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“She deserved it. She deserved it for what she did to me,” Sam said.

“That’s not who we are,” Alice said.

“That’s not who you are. But it’s who I am.”

Alice slumped her shoulders. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Every emotion overwhelmed Alice, and she could no longer hold back. It was over. It was finally over. The Savinos were no more.

Sam wrapped her arms around Alice to console her. Alice pushed her away.

Sam tapped the thick end of the wooden stake in the palm of her hand. “I guess I deserved that.”

Alice snapped her fingers. The wooden stake flew out of Sam’s hand and into Alice’s awaiting hand. She tossed it into her bag.

“Why?” Alice asked. “I want to know why you told them.”

Sam scanned around as if to find the right answer. “I thought if people knew, then we could sell it and make some real money. Money that allowed us to get out of our stupid lives and do whatever we wanted, instead of working behind a bar.”

“Did you ever love me?” Alice asked.

“Of course, I did. That’s a dumb question.”

“Did you love me for me or because of what I could do?”

Sam paused. She crossed her arms, bit her lips, and lowered her eyes.

“Did you love me for me?” Alice asked again.

Sam lifted her head to meet Alice’s eyes. “I did love you. I loved the idea of what you could do for us even more. Look. I’m sorry. I only had the best intentions in mind. I was going to get you an offer, and then we could escape to a beach some place. The two of us. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

A tear ran down Alice’s face. It rolled down her cheek and onto the floor.

Sam threw her hands into the air and slapped them to her sides. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Hugo loved me for me. He’s the only one who ever loved me for me, and he’s gone,” Alice said.

Sam rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know how many times I can apologize. I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t know if you were still alive or what after I found the door in their basement.” Alice retrieved Sam’s red hat from her black bag and handed it to her. “I brought it in case I found you.”

Sam examined the red knit hat before locking eyes with Alice.

“At least we had Salem,” Alice said.

“At least we had Salem,” Sam replied, giving a half smile to the red knit hat.

Alice gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, Sam,” Alice said and left the nightclub, leaving Sam alone.

Alice made her way back to the black SUV. She opened the door and removed her hat and bag. She tossed them into the passenger seat before entering. Guinevere poked at Alice’s shoulder as she sat down.

Alice placed a hand on the ash broomstick. “It’s over, Gwennie. It’s all over.”

She pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Ez beforetossing the phone to the seat next to her. Alice sat in the car, unmoving. The morning sky came alive with a kaleidoscope of colors; rays of red, orange, and purple peered over the tops of buildings as the sunlight pushed back against the darkness.

Alice sobbed.

After a moment, she wiped away her tears. Alice started the SUV, rolled up the back window, and took off.

Chapter 28