“Trip was nice, honey. Until we made it to Alaska. Then the Mexican men took us, put us in those chairs, and fed us once a day. It was awful.”
I nodded and felt relieved. That was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Frankly, it sounded like they’d had it easy. At least Trip was nice to them.
The motherfucker.
We made it back out into the night, and Jared continued dragging Castillo.
“Where are we going with him?” I asked.
Suddenly, there was a low booming in the sky. The wind whipped up and snow swirled everywhere. We all looked up as it got louder and louder. It was the unmistakable chopping sound of a helicopter, flying low.
Jared grinned at me. “That’d be my ride,” he yelled as a black-as-night aircraft suddenly appeared over the trees and came for a landing not far away.
The sound was tremendous, booming claps of wind torn to shreds. Jared walked over to me.
“Here,” he yelled, giving me the key to the Jeep. “You can keep it. And the guns and the money.”
“What?” I said.
“The money. It’s yours. Consider it payment. And the guns, too. Sell them if you want.”
I nodded. “What about him?”
“Castillo? Well, let’s just say he’ll disappear.”
“It’s over?”
He clasped my hand. “It’s over. You were a good informant.”
“And you’re a piece of shit.”
“Your government thanks you, but will deny any and all involvement with all this.”
“Understood.”
“Good luck, Camden. Tell Lacey I said goodbye. She was a great sniper.”
I nodded at him. He nodded at my parents, grabbed Castillo, and dragged him to the chopper. Two men in black suits jumped out and helped him load Castillo inside. They climbed back in, shut the doors, and took off.
We stood there watching the chopper fly off. I turned and looked at Jeff and my mom.
“So, uh, know of any cars we can steal around here?”
Lacey had come down from the hills, her gun cradled in her arms, as soon as the chopper disappeared. Evidently, she hadn’t even fired the gun, which I was thankful for. Jared probably knew she would be safe up in the hills. Once the reunion hugs were done, we stole another car and headed out. The car ride back was quiet and tense, but at least it was warm and fast. There were only two roads, one leading away from the house and the road we had been traveling down earlier that day. Eventually, we spotted the Jeep parked right where we had left it.
We climbed out and Lacey came around the car, throwing her arms around me. I kissed her full on the lips, and we laughed together. Her dad moved past me and hugged her too. I’d never felt so relieved, so overjoyed in my whole life, but there I was.
Everything felt like it fell into place. Everything clicked. We were beaten, but we weren’t broken.
We’d made it through. I had my family back. Even if they hated me, wanted to cast me away for my sins, I was okay with that. Because I’d lived today like it was my last day, and I came out the other side.
I’d cheated death twice.
And I was with her, Lacey. The only girl I wanted or needed.
As our parents climbed into the car, I threw my arms around her.
“Ready?” I asked.
“For what?”
“To go home.”
“Only if you promise never to steal another car ever again.”
I laughed. “I swear. I’m done with crime.”
“I know. You asshole.”
“Mad at me?”
“Pissed. Beyond mad. But I’m too happy it’s all over to deal with that right now.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
She kissed my lips. “You’re damn right you will.”
We didn’t have to explain it to our parents. We just got in the car and started to drive.
We drove until we were done driving and everything was okay.
Epilogue: Lacey
The wind whipped my hair in waves as my bike sped down the busy city street. I wove expertly between cars, loving the exhilaration that came with the slight fear. Ever since I’d gotten a taste of excitement holding that big sniper rifle, for some reason I loved to push my limits.
A lot had changed since we’d made our way back home from Alaska. We ended up selling the Jeep and Camden managed to sell off most of the guns before we bought plane tickets back to Chicago with cash.
Our parents weren’t talking to Camden. His mom cheated every once in a while, but my dad was pretty set on never seeing him again. That was pretty tough, I reflected, as I looked down at the engagement ring on my finger. He was really making the wedding difficult.
It was huge, a ridiculous extravagance, but I loved it. After splitting the money with our parents, it was the first thing we bought.