Page 62 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
“That’s it?”
He flashes me a dangerous grin. “Of course, we will kill your woman if you fail to do as you are told.”
My trigger finger twitches. I glance at his Glock, and the urge to grab it almost takes hold of me. But I push it down and nod. Even if he changes his mind by the night’s end, it doesn’t matter. I’ll have my Colts with me. If he threatens Leila, I won’t hesitate next time.
“What did Andrei want then?” Leila asks.
“He wants me to inflate the bets. I guess it’s so they can launder the money faster.”
“That’s all?”
“He threatened you if I didn’t do my job.”
“Okay.” She exhales. “It’s good I know danger might come from other places tonight.”
“I’ll kill him if he tries to make good on his threat.”
“No, you won’t.”
I lean toward her and speak very clearly so there’s no mistaking my intentions. “In a heartbeat.”
“So would I,” she snaps, eyes flashing. “I mean... we’re partners. So... yeah. I’ve got your back.”
She quickly looks away.
A slow grin forms on my lips, and suddenly, I’m not worried in the slightest that she didn’t say I love you back to me.
“Just admit it.” I put my hands on her hips.
“Admit what?”
“That I’m still your huckleberry.”
She pushes me away, but not before I glimpse the smile in her eyes. It’s the light this godless place needs. That I need.
A burst of laughter somewhere near the hotel draws my attention to a richly dressed couple entering the lobby. The reality of the night closes in with all that festering darkness. The next time I look at Leila, I see the makeup, the dress, and the narrative she’s created.
The light winks out.
“You don’t have to do this,” I murmur.
“Do what?”
I touch the corset. “If you go in there, throw away these clothes, and just be Leila, I’ll back you up. If you choose to say fuck everything and we escape to a deserted island, I’ll still be there. Whatever you want, wildcat.”
Her breath hitches, and warmth floods her bright eyes. She looks at me like she did in the bathroom—like I’m her man. Then she gives me a fond pat on the chest, kisses my cheek, and says, “Let’s get this over and done with so you can throw away my clothes.”
Twenty-Six
Leila
As we approach the elevator for the penthouse, I think about the part of the gospel where Mary talked about matter. It went something like:
All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.
I didn’t quite understand the old-world language, but Thea explained that it’s like what our physicists today say about matter. She thought it was rather remarkable that Mary, a woman in a time when they were meant to be uneducated, had understood better than the other apostles. Matter can’t be destroyed but can only change forms. Meaning at some point, we all existed in the same form, regardless of who we are today.
We’re all made of stardust.
