“Do they know…?”
“About you? Yes and no.”
“Meaning?”
“They know you’re involved and that you were the one who killed him. But they don’t know everything. We made the decision not to tell them everything.”
“I was just another victim…”
“Yes. A vigilante would make great news copy, but it’s not going to be good for any of us, you included.”
“You said ‘we’ made the decision. Who is ‘we’?”
“Me. My commanding officer. His commanding officer. The governor. We. There’s going to be rumors, and some people won’t be able to keep their mouths shut. The media will ask and ask, but we’ll just keep denying it. Obviously, all of it depends on you.”
“Me…”
“Do you agree that it’s better for everyone if no one knew what you did out here? I mean, the truth. The whole truth?”
She smiled. “You won’t get any arguments from me.”
“Good. I’ll let my superiors know you’re on board. They’re going to be very relieved.”
“So it’s over…”
“It’s over.”
He smiled at her, and Allie just barely had the energy to return it.
“What now?” Harper asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you going to do now that it’s over? That Beckard’s in the ground?”
“I don’t understand…”
Harper looked amused. “How long have you been hunting Beckard, Allie?”
“A decade…”
“And in all that time, didn’t you ever wonder what you’d do after it was over?”
She opened her mouth to answer…but nothing came out.
Instead, Allie lay still and looked up at the ceiling, turning the question over in her head.
Finally, she said, “I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d be alive to even worry about what I’d do after this was all over.”
Harper stood up from the sofa. “Well, you got through it alive, Allie Krycek. After we introduce you to the media and everyone plays their part, you’ll have plenty of time to figure out what to do with the rest of your life.”
She watched him walk across the room and to the door. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” The state trooper looked back at her, his pleasant smile visible against the glowing computer monitor nearby. “Get some rest. We have a long week ahead of us. I’ll be back with a couple of other people to get our stories straight in the coming days.”
“What about the kids? Rachel and Wade?”
“I’ve already talked to them and we came to an understanding, too. We’re going to keep their names out of the reports and from the media for as long as we can. They’re college kids. The last thing they want is to be associated with this for the rest of their lives.” The sergeant opened the door. “Get some rest, Allie. You deserve it.”
“What about the dog?”
“The dog?”
“What’s going to happen to Apollo?”
He shrugged. “He needs a new owner. When you’re up and walking again, swing by the pound and reintroduce yourself to him.”
He stepped outside and closed the door after him.
Allie looked after him for a moment before turning away and closing her eyes. She wasn’t really tired, but there was something about being in a hospital bed with a needle sticking out of her arm that made her sleepy. Sleep didn’t come right away, though. Instead, she asked herself the same question Harper had asked her.
What’s next?
For the first time in a long time, she didn’t dream about death and murder and blood.
She dreamt about Carmen instead.
They were young again. Carmen was happy and dancing, because there was nothing in this world she loved more than to dance. Which worked out for the both of them, because there was nothing in this world Allie loved more than to see Carmen happy…
Books by Sam Sisavath
The Purge of Babylon Series
The Purge of Babylon: A Novel of Survival (Book 1)
The Gates of Byzantium (Book 2)
The Stones of Angkor (Book 3)
The Walls of Lemuria: The Keo Storyline (Book 3.5)
The Fires of Atlantis (Book 4)
The Ashes of Pompeii (Book 5)
The Isles of Elysium (Book 6)
The Spears of Laconia (Book 7)
The Horns of Avalon (Book 8)
The Bones of Valhalla (Book 9)
The Allie Krycek Series
Hunter/Prey (Book 1)
Saint/Sinner (Book 2)
Finders/Keepers (Book 3)