Page 15 of Fight

“Way to make me feel better, Ioan,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just telling you the truth,” I replied. I looked at her quickly and then back to the road. “But there might be an opportunity here.”

“For who?” she asked, but the skepticism and weariness in her voice told me she had an idea of the answer.

My chest clenched just a little, just enough to make me feel guilty.

Truth was, P was my problem, but I hadn’t really considered her in this. Yet, she was in as much trouble as me.

More.

Vasile had told me to clean this up, and I would. Even though the weight was on my shoulders, I knew I had friends, and if not Vasile’s direct support, I didn’t think he’d stop others from helping me if I needed it.

P had nothing.

I looked at her again, the enormity of what she was facing becoming clear to me in a way it hadn’t been before. For reasons I didn’t understand, I felt the desire to reassure her.

“This will help you too, P,” I said.

“If?” she asked, looking over at me now.

“If I’m lucky,” I said, giving her the full truth.

I looked at her and saw a soft, heartbreaking smile cross her face. “I hope you are, Ioan,” she said.

She didn’t need to say anything else.

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