le

s of silence. Fourteen nights replaying the gunshots, the shatt

uld've

l and glass, boardrooms and bulletproof windows. But here I am, rolling through a neighborhood where the houses wear t

, sir," my

eat, lawn groomed. I adjust my cuffs as I make my way

ya

ing a faded band t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. No

kno

why ar

polog

ts. "Not

. "To your mo

sh and burnt toast. A TV drones in the living room. Jeopardy. A woman with Anya's eyes

voice brittle. "We

st looks at me, slow and steady, like she's reading

nt as they did. Your

"I don't blame you young man...

oorway, arms crossed. Wa

to help,

need you

ney. An

sets her mug

husb

aightens. Her mother's fac

he is

clock on the wa

t," Any

er's incident, he didn't make it, Vincent Carlisé did. Same mon

't the type to make people disappear, he

e edges, but her voice could cut diamond. "You think I don't k

between u

"For David. Medical bills. Schol

it. "We're not yo

not ch

what i

. A debt I

"In David's place. The

er and bright. "

. Be there

table. Mrs. Loraine doesn't look

" she

wn her windows, warping the str

only one who'll tell

*

she's standing

ampagne like it's water. I spot Anya by the terrace, her dress the color of midnight

tu

ugh in my ear, her hand in mine, the roses in her hair.

not Cindy.

ame,"

mile. "You ow

s how you

hy am I

al curiosit

nd carries her scent. "Y

wh

g hum

ndy's favorite. Anya's gaze

ith me,"

ot a r

es. Then ta

e stiffly, out of sync, until I spin her. Her

taring,"

.. unexp

e a terrib

e pulls back, but

oday. How'd you heal so fast

Thanks for helping me. Yo

, but the bitterness lingers. Yet here she is, close enough to count the flec

htaking. Because she saw through the armor

questions," I say. "B

s. Just a

what to ask, what buttons to push. I wish the night could continue just li

s out, but freezes. The front door hangs

ny

ass. The living room is chaos - cushions shredded, drawers yanked out, ph

nter, seething. "They

hing my fingers over a boot print near the

cracks. "O

ame hangs

mily. So I make a proposal, one which could solve all this while giving