Tristian (The Doherty Mafia Book 5), стр. 29
Her words stung me even though I knew she was irrational because she was drunk, but there had to be some truth to it, I thought.
“I don’t think you really want me staying with you,” I said.
“No, actually, I don’t. I was annoyed when you turned up at my door. Tonight was supposed to be fun, just a way to kill some time because I knew I’d be bored out of my fuckin’ mind if I was stuck at home with you all night. And now you’ve gone and ruined that too!”
“By refusing to have a threesome with you?” I snapped.
Libby rolled her eyes at me and walked away, and I had no choice but to follow her. Even though I didn’t want to.
Eventually I was able to convince her to get into a cab and go back to her apartment. I just wanted to get off the streets and be somewhere safe where I wouldn’t be seen or recognized. I’d already made up my mind. I couldn’t live with Libby any longer. I’d spend the night at her place, make sure she was okay and in the morning, I’d leave.
I didn’t know where I’d go but I hoped Libby would let me use her computer so I could look up a few things on the internet. I needed to figure out bus times and train schedules. I needed to go somewhere obscure where I could get lost.
We sat in silence in the cab. Libby was fuming. I felt her hatred coming off onto me. I never realized she disliked me this much. I was completely mistaken about her.
“If you had never sent me those postcards, I’d have never landed up here. I thought you genuinely wanted to keep in touch.”
“I sent you those fuckin’ postcards because I figured you didn’t have a life otherwise. I wasn’t expecting you to just turn up here. And seriously, what are you even doing here? Coming and messing up my buzz.”
Maybe I should’ve told her the truth. Maybe if she knew the kind of things I’d recently been through, she wouldn’t think I was so boring. But I wasn’t here to prove my ‘cool-quotient’, so I said nothing.
“Seriously, Elsie, the only thing you’ve ever had going for you are your looks. Your olive skin and brown eyes, etcetera,” she snarled, rolling her eyes and looking away.
So it was jealousy? Had Libby always been jealous of me?
“Well, I’m glad you’ve had a chance to come clean about how you feel. Our paths don’t ever have to again.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“I’ll leave tomorrow,” I added.
“Good,” she said as the cab came to a stop. She jumped out first, so I had to pay for the ride with my limited resources.
I followed her into the building, already regretting all the decisions I ever made. How could I be such a terrible judge of character?
It seemed like I’d judged everybody wrong. I didn’t really know Sonya, clearly, I’d never really known my father either. I was completely wrong about Libby too.
And Tristian.
I was wrong about him.
We took the stairs up to her apartment and Libby fumbled in her purse for her key.
As she stumbled through the door and flipped a light on, I noticed the shapes within the dark inside.
The door swiftly shut behind us before I had a chance to react.
The light came on and I saw the men standing in Libby’s apartment.
They looked so big and imposing in here, battling for space.
Aldo Baron and four of his men.
“What the fuck is this?” Libby screeched, staring at the men in the room.
I’d turned completely cold and numb when I saw them. I couldn’t feel my hands or my feet. My head spun out of control. I’d known I was in danger of being discovered by Aldo, but this quickly?
They had followed me this whole time. I wasn’t imagining it.
Aldo’s eyes were trained on me, he completely ignored Libby’s presence in the room.
“You want to tell me what this is about?” Libby turned to me when she caught Aldo looking.
“Let her leave, she has nothing to do with this,” I said, keeping my chin up.
My knees shook while I stood there in that damned dress. Libby looked confused. I figured she wasn’t feeling so drunk anymore.
“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into, Elsie? Who are these people and what do they want?” she snarled at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, as my eyes filled with tears. I turned to Aldo again, who’d been completely silent this whole time. It was like he enjoyed observing us in silence.
“Please, just let her go. Libby, leave now. Go somewhere and don’t talk to anybody.”
She shook her head in confusion, looking around the room at the men.
“Please, Aldo, she won’t say anything to anyone. You can trust her,” I begged.
“This is fuckin’ bullshit,” Libby screamed.
I saw the darkness on Aldo’s face. He was irritated by her. Maybe by how she screeched or he just didn’t like her voice. I didn’t know what it was.
“Please…” I sobbed as the tears flooded down my cheeks.
I’d spent enough time around these men to know what they were capable of.
Aldo raised his gun and pointed it at Libby.
“What? No!” she screamed, just as he pulled the trigger.
Her screech was cut short when the bullet hit her on the side of the head and she fell with a thud to the floor. The sound was horrifying. I felt the ground give way underneath me and I crumpled down, losing all control of my mind and body.
I didn’t hear my voice anymore. I couldn’t hear myself screaming. I knew she was dead. I knew Libby was dead and it was because of me.
I’d just killed a friend.
One of the men was ordered by Aldo to pull me back up off the floor. I couldn’t stand. I didn’t have the strength in my legs. My mind had gone completely blank.
I didn’t want to