(Formerly known as "When Our Paths Crossed")
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A tale of two lost souls brought together by pain, grief and trauma.
Atlas tries to find a place in a world he's worked so hard to escape. Elijah struggles to balance the life he's building and the...
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DESIREE AND RIN are out on the front porch when I pulled up in front of Rin's house. I climb out of the car, my body soaked with exhaustion, anger and fear. The second my foot touches the sidewalk, Desiree flings her arms around my shoulders. Rin watches from the porch, a cigarette dangling loosely between her index finger and thumb.
"You look like you could use a drink," she says, squishing the cigarette under her boot. "Maybe two or three."
Desiree guides me inside, and as Rin moves into the kitchen to fetch some glasses and alcohol, Desiree leads me into the living room. I have no idea where Rin's parents are, but they never seem to be around, leaving their daughter to run the house as she pleases. At least now, there's no one in the house save the three of us and a sleek, black cat that's perched on the back of the couch Desiree plants me on. It regards us with icy blue, feline eyes. As soon as I tilt my head back, it grunts irritably before jumping off its spot. It glares at me with that cat-like judgement before sauntering off.
Desiree plops down beside me. "That's Yoru; he's a bit of a grump but cuddly in his own way."
The only sound that follows is Rin bustling around in the kitchen. I stare up at the ceiling, replaying the image of Atlas lying on the hospital bed, a gun pointed at his drawn face. Jason will kill him if I don't figure this shit out, and he probably won't even bat an eye.
"Here we go."
Rin stomps into the living room, juggling three glasses and a large bottle of vodka. She plants everything on the coffee table with a child-like grin and proceeds to pour everyone a drink. Desiree takes one and shoves it in my hand.
"It might help to calm you down a bit," she explains.
I take the glass but don't take a drink. Rin downs hers with a burning hiss and then pours another.
"So, are you going to just sit there like a lost puppy or are you going to tell us what exactly is going on?" she asks. Yoru jumps up and turns into a fluffy loaf on her lap, and she strokes his soft fur absently.
"There's not much to tell," I sigh, "as I told Desiree... Jason showed up at the hospital, and he's threatening to kill Atlas if I don't bring him the money and the drugs Dan stole."
"Do you have any idea where he might have stashed the goods?" Rin asks. Her tone is void of any remorse for Dan's death. She's straight to the point, all business.
"No... well, yeah, sort of. He was in the process of putting the money into a bank account." I pull out the letter and set it on the coffee table. "He couldn't put all fifty thousand into the account in one go because that would be a red flag for the bank. Besides, he still had yet to sell all the drugs. So, he kept that hidden somewhere no one would ever think to look..."
Desiree grabs the letter and unfolds it. She reads it over, and I can tell when she gets to the end of the letter because her eyes widen into saucers, and her mouth falls open.
