Free Deep Deception 2 by Tina Brooks McKinney

hot and grabbed a washcloth from the stack on the counter and rubbed it over my face. I refused to look into the mirror because I didn’t want to see what my face looked like. There was nothing cute about being scared half to death.
    The dreams were getting on my fucking nerves. They started the day I shot my former lover, Victória. Her eyes plagued me, and she reached out to me in my dreams. Each time I walked toward her she always disappeared before I could reach her. I turned off the light and made my way back to the bed. The sheets on the side of the bed I’d been sleeping on were soaking wet. It looked as if I’d peed on myself. If I had, it wouldn’t have been the first time. I turned down the sheets on the other side of the king-sized bed and climbed in. I pulled the covers up under my chin and tried to pretend the dreams never happened.
    “Shit,” I said aloud to the empty room. I hadn’t slept for more than four hours in over two months. I checked under my pillow to make sure I’d put my gun back within easy reach. I sighed when I felt the cold, hard steel against my fingertips. My dream was always the same. It started out so beautifully and ended so terribly wrong. I wanted to forget the details of my nightmare, but my thoughts had a mind of their own and took me right back to where I’d left off. I was scared to close my eyes, fearing the images would flash once again through my mind. The shit was getting old. I knew I would feel some remorse for my actions, but I had no idea it was going to be like this.
    “This is some bullshit!” I exclaimed. I was exhausted and had not anticipated all the guilt I’d feel while I was planning the caper. Obviously, I didn’t know myself as well as I thought I did. When all else was said and done, I found out I too had a heart, and I broke it the day I pulled the trigger.
    “You pussy,” I said, beating my pillows to get comfortable. I was mad at myself for being so weak. This wasn’t my first kill, so I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t shake it and it be done. Having sex with Victória may have contributed to my discomfort, but enough was enough.
    However, I could not get her face out of my mind. It was in her eyes. I didn’t think she believed I would pull the trigger. Truth be told, I didn’t believe it either. I thought I was going to punk out at the last minute but I didn’t. I shot her in cold blood like I had her brother. In my dream, her eyes blazed with love and forgiveness. They begged me to save her, but I didn’t.
    She would never understand. Her brother had to die because he knew everything. He worked for Moses, and he knew the operations of the family business. He also harbored hatred in his heart, and it wouldn’t take much for him to transfer that energy to me. He was a liability I couldn’t afford to have hanging around. I shot Victória because I knew that she’d hunt for me for the rest of my life for killing her brother.
    I allowed Verónica to live for two reasons: one, I didn’t want her son to grow up without his mother; and two, I wanted to piss Moses off. He was already mad that the child she bore belonged to another man. He would be equally pissed when he realized he was actually married to her. “I wish I could’ve seen Moses’ face when he realized his wife wasn’t dead.” I laughed out loud.
    Laughter always came before the tears.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
     
    CARLOS MENDOZA
     
    I jumped up off the sofa a tad bit too fast. My head was a little woozy, but I refused to succumb to the dizziness. I stumbled a little bit but, otherwise, I remained on my feet. “Can we go now?” I was nervous to see my daughter and to clear my name.
    “Padre, don’t you think you should rest some more?”
    “I’m fine, let’s go.” I shot Verónica a warning look. I didn’t need her telling Moses about my little episode. Even though I made a deal with him to find Tilo, he still hadn’t earned my trust. I was going to be watching him as