Page 123 of Ricochet
I had to find Maya. I had to save her from wherever she was.
Or if she didn’t need saving, I needed to see it with my own eyes. I couldn’t abandon her now that I had even that small clue.
She was in Mexico, or at least, she used to be. I just hoped she was still there because it would be a hell trying to find her otherwise.
I lost the concept of time inside, and as soon as I stepped outside the church, following after Storm, I was surprised to see the darkness. It was already past sunset.
Storm, Storm, Storm, that was another mess I really didn’t have time for. Another shit thing I didn’t want to deal with because I had more important things to do.
If I could, I would rip my own heart out and bury it somewhere far away from here, because feelings, love, that weird connection to another person, that was a recipe for disaster.
A faster way to die.
Nope, he could go to hell as well.
The car we came in was parked in front, but if I had to guess, the keys were still with Cillian, and that was one confrontation I didn’t have the energy for right now. Atlas was sitting at the bottom of the steps, head bent, shoulders slouched. My brother got him good, and for a moment there, I thought I was too late. I still didn’t know if he got shot when that gun went off, but he was alive.
Everything else could get patched. Life, not so much.
“Are you okay?” I asked him as I moved closer to him. His blond hair was disheveled, spatters of blood clinging to the ends. To be honest, I was pretty sure I looked like the demon bride myself, but there was no mirror to confirm my suspicions. I chanced a look at my hands.
My bloodied hands.
The hands that killed so many and would kill so many more.
But maybe once I found my sister, once I took her somewhere safe, somewhere far away from our families, maybe then I could rest.
Maybe then I could just be Ophelia. Not an assassin, not your regular psychopath.
Just a girl living her life.
Was it possible? Probably not. But I could always hope, and one thing I learned over the years, is that hope never dies. I would cling to that fucker until there was nothing else left, because most of the time, that was the only thing I had.
“Ophelia,” Atlas started, and I realized he’d been talking this whole time. I zoned out—again.
“Sorry, I just... went somewhere else.”
A soft smile touched his lips, and under the cloak of night, his injuries didn’t look that bad. Apart from his closed eye and the bruises forming over his face, he didn’t look that injured. I wouldn’t want to be him tomorrow morning, though. He’s going to feel like shit.
As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t want to be me tomorrow either. There was a bump forming at the back of my head, and I didn’t even want to think about the other parts of my body that have been hit, punched and almost shot at. Though this was probably one of those times where I could say “you should see the other guy”.
“It was nice seeing you again, but I gotta go now.”
He turned his whole body to me, wincing at the same time, and I could only imagine the state of his ribs if he had difficulty doing this small movement.
“Where are you going?”
I looked up, seeing Storm observing us quietly. Where was I going? As far away from here as possible. If I got the opportunity, I would haul my ass to Uganda or one of the other countries where they wouldn’t be able to find me.
But I had to talk to my father first. After I found my sister.
“I don’t know. Somewhere.” I looked back at him. “Anywhere but here.”
“You could stay.” He shrugged. I believed him, I really did. I might not have been the best judge of character in the past, but Atlas seemed to be one of those people who really meant what they said. Besides, I didn’t have any reason not to believe him.
The man almost got a bullet between his eyes because of me. Helping me do what I needed to.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
