Page 86 of Exile and Embrace

As I park the truck and get out, she rolls down the window.

I lean down, resting my arm against the car. “Get in the truck. We have to get rid of the body.”

Her eyes narrow, and her lips press together. “You’re just going to leave your car here?”

“One of the members of the cleaning crew knows where it’s parked. The plan always has been that one of them was going to drive it home while I handle this. Now, come on.”

Ava rolls up the window and gets out of the car. She doesn’t look at the tarp-covered body in the bed of the truck before climbing in.

I get back in the truck and start it up, heading for the highway.

Stars hang bright in the sky as I leave the city and head into the country.

Ava says nothing, reading a book on her phone while I drive.

She should be more bothered by what’s going on. For someone who hasn’t been raised in the mob, she is eerily calm about it all.

I don’t stop driving until we reach a marina nearly two hours outside Portland. Ava slides her phone away as we drive down to the pier where a boat is docked and waiting.

“Aves, go get on the boat.” I park the truck and get out.

Waves lap at the docks, the boat rocking in the window.

Ava gets out and crosses her arms. “Finn, what are you doing?”

“Getting rid of a problem for Cillian, I thought that was obvious.” I wrap the tarp tighter around the body, tying it in place with some rope.

“Yes, it is, but I was more concerned with why you thought this would be a good way to get my mind off everything.” She follows me to the boat, climbing on and settling in one of the seats. “It seems like you’re trying to scare me away.”

“You know, you’re too calm right now.” I toss the body onto the boat beside her.

Ava winces and flinches away from the body. “I’m not okay with being here, Finn, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen either.”

My pulse jumps as I untie the boat from the dock and toss the ropes inside.

Ava gets up and winds them around the cleats while I push the boat away from the dock and jump in.

I take my place behind the wheel, starting up the boat while keeping the lights off. “It’s not?”

She shakes her head. “I dated your brother, Finn. I’ve seen a lot worse. And to be honest, I think you only brought me tonight to scare me off. I don’t think this was about distracting me from my father, even if you say it is.”

My knuckles turn white as I grip the wheel.

She’s right about that, even if I didn’t know that’s what I was doing when I told her to come with me. There was a subconscious choice made to try and push her away from me.

Because I’m not the kind of man she should be with. She deserves far better.

Ava sits down again as spray from the harbor cascades around us. “You’re trying to be something you’re not, Finn. For whatever reason, you think that scaring me is going to make me run for the hills. After all the shit that’s happened in my life, you should have thought twice about that.”

“We’re in too deep.” My voice is tight. “You have to see that.”

She nods. “I do, but I’m still not going anywhere. And to be quite honest, I’m tired of other people trying to control decisions that should be mine. I’m in this with you.”

I sigh and shake my head. “It isn’t as simple as that. This was mild compared to some of the things I’ve had to do.”

Ava stands and strides over to me. She stands beside me, her arms crossed until I stop the boat and turn to face her.

“You’re more than a killer, Finn. You used to say that you wanted to step out from beneath your father’s thumb, and I believe that you can do that. You just have to try. You deserve better too.”

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