CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

          THE SILENCE WITHIN THE VEHICLE WAS SUFFOCATING AND IT CRAWLED UP HER THROAT LIKE A VICE. Not a word had been exchanged between the brunette and Rio after she'd gotten back into the car and she couldn't bother to try. Lucy was exhausted and everything in her felt frayed and stretched to its limits. 

Rio sat beside her, still in the backseat as Juan drove them down the streets wordlessly. His gaze was fixed on the road ahead through his window, his face a mask of stoicism. Lucy wondered what he was thinking but at the same time she didn't want to know. The anger that radiated off of him was evident. 

They drove through the city, night already approaching as the streetlights flashed by in a blur, illuminating their faces in the fleeting burst of light. The hum of the engine was the only sound that filled the car, a monotonous backdrop.

The brunette tried to focus on something else, anything else, but it was impossible. The encounter with Beth kept playing on a loop in her head, over and over. The fear in Beth's eyes, the desperation in her voice, the apologies that had come far too late. Lucy felt satisfaction in seeing her former friend crumble like that and another part of her wished Rio would get to her before she'g gone. But Lucy wasn't evil, she had always been the level headed one out of the bunch.

Eventually, the car slowed down and Lucy spotted the familiar apartment building in the distance after two long months of absence.

The vehicle came to a full stop in front of the building, the tires crunching against the gravel. For a moment, neither of them moved. The silence stretched on, thick and oppressive. Then, without a word, Rio reached into his pocket and pulled out his apartment key. He slid it across the seats between them toward her, the metal scraping softly against the leather.

Lucy stared at the key, her heart sinking as the weight of the gesture hit her. He wasn't coming inside. He wasn't staying. She didn't know where he was going, and she had no idea when or if he'd come back.

"Get out." Rio said quietly, his voice rough but devoid of emotion.

Lucy's throat tightened, but she said nothing as she knew she deserved that. She reached for the key, clutching it tightly in her palm. She wanted to ask him where he was going, what he was planning to do but the words wouldn't come. Maybe she already knew the answer.

With a single nod, she opened the door and stepped out into night, the cold air biting at her skin. As she slammed the door shut, Juan offered her a reassuring smile whereas Rio kept his gaze forward, his hands gripping his knees tightly.

The car pulled away from the curb as the two men drove off. Lucy watched them disappear into the distance, the taillights fading into the darkness until they were nothing but a distant glow.

And then she was alone.

The stillness of the night pressed in around her and Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat as she turned towards the building. She felt like a stranger as she made her way inside, her footsteps echoing down the empty hallways. Every corner, every door, every flickering light brought back memories. Memories of her and Rio, of the times they had spent here, both the good and the bad.

When she reached the apartment door, she paused. The key felt heavy in her hand, like it might burn her if she used it. She stood there for what felt like an hour, her hand hovering over the lock, before she finally slid the key in and turned it.

The door creaked open, revealing the familiar interior of Rio's apartment. Everything was how it had been the last time she was there, as if time had frozen in this place. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft thud and the sound echoed in the emptiness.

It was dark and she flicked on the light, casting the living room in a soft glow. The curtains were drawn and she couldn't be bothered to open them. Lucy let out a shaky breath as she looked around. The brunette was surprised she could still smell his cologne lingering in the room, though, very faintly.

But it didn't feel like home. 

Her feet carried her to the kitchen and she placed the key on the counter with a soft clink. She glanced around, trying to distract herself by taking in the small details of the apartment.

Lucy stood there for a moment, her hands gripping the edge of the counter as she tried to steady herself. But the weight of everything was pressing down and she felt like she might collapse under the strain.

She desperately wanted a shower.

Her body moved as if she was on autopilot and she made her way toward the bathroom, peeling off her clothes and letting them drop the floor in a heap. The sound of running water filled the space as she turned on the faucet and she stepped inside, the hot spray hitting her skin and washing away the grime of the day.

Lucy just stood there, letting the water cascade over her and hoping it could get rid of the heaviness inside her chest, but no matter how hard she tried the tears she'd been holding back began to well up in her eyes. The brunette squeezed them shut and pressed her forehead against the cool tiles as the sobs began to wrack though her body.

The warm water mingled with her tears as they fell and everything came crashing down all at once. The betrayal, the fear, the anger, the exhaustion. It was too much, and she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Her sobs were muffled by the sound of the spray hitting the tiles and she slumped down against them. The release was both painful and necessary, like a dam breaking open after holding back a flood for too long. She didn't know how long she stood there, but it certainly felt like an eternity.

Eventually, her sobs quieted down and her tears slowed as she had nothing else to give. The water began to run cold and she shivered as a chill crept over her skin. Lucy turned off the shower and stepped out back into the cold as she wrapped a large fluffy towel around her. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and noted her red and swollen eyes and her dark hair that was messily plastered to her head.

The brunette wiped at her face and traced her fingers along the scar on her shoulder before she left the bathroom with another sniffle. She headed towards the bedroom and she slid on a pair of clean panties before she picked up one of Rio's old shirts in the closet and slipped it on, the fabric of the shirt was soft and worn from years of use. It smelled like him and for a brief moment it had brought her a sense of comfort.

Lucy padded softly through the apartment, the hardwood floor cold beneath her bare feet as she made her way back to the living room. The oversized shirt she wore hung loosely on her frame, brushing against her thighs as she moved.

She lowered herself onto the couch, the cushions sinking beneath her weight. For a long moment Lucy just sat there, staring blankly at the wall. Her mind felt numb. She rubbed her hands over her face, taking a deep breath that didn't seem to settle anything inside her.

She had really messed up with Rio.

Without thinking, she reached for the TV remote on the coffee table and flicked the television on, hoping for some distraction from the relentless flood of thoughts swirling in her head. She had no idea what she was even searching for noise, maybe. Something to drown out the mess inside her for a little while.

The screen blinked to life and the room was bathed in the soft glow of the television. Lucy settled back against the cushions, absently flipping through channels and barely paying attention to the images that flashed before her. Her eyes glazed over as she cycled through sitcoms, game shows, nothing caught her attention. Nothing until the flicker of a news broadcast stopped her thumb from pressing the button again.

She stared at the screen as the words "BREAKING NEWS" flashed in bold red letters across the bottom. The anchor's serious expression caught her attention and Lucy leaned forward slightly, her grip tightening on the remote.

"Multiple casualties this afternoon at a police raid downtown Detroit." the anchor said gravely as she looked at the camera. "Among the four deceased is FBI Agent Turner, who had been in the city leading an ongoing investigation. Authorities are piecing together the events, but early reports suggest the killings were carried out with precision, pointing to a targeted hit."

Lucy's stomach twisted violently as the broadcast cut to footage from the crime scene. Red and blue lights pulsed in the dusk, casting eerie shadows over the swarm of officers and forensic teams combing through the area. Yellow tape fluttered in the breeze, blocking off the blood-soaked ground where the bodies had fallen. The scene was chaos, but Lucy couldn't tear her eyes away.

Turner was really dead.

For a moment, a flicker of disbelief passed through her followed by a wave of relief so intense that it felt almost wrong.

One more person to get rid of before she'd have her life back.