Page 113 of The Mastermind

Had he known they were coming for him?

A noise boomed, and something crashed inside the restaurant. Smoke billowed into the sky like a vicious beast.

“He’s gone. The restaurant’s gone too.” She wiped the tears with the back of her hand.

“Do you want to rebuild it? I can help you.” I rubbed circles on her back.

Maria glanced up at me with trembling lips. “It’s not worth rebuilding without him, but thank you.”

“Do you know who did this?” I didn’t think she’d know, but maybe she had some suspicions.

She shook her head. “He doesn’t tell me about his job because it’s ‘safer.’” She looked up at me. “He said you’re a bad and a good man. Just like him.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That sometimes, circumstances make you do things you don’t want to do. Sometimes, a good person does bad things to survive. And sometimes, a bad person commits good deeds because they want forgiveness, or they’re just tired from a life of crimes and came to their senses. I don’t know, but what I can tell you is that Slash was a good man to me. He loved and treated me with respect.”

I immediately thought about the man I’d killed in self-defense and all the enemies who had disappeared because they wanted me dead or hurt those I love.

“I knew he had protected me from the crime world that surrounded him,” she whispered. “I wish I could have helped him.”

“I think you were his rock, his stability. He came home to you as the man he wanted to be, regardless of what he’d done.”

I could use that reasoning as well. No matter what I had done, I loved who I became when I was with Audri. I became a better man because of her. She made mewantto do better things. She saw the rainbow in the dark, and I wanted to be those colors for her.

As I studied Maria’s exhausted face, I saw regrets and wondered about the what-ifs.

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Would you have wanted Slash to tell you the truth about everything? Or are you okay with his decision to keep you safe?”

“I would have wanted to know.” Her eyes gleamed as though she knew where I was going. “I loved him regardless. Part of being a couple is sharingeverything, whether it’s bad or good. Right now, I’m left with questions, and though I’m ‘safe,’ the pain of not knowing kills me on the inside. What he thought was ‘protection’ hurts me now, but I understand his perspective. I don’t want to live a life of lies, Remi. No one does.” She touched my hand gently.

I offered a warm smile.

“If you’re unsure about telling Audri something, my advice is the truth burns the ugly things away. The truth can be frightening, and it hurts, but it’s sacred. It’s like the magic medicine that everyone needs but is afraid of its bitterness, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Hector cared about you. He left you a box of stuff. He told me to give it to you if something happened to him. Come with me.”

I followed her to her car, which was parked along the street.

She retrieved an old shoebox from her trunk and gave it to me. “I don’t know what’s in it. I didn’t peek. I didn’t want to disrespect him.”

“Thank you.” I had a feeling the box contained the answers I needed.

She glanced toward the restaurant, where the firefighters had successfully extinguished the fire. “I’m going to head over and speak to the police. You take care, okay?”

“Do you have any family here? Do you need me to help you with anything?”

A smirk curved on her lips. “Is that a ‘good man’ asking?”

“A good man who has no qualm about doing bad things when necessary.” I winked.

She laughed.