Page 141 of For the Birds

He looked unsure.

“I’ll have another.” And when he looked unconvinced, I tossed my gun to the floor. “Releasing Scooter was your sign of good faith that you want to stop this madness. Ditchin’ my gun is my sign that I’m in this with you.” I wasn’t sure if I’d just done the stupidest thing in the world or the smartest, but it felt like the best way to get him to listen.

“Okay,” he said. His gun was still pointed at me, but he hadn’t pulled the trigger, so there was that. “Go on. Have a vision.”

“I need to hold your hand,” I said, taking a cautious step towardhim.

He reached his left hand forward, and I took it between both of my hands, partially because my legs were so rubbery I could barely standup.

“What do you want to see?” I asked softly, looking up into hiseyes.

Some of the hardness fell. “Why are you doin’ this . . . really?”

“Partially because of the county,” I said. “That part’strue.”

“And therest?”

“I don’t know.” But that was alie.

Merv had been loyal to his boss—to his friend—for years until I moved into the mix. I had literally been no one to James, worse than no one—I was the girlfriend of the assistant D.A. and definitely not to be trusted. And yet James had trusted me. Again and again and again. Then the next thing Merv knew, I’d inserted myself into James’ life with no sign of leaving.

While I didn’t condone the choices he had made—he’d hurt and outright killed people—I partially understoodthem.

“What do you want to see?” I repeated.

He started to say something, then stopped and started again. “How much can yousee?”

“Only the future,” I said. “Your future.”

“Can you see the afterlife?” he asked.

A lump formed in my throat. I had every reason to hate this man. He’d killed people. He’d told his brother to kill Jeanne . . . and yet I could still see his humanity. He needed to pay for what he’d done, but maybe there was still hope for him. “No. Only death itself.”

“That’s what’s in my future,” he said as his voice broke.

“Maybe we can change it. I can ask James to hand you over to the sheriff’s department. You’ll go to prison, maybe for life for your part in killin’ Jeanne, but you’ll still be alive.”

“I’ve done time. I ain’t goin’ back.”

“Then let’s think this through.”

His hand squeezed mine, painfully. “Enough talkin’. Have the vision.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to try to calm my rattled nerves, then asked, Will Merv survivethis?

I heard a single gunshot as I leapt into my vision.

Gray surrounded me for milliseconds before plunging me into an icy blackness. It sucked me in and pulled me under, stealing my breath away. I panicked and tried to climb out, but I was trapped. A vise squeezed my chest, and it was impossible to breathe. A warm, thick liquid covered me, pulling me deeper into the darkness.

I was going to dietoo.

“You’re gonna die,” I whispered, but I was only semi-alert. The vision was pulling me backin.

The warm stickiness spread across my chest, and I knew it was blood. Lots of blood. Had Merv tricked me and shot me anyway?

“Rose!” I heard James’ voice, faint but also near. “Get him offher!”

The sucking blackness lifted just as suddenly as it had fallen, and I could breathe again. I was back in the warehouse, and James was pulling me off the floor and into hisarms.

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