When I regained consciousness, reality folded in on itself. I confess I wished to remain lost between planes; that Luiz would pour his vengeance over me for hurting him. Yet money spoke louder than his pride. He had bought my almost-safe passage into someone else's hands. Or perhaps, like Maia, he was simply tired of that life.
The smell of gasoline saturated the air. A warm wind stirred my hair, brushing my face in a comforting caress before I plunged and shattered into pieces.
"She's here." Kai's voice wavered. "Just need to transfer the remaining six and a half."
They were trading me like merchandise. Trading my freedom. My life.
"I want to see her." The other voice sounded cold. That voice?
I ran my tongue over my cracked lips. My ears throbbed with pressure. Someone pulled me. My knees dragged over the cold concrete.
An icy touch, incapable of conveying any feeling, reached my chin and lifted my head. "What did you do to her?" That voice…
"She was like this when we found her," Luiz lied. "Injected her with a sedative to make bringing her easier."
"Whatever. Transferred. You can go."
Footsteps receded over the stones toward the car.
ZZZZMMMM… The engine hummed.
The zephyr danced. My hair flew, settled over my shoulders, and fell across my face.
"Finally." He sighed. That voice…
"D-Dad?"