Page 55 of When Sinners Rise

“Shaw?” I keep staring at the ceiling as she walks into the room. “What happens now?”

“Guess you stay here the night, and then you go.”

“Go where?”

”Wherever the fuck you want, Miri. I’ve done my part.”

“But what about Naja?” I slant my gaze at her as she sits in the chair in a towel.

“What about her?”

“I can’t just leave without her. I don’t even know how to leave anyway. I’ve got no passport, no money.” She looks at the bag on the side. “Can you sort that for me? I don’t know how to, and I need one.” I look back at the ceiling.

“I’ve done all I’m doing. That’s enough.”

“Enough? My sister is still out there somewhere, and you think this is enough?”

“You’re goddamn right it’s enough. I just blew my world to shit for you.” I try closing my eyes again. Abel’s still there. “Fuck!” I sit up and look around the small room, searching for booze. There isn’t any. “Jesus fucking Christ!” I stand and pace the confines, hoping some will appear. It doesn’t. I swipe at the bag, getting some cash out so I can go get some if I can’t sleep.

“What are you doing?” she asks. I grab my keys and open the door to leave. “Shaw? Where are you going?”

“Going to get some booze.”

“You’re going to get drunk?”

“Yeah.”

“And leaving me here?”

“Yeah. You wanna run, go for it. You’re not my problem anymore. I’m done.” She grabs my arm and tries hauling me back in. “Get the hell off of me.”

“No. What if we need to run again? We need to figure this all out.”

“Fuck that. There’s nothing to figure out. Why the fuck would we do that?”

“Because ….” She drops my arm and backs up a step. “Because you’re all I’ve got at the moment, and I don’t know what I’m doing. And I need my sister, Shaw. I need her. She wouldn’t leave me, and I’m not leaving her, and you know where she is.”

“I don’t know shit.” Her finger comes up, pointing at me.

“You’re lying. You do know. You all know what you do with women.” I swallow, pissed at the fact that I know exactly where she is. “And you know all this is wrong – ALL OF IT!”

“Yeah, and you’re here now because of that fact, so stop throwing crap at me.”

“You could help more, but you’re too busy, what, wanting to go get drunk? Fucking useless.” I slam the door, as pissed with her attitude as I am with this whole damn confusing situation.

“Did you just call me useless? Do you know what I’ve just done for you? My whole fucking world is gone, and you’re calling me useless? Did you see me beating on my own goddamn brother so you could get out of there? I’m dead because of that, Miri. My whole goddamn family will disown me for this, if one or two of them don’t try killing me for it.”

“No. They’ll take you back, and you’ll carry on-”

“You don’t get it, do you? There is no going back. None. I don’t live in your world where people talk through their problems and find solutions. I just pissed on them from the highest fucking level. I am done. Zero fucking options.”

CHAPTER TWENTY - TWO

MIRI

Ilet him go.

What else can I say to him? I’m just… “Arghh!”