Page 66 of Run with Me

I shotout of the pew, but Ben was already halfway down the aisle, and I didn’t have a chance to getaway.

“Nah, nah, nah, chiquita. Now that we’re all here, it’s time to settle a debt. They didn’t believe me, but I knew you’d come back. I knew you couldn’t leave all that cash behind.”

As Ben strolled toward us with the barrel of his gun aimed our way, John stepped in front ofme.

“Where’s the money, Anna?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied.

“Why did you say she died out in the desert?” John asked, still half shocked. What I wanted to know, was, if I’d presumably died, then where was mybody?

“We found Mr. Garcia in his truck. He had a heart attack.” He smirked, and I knew that was a lie aswell.”

Ben killed him. My chest tightened. If it weren’t for the old man, I would have never made it out of Pace. I hoped he got a chance to use his shot gun on them, but even if he did, his plan failed.

“When we searched the truck, there was a compartment with your son’s plush toy and a lot of blood. No one could have survived that.” Why was Ben so happy aboutit?

I knew that I’d had a lot of cuts and bruises. At one point I’d gotten a gash on my forearm that had bled a lot. Then one on my thigh and another one on my calf. That’s what happened when you traveled in a rusted old car with leftover metal scraps.

I didn’t remember most of that trip, but I knew that I’d slept a lot. I was pretty sure Mr. Garcia was the one who had arranged for the bus driver to take me out of state. I couldn’t believe he wasgone.

“Police said the body was mangled beyond recognition. They brought Mr. Monkey to me. The toy was covered in blood. That’s why I thought it had to beyou.”

“Who did you kill to put in that casket?” I asked.

“Chiquita, we thought it was you. It made sense since that toy was there.” He mocked. “I guess it’s a wonder what the police will say when they’re motivated.”

Ben paid them off.He did so on purpose, to hurt John. My heart ached for John as I imagined what he must have felt when he heard the news of my death.

“You’re a bastard, that’s what you are,” I said to Ben. “You come to Pace and act all high and mighty, terrorizing everyone in town. You have no idea what a monster you are. John may not say it to you, but I will. You will go straight to hell, where your worst nightmares, whatever those may be, will be played over and over again and you will suffer the pain and torture you brought to others.”

Ben laughed. “Yeah, I’m really afraid now. I act high and mighty because that’s what I am. Don’t ever fucking forget that, and as far as hell, I’m looking forward to ruling it. Where is the money, Anna? Where’s my fifty million dollars?”

Ben pushed me forward and I fell to my knees. I heard John shuffle behind me as he tried to get to me, but Ben put the gun to his head to stophim.

“Levántate! You better start talking, or Padre John here is not going to fulfill his calling.”

As I slowly pushed off the floor, I caught sight of Xavier lying underneath one of the benches. He put his finger to his lips, as if shushing me, and moved his head to the side. I thought he mouthed Don’t tell, but I wasn’t sure. At this moment, denial was probably one of the best options anyway because the moment I told Ben about the money, he’d pull the trigger.

I brushed my knees off and stoodup.

“Come on.” Ben pressed the gun between my shoulder blades. “I think it’s time you found out how I get those skeletons on my wall nice and clean.”

John put his arm around me and I looked behind us. “I can’t believe you’re threatening a priest.”

“Like I said before, I already know I’m going to hell.” Ben shrugged.

“Come on, let’s not infuriate him any further.” John pulled me to him with reassurance.

I hoped that Xavier would hurry with whatever plan he was making up underneath that bench. Right about now would work. But we left the church, and Xavier never came out. It would be so easy to lose hope now, but Xavier wouldn’t give up on us. He wouldn’t break his promise – wouldhe?

Ben took us across the street to one of his cars. As soon as I got in, the smell of fuel overwhelmed me. I could barely breathe, and so I twisted the knob and rolled down the window. Before Ben turned the ignition, my gaze caught a section of a familiar postcard in between papers scattered over the car’s dashboard.

How did he get that?I thought.

We took a road out of town. I made the sign of the cross as we passed my parents’ chapel. Ben had no idea how close we’d come to the money, and I couldn’t help but gloat on the inside. That money was cursed anyway. The stolen cash was damned, and I prayed that if it remained hidden, it would eventually stop terrorizing us. A mile or so past the chapel, Mateo took a sudden turn right and headed straight for the canyon. I connected my gaze with John’s. Fear filled his eyes, but it wasn’t his own. It was fear for mylife.

Live for today.

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