Evan Arden 01 Otherwise Alone by Shay Savage Page B

away from me.  My arm jerks twice, and he falls.
    “ What the fuck, Arden ?   He wasn’t the target!”
    “He was a witness.”
    “But shit… Rinaldo ’s not going to be happy about this.”
    “I’ve done worse.”
    Well, I thought I had.
    Apparently killing the nephew or cousin or some such shit of Greco ’ s mistress pissed the guy off.  Since Greco ’ s group was Rinaldo Moretti ’s compet ition, the potential for an all-out ma fia war was pretty high, which is why I had to disappear.  Greco didn’t know who did it , but he was determined to find out, and it was better if I was just not around to be found.  Rinaldo was ticked, and there had been a moment there in the first fifteen minutes of his stalking around in his office when I thought he was going to put a bullet in my brain, but he didn’t.  Exile was the next best alternative.  That was just after Memorial Day weekend, and tomorrow will be the first of September.
    I open my eyes again and stare at one of the dust devils as it spins and jerks around for a minute before dissipating into the dry ground.  I roll my shoulders one at a time and glance down at Odin , wondering how he can sleep while wearing a fur coat in this heat.  I scan the horizon again, rather haphazardly.
    Movement.
    I am instantly alert.
    This is not a dust devil or a dry, tumbling shrub.  The movement is on the dirt road leading up to the small house and it is definitely human.  Whoever it is, he or she is too far away to been seen clearly without a little ocular assistance.  The rifle comes to my shoulder reflexively.  With my left eye closed, my right eye looks down the scop e, focusing on the target some three - quarters of a mile away.   Through the crosshairs, I can see the figure much more clearly .
    It’s a girl.
    What the fuck?
    A woman, I suppose – maybe twenty years old .  She’s walking sideways just a little , like she’s not really looking where she’s going , and stumbling every once in a while.  She’s not carrying anything, but as she approaches I can see there is a small backpack strapped to her back.  It’s not big enough for any real supplies, but more like one of those things the college girls wear for a purse – so mething that is certainly m ore decorative than useful.
    As she comes closer, I get a better view and learn a little about her.  She’s been walking for maybe an hour or two at most because she’s not showing any signs of dehydration and she doesn’t appear to have any water with her.  Her shoes are very dusty, though, so it’s not like she just started walking, either.  Her hair is pulled up on top of her head, but I’m pretty sure she’s only done that recently.  It’s haphazard and definitely not done with the aid of a mirror.  She was either in a rush when she put it up , or it was done as she walked to cool off her neck.
    She’s a freaking klutz, tripping about every forty steps over nothing but her own shoes, as far as I can tell.  For some reason, that makes me smile a little.  I shift the weapon and scan the horizon behind her from left to right, but there’s no one else to be seen.  I consider my options.
    Option one - s hoot her.  I really don’t want or need any company, and company in general is a risk.  Pros – I don’t have to think about it anymore, and it’s generally safer for me.  Cons – she’s just some innocent chick whose car probably broke down , and killing her is kind of a shitty thing to do.
    Next option – l et her walk right on up here.  If she was from Rinaldo , I’d have some notice about it, and if she was from Greco’s organization she wouldn’t be appr oaching the house tripping over the dust with nothing on her but a little bitty backpack.  Pros – I wouldn’t have to dig a big ass hole in the dry, packed ground.  Cons – I will probably have to talk to her.
    She stumbles again – just a little.  It is barely noticeable if you aren’t really paying