Chapter 8

Keavy~

I towel dried my hair as I walked out of the shower, my mind still on my goddamn earrings. It'd been such a rookie move to leave them behind, and I was screwed if there were any cameras in the area. If not, then I could always lie and say that I had hooked up with Kenneth last weekend or something like that.

After I'd shot the second guy, I had grabbed his gun, then had tossed both weapons in my purse, getting the hell out of there before anyone else showed up. Thankfully, both firearms had been equipped with silencers, not to mention that Kenneth's house had been close enough to the docks to be considered out in the country. His nearest neighbor was half a block away, and the semi-isolation had made it easy to go out the back, then run my way back into town.

Now, while I'd done my best to not touch anything, including the doorknob to the back door, everyone knew that a person left behind a little bit of DNA wherever they went. So, at this point, all I could hope for was the absence of cameras, leaving the police to prove that I'd been at Kenneth's house tonight and not some other night.

Once I'd gotten closer to town, I had emerged in a seedier side of Port Townsend, but I'd known enough to recognized that I'd still been in O'Brien territory, which had been a good thing, despite having almost been killed by them. The last thing that I'd wanted to do was end up in Kotov or Sartori territory, knowing no one or how to get around.

I'd also been lucky enough to make my way to Miller's without anyone bothering me that late at night-or early in the morning, really. By the time that my feet had hit the pavement, it'd been past four in the morning, so maybe all the riffraff had already been passed out for the night.

At any rate, as soon as I'd gotten into my car, I'd driven out to the cabin. The second that I'd gotten here, instead of going into the house, I'd gone to the deep pit barbecue setup that Cian used to use when he'd hunt, then had dumped the knife, guns, all my clothing, and my purse into the pit, lighting it on fire immediately. After that, I'd taken the stuff that I had saved from my purse, then had gone inside to take a shower. Once I had scrubbed myself clean, I had let the water continue to run, then poured bleach all over the tile, then let it flow down the drain. I knew that bleach didn't help against that snazzy blue light that CSI had, but it had made me feel better to go that extra mile.

As I sat down at the kitchen table, still drying my hair, I glanced out the window, noticing how the pit was no longer smoking. I was going to have to clean the pit out, then bury every last ash in the woods behind the cabin, then hunt a small animal to put fresh remains inside the pit. Luckily, the animal DNA in the pit went back decades, so even if the police did collect evidence from the brick, it might be convoluted enough not to matter.

Now, everything that I'd been doing since I left Kenneth's house had been to save myself against the police, but what about the O'Briens? It was the worst-kept secret that the O'Briens had most of the police force in their pockets, so if there were cameras, what guarantee did I have that the police wouldn't hand me over to Declan O'Brien? After all, I just killed two of his men, and anyone with any kind of sense knew enough not to cross any O'Brien, not just Declan.

Setting the towel down on the table, I also knew that I was going to have to show up to work tonight, then do my best to act like nothing untoward had happened. Now, if there was anyone that had seen me leaving with Kenneth, then that might be a problem. Still, I could always claim that we'd gotten into an argument or something, but there'd be no evidence of me walking home after our fictitious argument. I had also left my car at the bar, agreeing to let Kenneth drive, which I wasn't sure was a smart move or not at this point. I mean, if we'd had an argument, then why wouldn't I have gone back to get my car from the bar?

There was also the fact that Kenneth had taken off, and if I ever see him again, I'd kill him for that alone. What kind of man sacrificed a woman that he'd just met to save himself? Plus, if he owed the O'Briens, then there was a very good possibility that he'd turn me over to Declan at a chance at wiping his debt clear. Hell, for all that I knew, Kenneth could have run straight to Declan O'Brien to tell him how I had attacked his men. Granted, Kenneth had run before I had killed anyone, but as soon as he returned home, he'd see the truth for himself.

The back of my head started pounding, and I knew that I was hitting an adrenaline crash, and it was going to be a doozy. Still, I couldn't go to sleep until I took care of the pit. I needed to protect myself as much as possible, and while the police might buy a self-defense plea, I had a feeling that the O'Briens wouldn't be so understanding.

