knew Anita’s husband could help me out tomorrow with a tow. I just needed my car to survive that long.
After snapping a few pictures, I hooked my purse over my torso and got to walking home. And my feet started to ache the second my brain registered that I was four blocks away from home. Kind of like how when you cut yourself you don’t feel the pain until you look at it.
It wasn’t until I was past the first block that I remember the back-alley shortcuts. Some apartment buildings had backdoor emergency exits that led to a sort of shortcut between the buildings. I wasn’t above jumping a fence or two and, suddenly, the idea had merit. It was past eleven and I was tired. I had to be up at six to be ready by seven because sometimes I made surprised visits to homes known for truancy. Tomorrow was one of those visits, and I needed at least five hours of solid sleep if I was going to be worth a shit.
I turned down one of the open driveways that separated one of the duplexes on the north side and made my way towards the alleys. My heels clicked loudly in the dark and I quickly took them off. Sure, my stockinged feet were bound to step in a puddle of cat piss or even slip on a used condom, but that was better than calling attention to myself back here. I had my mace in my hand, but I’d rather take precautions than have regrets.
While I was doing my best to be all stealth-like and keep a vigil behind me to make sure no one was following me, I hadn’t paid attention to what was in front of me. My dad used to say, “Don’t be looking down at the piss ants when the elephants are walking behind you,” and that’s exactly what I’d done.
A voice wrought with fear was begging. “No. Please, Luca-” His pleas were cut short by the soft sound of what the movies always told me was a silencer.
And then what he said registered.
Luca.
There was only one Luca I knew of in Morgan City and that was Luca Benetti. It was the city’s worst kept secret that Morgan City was ruled by the Mafia. A chapter that was led by Giovanni Benetti and his sons, Luca, Salvatore, and Leonardo. Doing what I did for a living, I spent most of my days in bad neighborhoods, so I’ve heard the rumors, and I knew what I’d just witnessed. The only thing I didn’t know is why would Luca Benetti be killing someone in a random alley? He had minions for kind of shit.
Another man began to speak. “We need-”
I looked around for a place to hide, but luck wasn’t on my side tonight. The second I stepped back to turn and run, one of the other men said, “Who’s that?”
All four males who were still standing turned to face me, and time stood still with resignation at what just happened. I just witnessed a murder, and they just murdered someone with a witness present. The second time snapped back into motion, I turned and ran.
I. Fucking. Ran.
Shoes and mace dropped, I ran back the way I came, mindful of nothing but making it home. I ran until my lungs burned, but adrenaline pushed me forward. I had strapped my purse around my torso when I had started walking home in case someone tried to mug me, but now my purse was nothing but a hindrance. It kept slapping against my body with every step and I felt, unreasonably, like it was slowing me down. However, I couldn’t toss it because my wallet was inside. It had all my information in it.
So, I just kept on running.
Blood was rushing through my ears, but I could still vaguely make out the sound of footsteps thundering all around me. They were giving chase, like I knew they would, but rational thought was a thing of the past right now. If any of these men caught me, I was as good as dead.
I had no doubt that witnessing Luca Benetti commit murder would result in my death. Then hysteria and lack of oxygen turned my mind into a distorted funhouse of wild thoughts. Why was he killing someone in a public alley for? Why should I have to die because he was sloppy? And on a random Wednesday? What the fuck?