me into consciousness. My eyelids feel heavy, and I struggle to lift them as the bright light that beams from between the opened win

to recall the events from the night prior, co

rc

er

raightens on his feet, swiftly moving to stand beside me. "Hey..." the tenderness in his voice is comforting until I remember that I h

here thrashing into me like the bullet he put through my left shoulder. I stammer as I attemp

lps me sit up. "If he wanted me dead, I would be," he tells me as though it's supposed to

s thumb caresses my cheek, and for a moment, it's as though time never passed. I

fresh haircut, and what I remember once being an awkward patchy beard is now perfectly full and connected to his trimmed mustache. His lean and muscular build reminds me

e a real cri

this life..." his voice trails off. "I neve

uld you leave that kind of money in my apartment, Levi? I don't hear from you in five and a half years and yo

I stayed away all that time to avoid getting you into trouble. I wouldn't do that to you." He pauses for a moment, a hopeless look ling

liev

and if it's true that he's being targeted, the bes

o what happens now?" I ask as calmly as I can muster, desperately trying to contain my an

breaks away from my own. "My best chance at walking out of this is findin

f I can somehow come up with four and a half million dollars, h

e from the devastating reality of what's probably going to happen to him. And

we watched my parents be gunned down on our living room floor, I rea

t our p

the door. A second later, the door is cracked open, and a nurse with dark brown h

mile as she invites herself into the room, pushing the door all the way ope

pair of men in dark colored suits with shiny gold badges flashing on their belts at their hips emerge into the room. As fr

sweetie," the nurse tells me in a soft sweet tone be

duces himself, "Hello, Ms. Carter. I'm Detective Floyd, and this is my partner, Detective Vazquez." He nods at the man next to him, pausing briefly before

u

glance at Levi who appears to be having a staredown with Detec

is is jus

gaze to Levi, calling on his attention before asking, "

e, his hard gaze shifting from Det

ntend as I reach across my body with

fore, his darkened eyes falling on me as

o continues to eye Levi with a hard look on his face to Detective Floyd who appears calmer than I expect. "

far more trouble than it's worth. With this, he clears his throat and draws his phone from his pocket,

beside me. In the voice recording app, he taps on the round red button at

." Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Detective Vazquez draws a small notepad a

ng before the incident? Please be as detailed as possible. Any

t a couple of hours prior. "I was at school taking my Quantum Mechanics fina

admitting to possessing marijuana and having

tell them what really happened. I may still have a chance at living to se

I confess, "I-I went out on the balcony

nding out that his little sister-the one he sacrificed his life for to make sure she didn't end up

life so hard

s into my head as I clear my throat and awkwardly bring my hand up to the back of my neck, scrat

o figure out what to say. All the while, all I see is the pair of golden-br

lucin

.

nna believe

ve it. I avert my gaze to the detective questioning me, telling him,

n't read. After a moment, Detective Vazquez presses, "There were no signs of forc

nervous befo

ng vigorously as my gaze falls back to the phone reco

e, my heart beating erratically in my chest as Detective Floyd tells me, his voice almost comforting, "It's alrigh

tion away. Altogether, I snap my head to the doorway, and just when I think mat

cel

f his jacket are undone, just as the top pair of buttons of his neatly pressed shirt. With a hand in his pocket

a word, and he

Saldívar is. However, what does surprise me is how even they know that

Well," Detective Floyd clears his throat, offering me a half-hearted smile as he t

.

u seri

pad and swiftly sticks it back into his jacket. With this, both detectives excuse themselv

vi

oth hands balled into fists at his side. His eyes blazed with anger, he cle

ink of screaming at the top of my lungs when the familiar bald-headed man suddenly shuts th

oice tinged with superiority as it re