Right now, my entire life hinged on the possibility of cameras and Kenneth Swanson. If there were no cameras, then that upped my chances considerably. As for Kenneth, thanks to Cian, I had millions to my name, so maybe I could pay his debt, buying his silence. However, for that to even be an option, I'd have to know where to find the sonofabitch, and since I'd never seen him before last night, I wouldn't even know where to begin. If he was hiding from the O'Briens, then I seriously doubted that his social media posts were current.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, and it was already seven in the morning, so I didn't have much time. I needed to take care of the ashes, then get some sleep before I had to show up to work tonight. Everything needed to seem normal, and while most people would be horrified at having just murdered two people, Cian had made sure that I'd never be like most people. Besides, a person should never feel guilty about defending themselves, and while it could be argued that I hadn't needed to kill the second guy, I had definitely needed to kill the first one.

An hour later, I was headed back into town, the ashes and any evidence of last night buried in the wilderness, and I honestly had no idea what awaited me at my apartment; could be the police, the O'Briens, or even Kenneth himself. I was also a loner, so I didn't have anyone that I'd trust to help me out with this fucked-up situation. Sure, I got along well with my coworkers, and I was personable enough with the customers, but I had no real friends, never learning how to really make any. Cian had been so paranoid about strangers that he had raised me to be comfortable with a solitary lifestyle. Granted, his paranoia had been warranted since I hadn't been his child to keep, but still.

Finding Kenneth could answer a lot of my questions, but he'd have to be super stupid to go back to his house after the O'Briens finding him there. If he wasn't throwing himself on their mercy, then he was hiding from them as he should be. I'd never met someone so stupid, and you had to be quite stupid to cross the O'Briens.

Then what did that make you?

I pushed that thought away in favor of hoping for the best. I wasn't a stupid person, and Cian hadn't raised me to be stupid. In fact, I was smarter than most people, and that was probably the only reason that I was alive now. Granted, it helped that they had underestimated me, but instead of falling into a hysterical heap on the floor, I'd fought back, earning my escape.

Another two hours later, I was pulling into the parking garage of my apartment building, and I could feel exhaustion finally settling in my bones. I wasn't going to be able to manage more than a few hours of sleep, and I wasn't a coffee or energy drink kind of person. Growing up the way that I'd had, I hadn't eaten much junk or processed foods until I had moved to the city after Cian's passing. I also didn't like popping pills, so I was probably going to have to gag some coffee down tonight to make it through my shift. Of course, that was if I wasn't dead or arrested by then.

Just then, my phone chimed, and as soon as I parked in my designated parking spot, I grabbed it. It was a social media notification, and when I pulled it up, it was a friend request from Kenneth.

I let out a deep breath as I contemplated what to do. We hadn't exchanged numbers because we'd both been able to recognize what a one-night stand was, and neither of us had minded. However, we had exchanged names, and even though I hadn't given him my last name, it wasn't too hard to find me when you knew that I worked at Miller's.

A few hours ago, I'd wanted to find him, so that I could figure out what to do, but now that he was messaging me, I wasn't sure if contacting him was a good idea after all. Plus, how did I even know that it was him messaging me? He could have been found by the police or the O'Briens, and since it was obvious that Kenneth was a coward, it could be either of them trying to lure me out in the open.

My left knee started bouncing as I tried to figure out what to do. Cian had always taught me that it was better to do nothing than do something that I couldn't take back, and I felt like that applied to this situation. It was like when people offered up too much information to the police in hopes that it would make them look innocent and cooperative, but it always backfired.

Since it would make sense that I'd be asleep right now, I decided to do nothing. So, after gathering all my stuff again, I got out of my car, then headed to my apartment. Luckily, I had a few purses and totes that I traded out, depending on my mood, so no one would suspect a thing when I showed up to work with a new bag. Knowing that I was on the verge of overthinking everything, I shook my head, letting out another deep breath as the elevator doors slid open.

I stepped inside, knowing that I needed some sleep, but also knowing that I wasn't going to get any.