back?' Her chin wobbled. 'It fucking creeps me out. You creep me out. I need to protect myself.'
He could tell her the truth. But, he thought, it was too late for that. He reached forward and turned the engine on.
'Hey,' the guy said. 'What d'you think you're doing? You're not going anywhere.'
No, but the engine was making enough noise to allow Jordan to get the zip pulled down without being heard.
'I'm cold all of a sudden,' Carlos said. 'Just wanted to warm my hands.'
'Turn it off.'
'Just a couple of minutes.'
'Turn it off!'
Carlos sighed, turned it off. Jordan was out of the bag now, but Carlos needed to keep talking, make a noise so he could get out of the van. 'Do you have a name?' he asked.
'Why do you want to know?'
'Don't you think I deserve to know the name of the man who kills me?'
'Should I tell him?' the guy asked Maggie.
'It's Bob,' she said to Carlos.
'Bob,' Carlos repeated.
'My sister's boyfriend.'
Carlos tapped his fingertips together. It was tough not to look, see if the kid was out of the vehicle yet. But Carlos focused his attention on Bob. 'You're the guy who got the van for us?'
'Yeah,' he said.
'Gave Maggie all that info about burning it?'
'Yeah.'
'So you're a killer as well as a car thief and arsonist?'
'Only once.'
Carlos looked him in the eye. The bastard wasn't bluffing. 'So what's between you and Maggie?' he asked. 'Why would you kill me for her? What'd she offer you? Money? Sex?'
Bob was about to speak when there was a muscle-clenching bang and something slapped against the side of the van. Carlos made out a dark splotch above Bob's nose, and then Bob swayed, fell forward, bounced off the bonnet and slumped to the ground.
Maggie jumped back, and when she saw Jordan with his still-smoking gun pointed at her, she ran.
Carlos said, 'No,' as he shoved the door open and scooped up Bob's Glock off the road. 'No, Jordan,' he said. 'Maggie, stop.'
She looked behind her, still running, beyond the police car.
Carlos aimed at her. 'Maggie,' he said.
She kept looking at him, stumbling sideways.
His hand was steady. He squeezed the trigger.
A flash in his hand and her leg buckled under her. She fell into the grass at the side of the road. 'Shit,' she said, in a strangled voice. 'You fucking bastard. This fucking hurts. Fuck, it hurts.'
That's a bonus, Carlos thought, and slammed his fist into the van door.
She started to crawl forward. There was a barbed-wire fence which she might have managed to climb over had it not been for her wounded leg. But she was clearly in too much pain to get to her feet, let alone hurdle a fence.
Carlos didn't have to walk very fast to catch up with her.
Once he got there, he strolled alongside her, slowly, as she inched along in the grass, left leg dragging. Looked like the bullet had caught her in the thigh.
'I never slept with him,' she said.
Carlos didn't answer. He just shivered.
'Fuck you,' she said. She gasped, panted for breath. 'Why did you stop Jordan from killing me?'
'No questions, Maggie. We're beyond that now.'
'You still love me. You don't want me to die.'
'You think?'
'Charlie, you know this is all fucked up. I thought you'd killed your mother. I didn't realise she wasn't in that fucking bodybag. What were you playing at?'
'Me, playing?' He laughed, no humour in it. 'How do you know I didn't kill her?'
She looked at him. 'Really?'
'Your lack of faith,' he said. 'It's worse than your infidelity.'
'I didn't sleep with Bob. I told you.'
'There's more than one way to be unfaithful.'
'Do what you have to,' she said. 'Just don't give me that holier-than-thou bullshit. Shoot me or take me to a hospital. I'm going to bleed to death here.'
'Yeah,' he said. He bent over, and she shrank away from him. He placed his free hand on the back of her head and lowered his lips to her forehead. 'It's over.' He stepped back.
'I know.'
'I'm sorry.'
'I almost believe you.'
We need to get moving.
Jordan had walked over to them without Carlos hearing him. Only now did Carlos notice that the kid wasn't wearing shoes. Must have removed them before he got out of the van. Smart little fucker.
'Charlie,' Maggie said. 'It wasn't me. Your mother. I never set her up.'
You going to pop the bitch or what? Jordan said.
Carlos pivoted, smacked Jordan hard, open-handed, with his left. Caught him full on the cheek.
Jordan's head jerked to the side. He waited, breathed, turned to look at Carlos. He looked puzzled.
Carlos stared back at him.
Jordan raised his gun.
Carlos raised his.
Jordan moved his arm to the side, fired two rounds into Maggie.
Carlos's hand shook. He moaned. Couldn't look at Maggie. Couldn't take his eyes off Jordan.
The fucking kid stared at him, blank. Hadn't even turned his gun on Carlos, just let it dangle by his side.
Jordan was daring him. Just like Carlos had done earlier with Bob.
Carlos said, 'Is she dead?'
Jordan glanced down. Very.
'Jesus,' Carlos said. 'You fucking little animal. You fucking…' He yelled, mouth wide open, the sides of his mouth stretched fit to tear. He stabbed the gun at Jordan. Looked away, down at Maggie, her ruined body. He yelled again, shoved the gun against Jordan's head, forced him to step back. Carlos took a breath, arm still held out straight, gun a foot from Jordan's face. Spit dribbled down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his left hand, catching a whiff of sour milk.
You done? We need to pick that shit up, get it in the van along with the other one. And get the fuck out of here.
'She's not shit,' Carlos said. 'You're fucking shit. You're the piece of fucking shit.'
You know what? If I could drive, I'd waste you right now. Jordan grabbed Carlos's hand, moved the gun away from his face. You're a grown man. You need to deal with this.
The little cocksucker was right, of course. Just cause they were in the middle of nowhere at half two in the morning didn't mean no one had heard the shots. Or that a car wouldn't come along and snare them in its headlights.
Carlos needed Jordan's help. He couldn't sort this mess out on his own. There were two bodies now. And only one bodybag. Carlos didn't like numbers that didn't add up.
