Her hand was shaking as she put the phone back on its receiver. Falling into the nearest chair, Esther sat in silence for a few long moments, her mind processing the information she’d just been given. Her thoughts were racing and her chest felt tight and she could swear that her heart was going to leap from its chest.

“Amir!” She called, although her voice was barely a whisper. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, her voice stronger this time. “Amir!”

The older man was in the room within a few moments. He took one look at Esther and knew something was wrong; he crossed the room in two long strides, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his. “What is it Esther?”

“I need you to get me on a flight to Chicago. Right away, as fast as possible.” Esther looked at her most trusted bodyguard, a man who had been through so much for her and with her, and she willed herself to stay together.

“Of course. Tell me, what’s happened?” His voice was so calm and caring, his hands gently squeezing hers in reassurance. She shook her head, not wanting to say the words. If she said them, they were real.

Finally, she spoke, her voice soft. “It’s Husky. They’ve killed him.”

She explained to Amir that the call she’d just received was one of Husky’s men telling her that he’d been shot. There was some sort of mess in Chicago and his crew leader had stepped down; he’d transferred to a new crew within Chicago and within hours had been killed by another. Why was still unclear and Esther doubted she would ever really find out; it was hardly her place to ask. All she knew was that Husky was gone and she had to get to his funeral.

Amir worked magic; she was on a flight within hours and the travel between Chicago and Detroit was thankfully a quick flight. Amir was by her side the whole time; making sure she made it from one destination to the next. She and Husky had only recently begun their romance; they’d met each other some time ago, when he’d helped her break into the crime business. But then their crew leader had died and he had run off to Chicago. They’d crossed path a couple of times since then, even worked a job together, but it wasn’t until after the destruction in the city of Philly that they had really reconnected.

Since that night they had made efforts to see one another; he’d flown to Detroit and just recently she’d been in Chicago. It was only on that recent trip that they had really talked about what they were doing; he had a history and she wasn’t looking for trouble. But she wanted to give it a try, see what would come of it. She found him intoxicating and every moment spent with him was thrilling. They knew being ranked members in different cities would pose a challenge, but life was never really meant to be easy.

She’d gone back to Detroit with a new resolve and she’d even admit to a bit of excitement over what the future would hold. Only to get this call just a few days later.

When Amir pulled up in front of the funeral home, Esther put a hand on his arm. “I want to go in alone. I won’t be long; I want to head straight back to Detroit when I’m done.” He looked at her, concern clearly written on his face. She smiled softly in response, although it didn’t quiet reach her eyes. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

The man nodded and Esther exited the car, heading inside. Dressed all in back, she approached the coffin, shaking. Tears fell now, wetting her cheeks. She didn’t expect to feel this strongly, not this fast. But it was more than just his loss that was hitting her, it was the what if. What if he had lived? What would have become of them? What could they have accomplished together? What stories would they have woven together? And most importantly, what if they had found each other sooner?

She silently laid a flower in his coffin before she spun and headed straight back out of the funeral home. She practically ran to the car, slipping back into the seat next to Amir. He wasted no time, driving away just as quickly as they’d arrived.

Esther knew that she would move on from this just as she had the death of everyone she’d ever loved and lost. Since the death of her parents she had learned to compartmentalize her emotions; there was a time and place to be sad and then you moved on. This was far from a healthy coping mechanism and it would likely come back to haunt her one day, but for now it worked. She couldn’t afford to be distracted like this; in fact, maybe this was for the best. There was still so much uncertainty in her life, she couldn’t be letting some man come sweep her off her feet, not now. Husky was like a dream that was meant for someone else, and his sudden death only proved to her that such a dream wasn't meant for her to achieve. There was no happily ever after, not in their line of work. 

She wiped away the tears, angry they were even there, and she silently vowed to herself she wouldn’t let this happen again. Whatever walls Husky Radhe had managed to tear down to get to the young woman's heart were going to be built back, twice as strong and twice as high. 

Goodbyes hurt the most when the story was not finished....