**ETHAN RAMIREZ**"Ethan? Ethan!."Her voice sounded faint at the back of my ear, my mind was far off with questions swimming in them.Questions I put forth to myself, but couldn't answer any of them."Ethan!"My shoulders shook roughly. I assume by her.My head turned to meet her face in response, but there were no emotions across any of my features.How does she expect me to react?"Are you with me at all? Ethan!"She shrugged harder this time, there was a lot to say about hers.The slight wrinkles over her left cheeks and the bags under her eyes suggests she hasn't been getting much sleep these days. I'm not surprised. It can't be easy to plan, calculate, and execute a murder. Not like I would know, but her demeanour is all the indication I need. She's killing herself and she doesn't even know.I shook the thought out of my mind.It's our fault she's like this. Everyone has shared blame.I'm the top one on the list. I caused the incident. I was the mole. The reason they got caught
**ETHAN RAMIREZ**I dropped my hands by my side, a scoff falling off my lips as I pulled away from the man I thought was truly sane. Turns out he lots his mind in the midst of this entire thing. Just as the rest of us did. We've all lost a part of us. Some more than othersNow we are all crazy, one way or another.I'm still keeping a tight lid on mine, trying hard not to get it out of hand, doing my best to control these things because eventually we will get over it.It's just a phase in life as even though we might not like to admit it, everyone has these things.The peak point in their life, the point where you feel every damn thing is so fucking wrong and you're tired. You're done. You're hurt. You're crying. You're screaming.Everyone is depressed. Everyone suffers grief.At some point. Everyone feels these things. But that doesn't mean they all commit murder.Maybe Antony is fucking with me. He has to be that.That is the only way I maintain my sanity in this thing.I should hav
**ETHAN RAMIREZ**I searched the room with my eyes, it had cleared out leaving just us three. Antony and I standing metres away from one of the ranges, Tracy standing by the door with a smug look on her face that shows she's not exactly happy with either of us.What comes next is her feeling all too betrayed by both of us, but I'm sure Antony can handle it.I hope. I hope I didn't underestimate her angry she is at him, angry enough not to listen to a word he had to say, she has only made eye contact with him once since she walked in here and even then, she tore her gaze away quickly."I asked a question but it would seem no one is willing to give a weird answer. Since when did both of you become besties because that's what this seems. A get together for besties."She squirmed her shoulders, her tone dripping with sarcasm and mockery."Tracy..."She crossed her hand quickly, leaving one outside to place ahead of me and halt whatevermovement I had planned"I asked a question, Ethan. I
**ANTONY SANTOS**. "Why are you looking at me like that?"She asked after moments of silence reigned between us, neither bothering to utter a word. There weren't much seating positions in the gun range, so we merely relaxed our back over the wall, giving the other breathing space.Something I hadn't realised I needed, but I did."Like what?"I moved my shoulders, carefully flipping my front hair backwards and moving my eyes away which were raking her body with suspicion."Like I'm damaged goods. You're looking at me as though I'm damaged goods. It's what's going around and I can't seem to wrap my head around the look. It's getting annoying. Stop looking at me like that "She snapped, standing straight."I'm not looking at you like you're damaged goods. I would never think that, that's just being insensitive and anyone who is doing such hasn't the slightest clue of what you've been through nor has the right to judge
**TRACY SCOTT**. I need a grip. A tight grip and maybe a lid. A grip on these whirling emotions inside me, like a storm and I'm in the fucking eye.An hour ago I was prepared, willing, and heaven knows I was ready to commit first-degree murder and not even blink.That's how mad I was. Was it anger? Or hurt? Or thirst for vergence? That would be fueled by either the former or latter before it?I'm not sure what it is, but it's there.I can feel it inside of it, it's burning and it keeps increasing with each passing minute.I would have killed that man, I would have done so without so much as blinking.That's how vicious I have become.Ethan was the only anchor left, if it wasn't for him I would have finished Antonov off.For now, I just need to stay in the same room with him.I need to look him in the eye and figure out why he ruined my life.Why did he kill my mother?Why did he start this goose chase for me decades
152**TRACY SCOTT**. You're weak. You're fragile. That's what they think. That's what they'll never say to your face, but it's the reason they pet you in believing things which aren't actually true.They're all liars. They've been lying to you for the longest time. That is the truth. You can't trust any of them.Those are Antonov's words from earlier today replaying in my head like a broken record.When he dropped the last bombshell, the concluding piece of the puzzle in my head, the little secret Antony was keeping, I grew numb while seating on that chair.I kept my hands folded, staring into space.My head was faced forward, probably making eye contact of some sort with him, but I was not there physically.My mind had wandered off, making up the scenes in my head.How it happened. Who she was. Why he did it.I created an answer for each of those questions after which more would just pop up. That's howmy mind work
153**TRACY SCOTT**. "Tracy wait! I'm confused because it's as though both of you just shut me out in an instant. What is going on here? One minute I think maybe in actually part of the team or whatever shit and the next you're gone with him, you disappear for almost half an hour. What happened?"I held my purse, twirling in the free space outside."Get rid of the substance in your car, we do not want anyone getting a whiff of what that thing might be. It won't do anyone good."I instructed instead of answering the question."Tracy. you're just avoiding the question and I thought you would not be mad for telling Antony.""I'm not mad. Come on, do I seem mad? If I dol apologise for giving you the wrong impression, I am not."I giggled, palming my lips to stiffen it when it got too weird."I'm sorry we didn't take you in with us. I only got ten minutes and somehow you were lost in between, it wasn't my intention."His
**TRACY SCOTT**. "How about here, it says foreign nationals who have committed a crime...""We can't use that, they'll argue that he didn't actual commit the crime.""That would make no sense?"I cringed my nose in utter confusion."In theory, it would not but if they did that, they'll make a center piece of the American justice system, they'll bring it out on the open for anyone interested to ask as many questions as they'd like and trust me, there are some many people interested in the system.""Ugh."I fell on the chair, tossing the books aside."Maybe we take a five minutes break..."He was interrupted by my cell phone."I'm sorry, I should get this."I slipped my hand into my pocket silently praying it wasn't my father or Antony, in that case I won't have to get anything.It wasn't. Ethan was calling. From the burner. How nice."Yes?"I answered. No filter needed. I didn't want to talk to any of them from that p