Page 161 of Forbidden Fate

The plane climbs higher.

Clouds streak past the window.

And I gulp down a lump in my throat.

I will never return to Colombia. Not ever.

And I sure as hell will never see Cruz Moreno again.

The thought should bring relief.

Instead…

It breaks my heart.

40

CRUZ

I drive like demons are chasing me, because they literally are. They may wear tailored suits instead of horns and talons, but they’re demons for sure.

I don’t have time.

Not for grief.

Not for regret.

Not for the image of Señora Valentina lying in her own foyer.

Not for the memory of Robin’s face when I told her what I did to Eagle.

Not even for the burn of her final kiss.

My jaw throbs. My throat aches where Zabala tried to crush it. My knuckles are split open again.

None of it matters.

Move.

Get out before Vega closes the roads.

Get out before Adriana wakes.

Get out before some travel official gets a call, before my fake passport becomes useless.

I reach the airport with my heart pounding and my dirty shirt sticking to my back.

The stolen car barely stops before I’m out of it. I don’t look back. I don’t lock it. I don’t care who finds it, who steals it next, who writes a ticket for it because I parked right on the curb.

Inside, the airport is bright and loud. People everywhere. Families with luggage. Businessmen staring at phones. Children crying.

Announcements echo overhead in Spanish and English.

Normal life.

Normal life, but not for me.

I force myself forward. Which ticket counter do I choose? An American carrier would be best, because that’s where I want to go. I head toward the international carriers, look at departure boards.