Paul didn’t much care what Josh told his pregnant girlfriend as long as she left. Paul thought to call Dano and give him an update, but remembered his phone had died. Josh’s phone was probably on him.
He glanced at Cooper’s body. Maybe Cooper had a phone, but using the phone of the guy he shot probably wasn’t the best idea.
He went to the window to see if maybe he could signal Dano from the window, but when he got to the window he found that task impossible. Dano’s Tesla was gone.
Paul’s heart sank. Everything had happened so fast he hadn’t had time to think about the fact that Dano gave him an empty gun. And now he knew why. The big guy had made his move leaving Paul with nothing.
What were he and Josh going to do? Whatever they were going to do, they were going to need some way to move the body. Did Josh have a rug big enough to wrap the body in? Paul looked around and then heard something beeping. He quickly found the beeping was coming from Cooper.
Josh quickly opened his front door, stepped out, and shut the door behind him. He did this thinking that if he didn’t, Erica would simply use her key, walk in, and see Paul and himself with blood all over them and a very dead Cooper. Better if he only had to explain his appearance and not the rest.
“Josh, what the-”
“Hi,” Josh said, quickly. He smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. Instead she rolled her eyes and turned around. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Wait,” he said.
She whirled on him.
“You know, what?” Erica said. “Right after we talked I thought maybe I was wrong. Maybe we can find a way for you to work your criminal shit out with the law and still be my partner. I managed to drive all the way over here thinking I’ve made crazier things work. And I come here, ready to work it out and in two seconds you remind me why I left.”
“I can explain.”
“I know you can. That’s why I don’t want to hear it. I can’t be part of that world and you can’t be part of my life.”
Erica turned and began to walk away. Josh watched and thought how the smart thing to do here is to let her go, get back into the apartment, and deal with the nightmare in there, but he couldn’t leave it at that.
“We’re going to have a baby together. Even if we stay split, we’ll still see each other.”
This stopped her just as she got to the stairs. She looked at him and said, “I’ve got an appointment on Wednesday to take care of that.”
“Take care of it?” Josh said probably louder than he needed to.
“You’re going to make me say it? Fine. I’m terminating the pregnancy.”
Josh’s mouth fell open. The pregnancy had been a surprise, but he’d gotten more used to the idea than he thought.
“But..” Josh managed, but couldn’t think of what to say.
“Look at us. Do we look like the parents you’d choose if you could? Are you mental?”
“Erica, I-”
Erica said, “Shhhh.”
Erica put her hands on either side of his face. Josh stopped talking.
“Listen to me, because I’ve loved you too much to say it before,” Erica said, looking him in the eye the way she did when she wanted you to know she meant it. He kind of loved that look, but her words hit him too hard for him to appreciate it. “I don’t think you love me. I think you just love being loved. And that fucks you up.”
“I-” Josh wanted to say something, but had nothing.
“It’s okay,” Erica said. “I’ll be okay. I always am. I don’t know why you’re injured or where all that blood is from and I don’t care. Just get out how ever you can and try to find some happiness on your own. That’s my advice for you.”
“How-how are you so calm about all this?”
“I learned how to freak out on the inside a long time ago.”
Erica approached Josh and gave him a hug.
“Thanks for fixing my Dad’s car,” Erica said as he let go of her.
“Goodbye, Erica,” Josh said thinking that he should feel something saying those words.
He watched her walk from the stairway to the parking area and into that big, blue, beautiful car. As she drove away, Josh headed back towards the apartment. He thought for sure this conversation would leave him in tears and he did feel like crying.
But he didn’t.
When Josh entered his condo, Paul was bent over Cooper’s dead body going through his pockets, eventually pulling out a set of keys. When Paul saw Josh, he said, “Is the girl gone?”
Yeah. She’s gone. She’s aborting our baby. And I didn’t even tell her about the trunk. Those were the thoughts in Josh’s head. He didn’t say any of it. He ignored Paul’s question. The answer should be obvious. “What’s with the keys?”
“Cooper’s phone buzzed.”
“I’m sure that makes sense in your head,” Josh said. His surreal feeling was amplifying.
“Right,” Paul said. “Here’s the deal. Dano left with my money and I thought we were fucked, but then Cooper’s phone buzzed. I grabbed it and what do I see? Dano, that greedy fuck, he’s broken into Cooper’s office and set off Cooper’s surveillance camera. I know where he is right now. We’ll go down there and-”
“And what?” Josh interrupted. “Kill Dano? Where does it end?”
“We need that money if we’re going to get out of here.”
Grab the money. Run away. Paul and Josh, young, in love, and with no responsibilities or money troubles. Josh understood the dream. It was the idea that made him agree to the whole thing in the first place.
When Paul rejected that idea, that betrayal had sent Josh spinning until Erica found him. And yeah, maybe Erica was right he loved being loved. He wanted to think he could admit to more than that, but he couldn’t. His connection to Paul felt stronger than anything else in his life.
Josh watched as Paul pocketed Cooper’s revolver and said nothing.
“We need to go now,” Paul said. “He won’t be there forever.”
“I’m not going.”
“What do you mean you’re not going?”
“You shouldn’t go either,” Paul said.
“The fuck are you saying?”
“I’m saying the whole thing was a bad idea and we should just stop.”
Paul gestured towards Cooper.
“It’s a bit fucking late for that.”
“Don’t go.”
Josh grabbed Paul’s hand that held Cooper’s keys.
“I have to,” Paul said pulling his hand away.
“I’ll come back after. We’ll deal with Cooper.”
Paul walked out the door. Josh heard the sound of Cooper’s car starting. He went to the coat rack and pulled a business card out of it. He dialed the number from the card on his phone.
When she answered he said, “Detective Pandy, I need your help.”
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