Page 102 of All My Broken Pieces

“Miss.” The border agent replies, shifting his gaze between Fallon and me. “Identification?” I hand over our passports, careful to keep the smile on my face as natural as I can. He glances up at me and back down, holding the booklet up to compare before doing the same with Fallon’s.

Grunting, he hands them back, asking, “Business or pleasure?” His eyes narrow at Fallon, sending a warning thrill up my spine.

I chuckle, placing my hand on her knee. “Pleasure. We’re here for a nice little getaway, right, baby?” My jaw clenches as I wait for her response.

After a moment of anxious silence that seems to last far too long, she finally mumbles, “Right.”

“See?” I beam, squeezing my fingers. Turning back toward the agent, I gesture forward toward the land of our freedom. “So, we good to get this vacay started?”

He stares at us both for a few more moments before nodding. “Yes, have a good time ladies.” Stepping back, he waves us through.

I tip an invisible hat to him, rolling up the window and accelerating. After I’ve put a little distance between us, I let out the breath I’d been holding, exclaiming, “We did it! We’re free now,mi vida.” Fallon flinches at the nickname, shaking her head.

“Do we really deserve freedom?” She whispers, her voice barely loud enough to make out.

A flash of anger hits me and I jerk the wheel to pull off onto the side of the road. Fallon gulps, but keeps her gaze fixed forward as I turn my glare on her. “You want to talk about what people deserve?” I snap, unable to control the furious emotions bubbling up. “Theydeserved to die. They deserved a lot worse than what they got.”

Fallon shrinks into her seat, still refusing to look at me.

“Those men touched you, Fallon. They-” I cut off, tightening my grip on the wheel. “I wanted to skin them alive for what they did to you. I wanted to hear their cries and pleas. Even then, it wouldn’t be enough to drown out the sound of yours.” My voicetrails off, barely a whisper as I hear her cries echoing in my mind once more.

A stilted silence follows my rant, neither of us willing to break through it and voice our thoughts. The minutes tick by and finally Fallon sighs heavily. “I need a drink.”

Chapter 50

Fallon

Happily ever after.

The hero and the heroine ride off into the sunset, staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.

No more heartache, no more strife, only basking in the love they hold for the rest of time.

What a load of shit.

I knock back another shot of tequila. It’s never been my drink of choice, but it’s dirt cheap here, and the cheaper the better for the purpose it’s serving me right now.

And that service is to make me forget, or at the very least, not care anymore.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

I hold up my hand in Arriana’s direction.I’llsay when I’ve had enough, and it’s not yet.

“Fallon.” She sighs, sinking into the seat beside me. “We need to talk about this, baby.”

I shake my head vigorously, pouring another shot from the bottle into my shot glass. “Nope, not gonna happen.” I mutter, tossing the liquor down my throat. The warmth that follows the burn a welcome contrast to the icy chill of my soul. I reach for the bottle once more only to have it snatched out of my reach. “Hey!” I shout, whirling in my seat to glare at Arriana.

She levels me with one of her own, not backing down. “No, you’re done.”

“Fuck you.” I growl, reaching forward to snatch the tequila back.

Arriana’s jaw clenches, her eyes alight with something that should probably scare me, but I’m too far gone to care. Without a word, she turns and chucks the bottle against a nearby wall, watching as the broken shards of glass rain down with the wasted liquid.

I shriek, turning toward her and lashing out. “What iswrongwith you?” I cry, trying to claw at her face. She traps my wrists in her hands, stopping the attack. I struggle against her, jerking wildly at her hold, my mind flashing back to the feeling oftheirhands on me. On my body.Insideof me.

I collapse in a heap, sobs breaking from my chest. Arriana loosens her grip, helping me down so I don’t hurt myself. Not that I’d care right now. Maybe the pain would help take some of this internal agony away.

“Talk to me, baby. Please.” She begs, releasing her hold and moving to kneel beside me.

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