Chapter 54
The night air felt cold, with a heavy silence that pressed against my ears. The car door shut behind me as I got out of the car and stood next to the door thinking about what was inside the trunk.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman her lifeless eyes, the way she’d looked at me in that last moment. But she deserved it, her intentions weren’t pure ones. Luca exhaled, rubbing his hands together.
“We need help digging. This isn’t something we can handle ourselves.” I raised an eyebrow, even though a part of me knows his right.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who exactly do you have in mind? Some sketchy back-alley guy with a spade and a dark past?”He smirked, not meeting my gaze. “Pretty much. Don’t worry, he’s reliable.” I stared at him in disbelief, how could someone who digs graves be reliable?
I’ve been burned too many times by people who called themselves reliable. “You’d better hope he’s more than just a crooked smile and tattoos,” I muttered, resting my hand against the trunk as though willing it to open and swallow the problem whole.
“Relax,” Luca said. “He’s got the muscle, the spade, and the mouth for small talk. Nothing more.” I shot him a look that could melt steel. “If he kills us both, I’m haunting you.”
Luca chuckled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He pulled out his phone and made the call. The conversation was short. Ten minutes later, a car pulled up from the shadows.
The engine cut, and out stepped a man who looked like every cliché of danger rolled into one tattoos snaking up his neck, a crooked smile, and eyes that missed nothing.
I swallowed hard. “You better be legit,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
He tilted his head. “Legit for what?” His voice was smooth, almost casual, like we were negotiating lunch rather than disposing of a dead body.
Luca stepped forward. “He’s digging for us.” The man’s smile widened, and he glanced at the trunk, then at me. “Big job tonight, huh?” I bit back a sarcastic comment and said instead, “Yeah, big job. Don’t screw it up.”
He shrugged, almost lazily, and approached the back of the car. Luca popped the trunk. I averted my eyes, the sight making my stomach twist, and muttered under my breath, “This is so messed up.” Luca ignored me, he has every right to.
My heart ached at what I had involved him in. He should never have come to visit me, none of this would’ve happened.
The man nodded at him, then crouched and began inspecting the small clearing Luca had chosen. The ground was soft from recent rain, thank God, but still rocky and hard.
“Think you can handle it?” Luca asked.
“I’ll manage,” the man said, voice flat, like he’d buried bodies before and didn’t need to talk about it. I paced a few steps away, my mind racing.
I’m going to be a mother soon. I’m supposed to be nurturing. And here I am, standing over a corpse, watching someone dig a hole while my nerves feel like shredded wire.
The man’s shovel hit the earth with a sickening thud. He worked methodically, muscles tensing under the dim light of the moon, the tattoos seeming to ripple across his skin with each swing. I couldn’t help staring.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Luca, I swear, if this guy turns out to be a problem—”
“He won’t,” Luca interrupted, though his voice lacked conviction. I didn’t answer, the pit in my stomach was not going away.
I let my mind wander, sarcastic as ever: Well, Emerald, at least you’re consistent. Dead bodies, strangers with tattoos, and illegal midnight missions. All in a week’s work.
The man glanced at me once, eyebrow raised. “Is she in charge?” he asked Luca.
Luca nodded. “Yeah, she’s the boss tonight. You follow her lead.” I nearly laughed. Boss? Sure. The boss of a dead woman and two grown men are digging a hole in the middle of nowhere.
The digging was slow, methodical. Each time a scoop of earth hit the ground, it made me flinch. I could smell the damp soil, the faint trace of gasoline still clinging to the body, and it made my stomach churn.
Finally, the hole was ready. The man crouched beside it, and Luca and I lifted the body, placing her gently if a corpse could be gentle into the grave. A pregnant woman going around picking burned corpses, this is all bad luck.
I stepped back, wiping sweat from my forehead. “Done?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
The man stood, brushing off his hands. “Done.”
Luca exhaled, tension rolling off him in waves. “Good. Let’s cover it.” As the soil went back in, I felt a wave of sickness and adrenaline wash over me. My hands trembled, my chest ached, and my heart pounded so loudly I was sure it would echo through the clearing.
When the grave was finally covered, the man stood back, hands on his hips, crooked smile still in place. “Clean job. Nobody will find her here.” Who the hell told him it's a ‘she’?
I forced a dry laugh, sarcasm dripping like venom. “Fantastic. Congratulations, everyone. We’ve successfully buried someone we shouldn’t even know existed.”
He tilted his head but said nothing.
I glared at him annoyed that he thinks he can just stare at me, he chuckled when he noticed my evil stare. Luca took out a stash of cash in his pocket and gave it to the guy, I looked away guilty gnawing at me. He’s cleaning up my mess.
I turned to Luca as he started walking toward the car. “Luca, that guy better be legit. I don’t care how much muscle or tattoos he has. If he screws us over, I swear—”
“You’ll haunt me?” he said, smirking despite the tension, I rolled my eyes. He chuckled, shaking his head. I climbed into the passenger seat, heart still hammering, and Luca started the engine.
The man waved from the shadows, getting back into his own car and driving off, leaving us alone in the darkness.
As we drove back to the mansion, the adrenaline finally started to ebb. My hands rested on my lap, still shaking. I stared out the window at the darkened road and muttered, “What the hell am I doing with my life?”
Luca didn’t answer, just kept his eyes on the road. In a span of four months, I lost my father, got married for money, and cheated with my brother-in-law. I got pregnant for god knows who and now I’ve just buried someone.