Green Desert - Chapter 8.6.6 - Bhanar

The helicopter lifted slowly, heavy with bodies living and dead. I stood beside Séara, shielding her from the dead cops, her friends. Holding onto the wall, she leaned against me, her back to my chest. I wrapped one arm around her waist and we were back on the horse, just the two of us together as one.

“What guns?” she demanded.

Zhíno, sitting on the floor, the tall, dark cop standing over him, looked up at us. The bastard sighed. “Automatic rifles, some handguns, explosives. For Gogzhuè.”

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“And you were delivering them?”

Smuggling. Umo had said Zhíno was a smuggler. The mobster had told the truth. Because I was his emperor, after all. A laugh escaped my lips.

Séara twisted her head to look up at me.

“Umo and Lango worked for this Gogzhuè, too. They looked for the guns, for Zhíno.”

Séara looked back at the seated man. He nodded. “They thought I double-crossed them. But I didn’t. I didn’t.”

No, Zhíno’d only double-crossed himself. And killed a slew of innocent men and women in the process. I couldn’t help but smile at the senseless tragedy.

I closed my eyes and hugged the brunette tighter. She put her hand on mine, gently stroking. We inhaled together. I felt her heart beat. We exhaled. Her warm body filled me with life. It was good to be alive. I leaned down and kissed the back of her neck.