His expression of horror. His open mouth. I think he’s screaming. I think it’s a scream I see. But he’s too far away, and Abel... oh my God, Abel... But before I can finish that thought, there’s a sound like I’ve never heard before, and I feel a pain that I’ve never felt before. Intense and abrupt and propelling me at an impossible speed.

I don’t register the screech of tires. I don’t hear the screaming of horns. And when I open my eyes, I see my hat. It’s down the road caught under the tire of a car. The veil is torn, blowing in a breeze.

And I realize all the noise has stopped. No one is screaming. Not Abel. Not Santiago. Not even me.

31

Santiago

Time does not slow for tragedy. It's something I know intimately, how quickly a life can be extinguished. A blink of an eye. A single breath. A split second. There one moment and gone the next.

I'm helpless to stop it as I watch Abel's car collide with Ivy's body from behind. The impact is a blur, a fraction of a moment when she is propelled into the air and then onto the pavement, rolling to a stop with such finality, it feels like I'm dying too.

Nothing can prepare you for such an event. No amount of adrenaline in the world can force your body to cooperate as the shock of what you're witnessing threatens to freeze you.

My car comes to a stop. I struggle to release my seat belt, howling in frustration as my eyes connect with Abel's for one split second. He doesn’t look at his sister as he directs the car forward without slowing. He only has eyes for me. A sneer on his face, as if to say he won.

I force myself to follow a series of simple commands, even as every muscle in my body goes rigid. One is to take a deep breath. Two is to pull the brake. Finally, I manage to untangle my seat belt, flinging open the door just as Abel veers around me and speeds off toward the exit.

I glance at his taillights and then back at Ivy. As soon as I saw Ivy’s phone location on the GPS, I didn’t think. I just took off, Marco and the rest of the guards scrambling to catch up with me. They were following me as I wove through traffic, but they are still a few seconds behind. It's just me, standing between my past and my future. My chance to kill Abel or save my wife. It's not even a choice.

I tear my gaze away from the squealing tires as Abel turns the corner and disappears from sight. I'm running. Lungs burning. Heart pounding. Fists clenching. When I reach her, the sight drops me to my knees.