice.”
“We can bury the body somewhere no one will ever think to look.”
“You want us to bury the body?” His mouth moved up and down like a puppet’s. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I just found you again and don’t want to lose you because the justice system sucks. I promise you, Daddy, he deserved it.”
Shaw shook his head. “I-I can’t think. I need some time to think.”
“We don’t have time. The longer the body stays in your car, the higher the risk of us being found with it.”
Shaw had gone silent, his shoulders stooped. Hopefully, he’d make the right choice. I didn’t want to have to hurt someone I loved as much as I loved him.
“Just don’t say anything, please,” I said. “Don’t get the police involved. I’ll take care of the body. You don’t even have to help.”
“You expect me to keep this quiet, Ari?”
I nodded, cupping my hands and holding them up to my chest in a plea.
“You don’t have to do anything. It’s my mess, and I’ll take care of it.”