By the time Carla woke up, Maria had made up her mind. Carla needed to go. What Naomi had said was true. Maria couldn’t protect all of them all the time. And she definitely couldn’t look for whoever was responsible while worrying that Carla was safe. There was only one way to protect Carla. She needed to leave Las Vegas.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Carla said.
“This is the only way,” Maria said.
“Shipping me off like a postcard is the only way. Do you even hear yourself?” Carla said.
“She can come stay with me,” her mother said.
“There’s plenty of room,” Naomi said.
“Great, let’s just throw all three of you in the line of fire,” Maria said.
“Do you think we aren’t already there?” her mother said.
“How is me being out of Las Vegas and away from you a better idea?” Carla said.
“Because I can’t protect you and look for whoever did this at the same time,” Maria said.
“You aren’t the only police officer in Las Vegas,” Carla said.
“Apparently, I’m the only one that cares about this case,” Maria said.
“That’s crazy,” her mother said.
“There were supposed to be two officers guarding the door. How long did they last out there? Five minutes? The instant I was out of sight, they split. I can’t depend on any of them. The FBI thinks I was involved in everything, and Carla was kidnapped to punish me. They’re digging through old case files and trying to figure out how to take me down. I can’t protect her and fight off the FBI and find whoever did this at the same time,” Maria said.
“I can protect myself,” Carla said.
“Really?” Maria said.
“She’s got a point there. You literally got kidnapped outside of a yoga class,” Naomi said.
“Pilates,” Carla said.
“Same diff,” Naomi said.
“Where would I even go?” Carla said.
“Don’t you have an uncle in Florida?” Maria said.
“I hate Florida,” Carla said.
Maria’s mother reached out and touched Carla’s hand.
“Normally, I think she’s overreacting because she’s always so serious,” she said, “but maybe this time, we should listen to her. Call your uncle. See if it’s an option. What’s the harm in seeing what’s possible and what’s not?”
“Because if it’s possible, there’s no way she won’t put me on that plane,” Carla said.
Getting a hold of her uncle took an hour. Mostly because Carla was dragging her feet, but once she got him on the phone, he was excited about her going to visit. Within five minutes of hanging up the phone, Maria had bought Carla a ticket for a redeye that night.
“How can you ship me off like this? So fast?” Carla said.
“It’s the only way,” Maria said.
“I’ll go but only on one condition,” Carla said.
“Fine, what condition?” Maria said.
“You find whoever did this and make sure they don’t ever do it again,” Carla said.
The I-15 wasn’t crowded.
Carla hadn’t spoken much since the plane ticket was bought. She’d packed a bag and said her goodbyes to Maria’s mom and Naomi. Michael drove with Maria and Carla in the back seat. Maria watching to see if someone might be following them. Michael with one hand on the wheel, one hand on the headrest of the passenger seat.
“It’s just for a little while,” Maria said. She reached across to touch Carla on her elbow.
Carla turned to look at her. A piece of blonde hair fell across her face, and Maria reached up to push it back behind Carla’s ear.
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to be alone,” Carla said.
“You’re not going to be alone. Your uncle is going to be with you,” Maria said.
“I’d feel safer with you,” Carla said.
“I have to find this person, and I can’t do that with you here,” Maria said.
Carla turned back to the window. She knew Maria was right, but she wasn’t up for admitting it.
“How we doing back there?” Michael said.
“As well as we could hope for. You notice anyone tailing us,” Maria said.
“Nope,” Michael said.
“We were finally doing so good,” Carla said.
“Finally?” Maria said.
“Before your brother died, we were a couple, but we weren’t really a ‘couple.’ You kept a lot of yourself separate. I felt like you didn’t trust me completely, but after Tommy died and after your father died, our relationship really progressed,” Carla said.
“You felt like I didn’t trust you?”
“I had been looking for apartments. Thinking about leaving you,” Carla said.
“Seriously? Why didn’t you say something?” Maria said.
“I did, a few times, and you always waved me off. Told me it was the job. Told me it was whatever. But we got a lot closer after everything happened, and I felt guilty because while I was sad about your brother and your father, I was happy that we’d finally reached a point where we could be totally open with each other. I don’t want to lose that,” Carla said.
“Nobody is losing anything. This is just for a little while,” Maria said.
“Come with me. We can start over in Florida. Far away from all of this,” Carla said.
“If I thought that was an option, I would go with you. I’d go with you right now and never come back,” Maria said.
“Your mother would come. She’s got nothing left for her here. She’d sell her home and go cross-country in a heartbeat,” Carla said.
“But we’d constantly be looking over our shoulders. Constantly afraid,” Maria said.
“The only time I’m not afraid is when I’m with you,” Carla said.
A van pulled around on the left and sped up. It was blue and had tinted windows. As it came alongside, it slowed to match their speed. Automatic gunfire sprayed from the front of the car, busting open the windows. Michael’s body bucked as the bullets hit him. He slumped forward, and the car swerved right, collided with a taxi and then swerved back left, and flipped over.
Maria opened her eyes.
She was upside down. The seat belt dug into her shoulder, keeping her from falling to the roof. She looked around. The front seat was a bloody mess. She checked the seat next to her. The back passenger side window had busted open. Shards of glass peppered everything.
But no person.
Where was Carla?
Maria reached for the seat belt buckle and pressed the release. She fell hard, bracing her head with her forearm, but still, the drop knocked the wind out of her, and pain shot from her shoulder and down her side to her hip. She crawled out of the window.
Cars were stopping around them.
Headlights lit up the night.
Footsteps approached.
Carla was sitting against the concrete divider. Gasping for air.
Maria tried to stand up, to go to her, but her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees.
Red and blue lights flashed against the sky.
Carla’s eyes focused on her. She held her hand out.
Blood pooled underneath Carla and spread across the asphalt, an ocean of red running over the rivulets and gathering around and enveloping the painted white lines.
Carla’s hand dropped to her side.
Her eyes glassed over.