43

Eros

I suck at the last of the whiskey. Exhaustion weighs me down as the sun rises outside of my office window. Birds sing in a nearby tree. I keep hearing the gunshots, the many gunshots from the night before as I went through my family and purged all of the traitors.

So many dead. So many wasted lives.

It would be easy to blame Cara, but she was only the catalyst, and a weak catalyst at that. This unrest had been simmering for some time now, and she was simply the most convenient excuse.

I'll have to find a new captain to take over for Zale. I suspect Alonzo will be a good choice—I spared his life, and he's intensely aware that he owes me his continued existence. I need strong men, loyal men, in positions of power.

I smell like alcohol and blood. I need to shower for an eternity to wash away the sins I've committed, but there's no cleansing me.

There's a knock at the door. "Come," I say wearily.

It opens a crack and Cara steps inside. She's wearing her work outfit, the diner's unifo