“Do you?” I ask as I pull her forward a bit more. She grasps a hold of the emergency brake to anchor herself into the car.
“I didn’t realize how far we’d gone.” She glances over her shoulder at the empty road behind us. “It’s getting late, and Rinaldo will start to wonder why I didn’t meet him.”
“Rinaldo didn’t ask you to meet him today,” I tell her. “He’s spending some much needed time with his wife.”
I reach over and grab her hand off the brake, then pull her from the car. I bump the door with my hip to close it, making sure I have a firm grasp on Felisa’s arm the whole time. She’s still got a deer-in-the-headlights look in her eye, but she’s figuring it out quickly.
“Evan…what are you doing?” Her hand wraps around mine as she tries to pull at my fingers.
“Just what needs to be done, Felisa. It’s nothing personal.” I laugh aloud. “Actually, that’s a complete and total lie. This is personal. Quite personal.”
“Does Rinaldo know you’re with me?”
“No. As far as he will ever know, you just disappeared. If you’re found, I’m fairly certain the gangs will get the blame for it. Those bastards.”
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth and shake my head.
“Evan…Evan, please!” She pulls at my arm ineffectively. “I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you. I’m loyal to Rinaldo. I swear I am! I’m not sure if you realize what kind of relationship he and I—”
“Oh, believe me”—I stop and turn on her—“I know exactly what you and Rinaldo have going on. Why do you think you’re here? Did you think you were going to be graced with my cock, too?”
I grab her arm and shove her through the brush at the side of the trail. A few feet into the woods, a clearing opens up. The large hole dug in the center of it looms ahead.
“Evan! Evan, no!” Felisa begins to really fight me now. Her fingernails dig into my arm painfully as she kicks at my legs. She twists and turns, but I have a good grip on her. She only slows my progress toward the hole.
She screams as loud as she can, and I let her keep it up until she goes hoarse.
“No one can hear you,” I say. “That’s why we’re all the way out here.”
We reach the edge of the hole, and I wrap one arm around Felisa’s throat as I reach around and pull a pair of gloves out of the bag. Once they’re in place, I grab the Ruger. The silencer isn’t necessary way out here, but I always have a contingency plan, and the sound of shots do travel through the air farther than screams.
“Rinaldo will find out! You know he won’t like this! He’s not going to forgive you for this, Evan! You can’t do this!” All of her words are pointless.
I shove her down to her knees next to the hole and kneel across the backs of her legs to keep her there. I drop the bag from my shoulder to get it out of the way. I check the chamber of the Ruger once more before placing it against the back of her head.
“Please, Evan, please!” She’s crying now. “There are things you don’t know!”
“Sometimes I have to save Rinaldo from himself.” I lean back a bit and pull the trigger. A muted thwack echoes through the trees. Felisa falls to the ground at the edge of the hole, and I kick her inside with the toe of my boot. Her body falls awkwardly into the rocks and clumps of dirt at the bottom, but there isn’t any reason to jump down there and straighten her out.
I toss the gun in after her, then pull the T-shirt over my head, wipe the blood off of me with it, and add it to the pile along with the gloves. If anyone ever finds her, the weapon should be easy enough to trace and the color of the shirt a blinding clue. Grabbing the shovel, I get to work. Once the hole is filled, I cover it with brush and smooth out the tracks leading up to it. I toss the shovel into the back of the Camaro. It doesn’t fit well, but I just need to drive far enough to ditch it somewhere. There’s a change of clothes in the back as well, and I quickly button up the shirt I find there.
As I reach for the gearshift, a glint from the sun through the leaves reflects off something between the passenger seat and the center console. I reach down and feel something cool against my fingers. I pull on it, but it doesn’t want to give, so I yank harder.
With a snap, half of Felisa’s diamond tennis bracelet flies into my hand. It must have fallen off when I pulled her out of the car, and now part of it is stuck in the track for the seat. I reach down and grasp the end with my fingers and manage to get another piece out.
I take the two pieces in my hand. Together, they’re about the size of her wrist, so I think I got it all. I glare at the jewelry and consider tossing it out the window, but it’s too close to her body. I need to get rid of it somewhere else. There’s a lake not far off the dirt road right before I get back to pavement, so I drive to the edge of the water.
“Some pussy just isn’t worth it, boss,” I whisper to myself as I throw the bracelet far off into the lake. I can barely hear the splash before it sinks into the murky green water.
*****
I turn up the radio on the way back into town. It’s playing some classic rock, and I tap my fingers against the steering wheel and hum along. It’s a little early still, but I veer off a few exits before mine to pick up Alina.
I’m not actually tired. I’m a little elated. That is, until I get to Alina’s corner and can’t find her anywhere. Loretta is there, standing close to one of the whores I’d taken home weeks ago—the one I nearly ended up shooting.
She’s still got gum in her mouth. Evan at this distance, I can see her chewing it.
I don’t stop. I pull around to the gas station and wander around in the convenience store for a little while. I buy cigarettes even though I already have a full pack, and it takes me three or four days to go through one.