Shadow Man (Grayson Duet #1) - Catherine Wiltcher Page 0,31

seven? I glance back at Vi. She’s the one who dragged me into this mess, but I can't bring myself to hate her anymore. I guess I annihilated that emotion when I shot down three Colombian criminals in cold blood.

Holy shit.

What have I done?

There’s blood everywhere—the floor, my arms… Even my pink Chucks have been dip-dyed the color of murder.

There’s another tug on my T-shirt. “Anna!”

I can’t breathe. “Oh my God, Vi—”

“There’s no time for that!”

Tears are trickling down her cheeks. She’s biting her lips to keep her composure, fighting hard against the waves. But Vi isn't Moses. She can't part shit. She’s just another beautiful broken casualty of the Colombian cartels.

The full horror of her ordeal hasn't hit home yet, and as crazy as it sounds, I want to be there for her when it does. We’re in this together now. We’re blood sisters, whether we like it or not.

“Hang on. I need a moment to—” To what? Think? Hide the evidence? Stop wishing with every fiber of my being that my shadow was here to make all of this go away?

“Listen, Anna, I deserve every piece of shit you want to throw my way, but save it for the car, okay?” Her swollen dark eyes are pleading with me. “The whole village would have heard these shots. Fernandez’s spies are everywhere and his son is lying dead on the floor of my bar. We have ten minutes before the Cartagena Costavo are all over us. They'll slit our throats and hang us from a bridge, and that’s if they’re feeling generous.”

Her words seem to zap my frozen body into life. “What do we do with the—?”

“We leave them! Come on!” Her urgent tugging turns into full-on dragging, and I stumble to my feet after her, still clutching the gun.

Avoiding the front door, she leads me out into the yard and through a side gate. The narrow dirt path doubles back to the street and close to where her car’s parked. People in various states of undress are standing outside their tiny red and orange houses, watching as two women fall upon the doors of the small red Renault like wild animals.

“Quickly, Anna!”

“Okay, okay!”

Vi’s already hitting thirty before I’ve found my seatbelt.

“Slow down!” I cry as she swerves to avoid an oncoming black SUV.

“Are you insane?” She drags her wild eyes away from the road to glare at me. “We have five minutes, max. They have a fleet of top-of-the-range Jeeps. We have a shitty old car that doesn't do more than sixty on a good day.”

We’re back on the same road with all the potholes again—the Renault traveling so fast that every bump and jerk is like a mini explosion going off under the suspension.

“Where are you taking us?” I yell above the whining engine.

“Somewhere safe. Somewhere we can get our crap together.”

“Somewhere you can figure out a way to betray me again?”

I can't help it. It just slips out.

“No!” She slams the wheel to the left as we hit a T-junction, the speedometer barely dipping below forty.

It’s pitch black outside. The crescent moon is fading and the stars are in hiding. It’s like they’re ashamed of me, and what I’ve done, but I’m past caring. Killing those men has bought me my first peace in months. I’m too pumped with adrenaline to analyze the wrongness of that right now.

“Why did you do it?” I demand. “Why did you sell me out?”

“I didn’t. I-I… Mierda! Look, I know you don't want to hear it, but I wasn’t trying to sell you out.”

“Bullshit!” I brace against the door as she swerves again, this time onto the main road, the pedal still flat to the floor.

“It’s not, I swear it! I’m sorry I brought you into my mess, but I was fucking desperate. Let me explain.” I can tell she’s trying really hard not to cry again. “You were a guarantee for the debt, nothing more. I never should have mentioned you, but I was in that car and he wouldn't stop touching—” She slams the heel of her hand down on her thigh suddenly. “Motherfucker!” she screams, slamming it down again and again, and I know she’s picturing Gustavo’s face as she’s doing it. “That fucking bastard! How dare he violate my body!” She slams the brakes on and the Renault goes skidding across the asphalt. A second later, she’s kicked her door open and is puking her guts up as I’m left pivoting across both seats to catch