“Face it, Kinzie. You want to do this shit. You want to run the world. And you don’t care about screwing anybody over to do it,” I blasted.
Her hand flashed out to smack me, but I caught it and held it firmly. “Let go!” she demanded, struggling to free herself. “I have to do these things, and you know it. And sometimes that means taking risks. Risks are part of the job.”
I let go of her hand, my heart pounding with anger. I wanted to punch the wall. I didn’t know the person she’d become. I inhaled the frigid air and held it, willing myself to be calm. “Listen to yourself, Kinzie. You don’t pay for your risks. The crane operator paid for them today. And whoever is going to replace that dumpster. And fix the car. Hell, it’s totaled! You don’t even think about what it means to anybody else. You just said it – you don’t care.”
“Bullshit,” she said, her tone suddenly cooling. “I’m working for the greater good. Trying to make things better for everyone. This was important. Rothston is sending me on a mission, and they wanted to make sure I was ready. This matters!”
I pulled up short. “Mission? What are you talking about?”
“Rex and I are being sent to Washington D.C. We are –”
“Brolie?” I shot back. Anger flooded through me like I wouldn’t have believed possible. “You’re going to D.C. with Brolie? When?”
She looked away the way she did when she knew she’d been caught. “The end of next week.”
“Next week!” I shrieked and heard the echo off the distant buildings. “No, you’re not! Not with Brolie.”
“It’s not my decision, Greg. Rothston is doing big, important things and they need my help.”
I stared, not believing she’d just said that. “Not your decision?” I repeated, suddenly calm. “But that’s what you do, isn’t it Kinzie? Make people’s decisions for them. Well, here’s a decision for you: you go with Brolie to fuck up D.C. and we’re over.”
“It’s not my choice, Greg. I have to go.” She paused for a moment before coldly meeting my eye. “And I want to go.”
I put up my hands in surrender. “Well then this is my choice: if this playing superhero is so important to you that you don’t care what happens to us little people, then fine. Go play your games with Rex Brolie. Be Czarina of the Universe. But not with me around.” I stared at her twisted face a moment longer, then turned and walked away.
….
She wasn’t the person I thought she was. That person would have never said those things. Would have never casually ruined a guy’s life. The quiet girl who’d made sure I called the rats by their proper sex didn’t exist anymore. And the power-hungry, self-important czarina who’d replaced her wasn’t someone I needed in my life. I hit the door hard and stormed back into the Pit. Kinzie and I were over.
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Genre - Science, Fantasy, Thriller
Rating – PG-13
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