Chapter 36: Something I Don't know

James was driving at high speed, barely staying under the highway speed limit; if he’d gone just a little faster, Elodie would surely have gone pale and fallen silent.

“Miss, are you okay? You look pale,” the young man asked, wanting to make sure Elodie wasn’t too scared.

“Do you always drive this fast?”

James laughed, a bit boastful about his skills. “You have no idea how fast I can go.”

“Thank goodness. I’d rather not find out. You’ve already surprised me with plenty of adrenaline-pumping stunts. First, you’re a little monster; second, you didn’t flinch after shooting someone in the head; third, this.” Elodie sighed, sounding heavy as if she were holding a big secret. “Tell me, James, what did you do to O’Connell’s men earlier?”

“I shot them in the head.”

“Uh, I guess I’m not used to it yet.”

“Calm down, Miss. You’ll get used to seeing shootings—or becoming one of the shooters.”

“I can’t imagine myself decapitating a chicken, let alone shooting a human in the head.”

“No one can imagine how bad someone’s life is. You know… the situation could be worse, or it could be the worst.”

James was right; with Elodie’s decision to place herself under the Consigliere’s supervision, she was risking a great deal regarding her own safety. She could be safe, or not at all. But for now, Elodie could trust that Noah was reliable.

The girl’s hand kept clutching something inside her small bag, running her fingers over the surface of the paper where Hime’s phone number was still clearly scrawled. Elodie hadn’t given Hime any clarity about their next meeting, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten about it entirely. She was just a few steps away from gaining access to the Northern Battleground.

The phone number felt heavier and heavier in Elodie’s grip. She stared at the hastily scribbled digits on the scrap of paper, then recalled Hime’s face as she’d handed it to her.

Hime had just saved Elodie’s life; she’d helped her escape from O’Connell’s men. But there was still something that kept Elodie from feeling completely at ease; perhaps it was the gun.

She still clearly remembered how Hime had drawn the gun with such a natural motion, as if it were no different from a wallet or a cell phone.

Elodie had been scared at first, but Hime’s explanation made sense. Even so, the thought that she might be dealing with people no different from Noah or O’Connell kept Elodie from fully letting her guard down.

“Is that someone’s number?” James’s voice cut through her reverie; Elodie quickly folded the paper. “You’ve been staring at it for five minutes.”

“I haven’t been that long.”

“Three minutes, then.”

Elodie snorted softly. James glanced briefly in her direction before refocusing on the road.

“That woman?”

“Yeah. She gave it to me before that bald guy saw me.”

“Oh.”

“We ran away together.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

Elodie leaned back in her seat, her expression growing slightly heavier. As if she were sorting through which parts she wanted to share.

“We ran all the way to the MRT station.”

“Thank goodness. I was starting to worry O’Connell’s skills had deteriorated drastically.”

Elodie rolled her eyes.

“We switched lines a few times. Took different trains. Got off before our stop. Got back on. I’m not exactly sure; I was too panicked to pay attention to everything at the time.”

Unlike Hime, that thought just popped into her head. Because even while they were being chased, Hime didn’t look the least bit panicked.

She wasn’t rushing or trembling. As if it were all just a minor issue she’d faced countless times before. Meanwhile, Elodie could barely breathe at the time.

She still remembers how her heart raced every time the train doors opened.

“That’s pretty impressive.”

James’s voice pulled her out of her memories. Elodie blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“If she can stay calm while dealing with a panicky person like you, she must be pretty amazing.”

Elodie wanted to argue. But strangely, she couldn’t. Because for the first time since meeting Hime, she realized one thing.

Maybe what made her uneasy wasn’t the gun the girl was carrying; nor was it the fact that they’d once been chased together. It was because Hime seemed too calm.

The car kept speeding through the streets of Las Vegas. Elodie wasn’t paying much attention to which way James was taking her until something outside the window caught her eye.

At first, it was just a glimpse—a turn that felt familiar. Then a row of shops she used to pass by almost every day. Then a street sign.

Her heart suddenly began to race.

“Wait.”

James glanced at her.

“Hm?”

“Slow down a bit.”

The young man’s eyebrows raised, but he still slowed down. Elodie moved closer to the window. The longer it went on, the more that uneasy feeling grew.

And as the car turned into the next intersection, the world seemed to stop spinning.

“Miss?”

James’s voice sounded distant, very distant. Because Elodie’s gaze was fixed on a single point. To the spot where her family’s small flower shop should have stood. To the place she had always called home for eighteen years.

No flower shop, no house. Nothing at all.

All that remained was a charred building frame. Collapsed walls. Burnt wood. Yellow police tape still stretched across the rubble.

Elodie’s eyes widened.

“Miss?”

James slammed on the brakes the moment he saw the girl’s face turn pale.

The car came to a stop at the si

de of the road. For a few seconds, Elodie couldn’t even breathe.

“That…” Her voice broke. “That’s my house.”