Page 109 of Rhet

“Home.” I test the word against my palette.

Saying the word home lies heavy on my chest. For the first time the place feels that way—I don’t want to think of why or because of who. I press on the gas, running a few more traffic lights. Seeing the lights of my club, I bend a few more corners.

I park in my reserved spot. Why the hell couldn’t Julian tell me what’s up?

I open the back entrance of the club and run up the stairs. This dark entrance is usually for quick exits for celebrities, politicians, and a few priests.

I see Julian standing at the door of the red room. He looks straight ahead with his arms locked in front of him. As I get closer, crying comes from the room.

“What the hell is that sound, Julian?”

Julian squeezes the bridge of his nose. “It’s the Senator.”

I move past Julian and open the door.

“What the hell?” That’s all I can think to say. The Senator kneels at the side of the bed. Tears running down his face. I think he’s praying. The room stinks of cum and sweat.

I take my phone out and take pictures of the scene set before me.

Natasha’s blonde hair fans out over the pillow. Her eyes are open staring up at the ceiling.

Her chest wasn’t moving. She’s dead. However, there’s no blood around. No nothing that can say this was a murder.

I need this to be a murder. I wanted to blackmail the senator with a rape case, but murder. This is rich.

“We were laughing and fucking,” the senator wipes his tears, but they just keep coming. “She said choke me, daddy.”

I walk around the bed and see the dark purple marks around her neck.

“What happened after you choked her?”

I need the whole story. He gets up and climbs onto the bed next to her. “Maybe if we do CPR.”

“Senator she’s dead. Cover your shit up.”

I have to explain this shit to Kozlov. Poor Natasha. The Senator takes her hair and rubs it between his fingers. “Come on now. Come on.”

I wait for him to realize she’s gone.

“I blacked out. I don’t remember much, but I remember her tapping my arm.” He sucks in air and places his hand over his mouth. His podgy body glistens with sweat.

“You killed her.”

I needed to drive that point home. I’m sorry for Natasha and that she had to die this way but this plays out way better than I expected. It’s fucking perfect.

His shoulders jerk as he begins to cry all over again. He lifts her leg, trying to get life back into it.

Of course, nothing happens.

“Why can’t I remember?” He taps his head the heel of his palm.

“I can make this all disappear today.”

I wait for him to understand the scenario before him. One, two, three.

“You did this to me?” he screams as he shoves his hands in his hair and pulls at it from the roots.

“Senator, I really want to take the credit for this genius, but I can’t. This was all you.”

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