There was no tragic yell, no dramatic waving of arms as Freider plummeted three stories down. Just a slight widening of his eyes as he realized what had actually happened, what his fall meant.
The sound the body made when hitting the pile of bricks below made Maxi retch and throw up, her stomach having violently without warning. Snitch Gravel pulled her hair from her face, then left her to it, his free hand rubbing her back.
It took a couple of minutes for her racing heartbeat to subside, for her stomach to completely empty and leave her staring at warn out wood and bits of light flitting through the cracks. The body wasn't visible from there and she was grateful. She didn't think she had the strength to look at it.
Snitch Gravel had sat on the edge of the platform, taken his coat off and was rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, wincing as he went. Maxi wiped her mouth and sat down next to him, fixing her gaze on the wall in front of them.
"Is he...?" she asked.
"Dead?" He looked down. "Yup."
Bile rose to her mouth again and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, but no tears rose to her eyes. Her mind reeled, still trying to make sense of what had happened, how everything had ended so abruptly. One second she as running for her life, and the next... It was so quiet.
"So he lured us here," she said to break the silence. Something else was falling into place, something that made her want to vomit again. "Which means he blew up my house and had our children shot at."
Snitch Gravel shrugged, then immediately winced. "Didn't think he had it in him, but I sure as hell didn't do it."
"What am I going to do now?" she whispered.
"Go out there and tell the world I killed him."
Her face snapped in his direction. "You didn't kill him. You saved me."
He didn't seem to care much about the distinction. "It's still true. Just like if I'd chosen him, I would've killed you."
"You told him not to move. You couldn't save us both!"
"So what? Are you going to go out there and explain all this? Admit it. Even you don't know what it is, what it means."
"Do you?"
He didn't look at her, just kept staring at the wall in front of them, his eyes unfocused. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore. This is easier for everyone involved. Keep the good name of the family, let your kids believe their dad was a hero."
Maxi chewed on her lower lip, recognizing the merits of his plan. It would be so much easier to call the police and let Snitch Gravel take the fall for this. He was, after all, a wanted man. Nothing would change. And in turn, her kids wouldn't have to live with the family name tarnished. They could still be proud of it. That cursed name... Life had been so much easier without it.
"You know," she whispered, "you could end it right now. Push me down to join him and your revenge would be complete. Then you could leave the kids alone."
"I already told you it was never about killing." His voice was dispassionate. "And as for torture... I think this is enough fuel to guarantee a lifetime of nightmares."
"That we can agree on." She stared at her hands. They were shaking. Maybe because her husband was dead and she was sharing small talk with a murderer. "How does it feel?"
"Disappointing." He stayed quiet for another few minutes before turning to her. "Did you ever really love him?"
The question caught her off guard and filled her eyes with tears. "I don't know. But I won't deny he made me happy at times. We had our moments. He was a good husband and a good father when he was happy." When he wasn't, he was a monster.
YOU ARE READING
Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)
Adventure"It's never going to end, is it? The rivalry, the hatred, the madness. Not even now. Not even after so many years." It has been three years since the last jewel was recovered, and the Agency seems to have put the project to rest. They have a new tar...
