The Registry by Shannon Stoker Page B

clean up the scene of the crime, but the trickles of blood were still visible on the gravel of the parking lot. It would have been easier if she had some help. She gave Whitney a dirty look but was faced with her back. There was nothing to do about it now; there was no point in dwelling on it. She walked toward Whitney, who was sitting on a log, looking out over the landscape. Mia dropped the bags and had a seat.
    “I didn’t sign up for this, people dying.” Whitney’s voice quivered.
    “Better him than us. He wasn’t a good person.” Mia was unsure how to comfort her. “We knew we’d run into problems.”
    “Did you know Andrew could do that? I never thought he was scary,” Whitney said.
    Mia bit her lip. She didn’t want to worry about a split in her team. Whitney was not familiar with violence. She regretted not telling Whitney about Corinna’s article when she had the chance; maybe then she would have understood the situation better. She decided if she told her now, the story would seem forced and Whitney might not believe her.
    Mia looked down and noticed the blood all over her shirt and hands, which was also mixed with bits of fertilizer. She assumed she made a convincing boy now.
    “Did you bring a change of clothes?” Mia asked as she stood. “We need to change. You’re almost as gross as I am.”
    Whitney didn’t stir; instead she just stared off. Mia did not feel like dealing with this right now. She rose and started walking toward the parking lot.
    “Put it out of your mind. He’s dead,” she said to Whitney.
    Whitney gave Mia a scowl, but she did stand up. As the girls made their way toward the building, a shock of lightning lit up the sky and the rain came pouring down. It fell with such force that Mia thought it would take off her skin, as well as the grime. Neither of them attempted to get out of the storm, using the weather to bathe instead. Mia scrubbed her arm and watched the mud and blood slide to the ground.
    Even Whitney seemed to relax a little with the shower. After both girls felt cleaner, they moved back under the trees.
    “Now what?” Whitney asked.
    “Now we wait for Andrew.”
    “Is he still in there?” asked Whitney.
    “I think so. I didn’t see him come out.”
    “Shouldn’t we get out of here?”
    “Not without him.”
    “I think we need to leave; he is dangerous. This is a bad idea; we’ll be better off on our own. Let’s go,” Whitney said urgently.
    “Not without him.” Mia wasn’t about to change her stance.
    “Did you see what I just saw? How he killed that man? What’s to stop him from hurting us?” Whitney choked back tears.
    “He was protecting us. He is the best shot we have at Mexico and I am not going to abandon him.” Mia’s voice was stern.
    “He was not protecting us. He killed that guy because he wanted to; it was just our luck we benefited from it, too.”
    “He was going to hurt you. Andrew saved you; aren’t you grateful?”
    Whitney stared at the ground before she spoke. “This is too much for me to handle. I’m glad I’m okay, but I’ve never seen someone in such a rage before. He is dangerous. And that rage wasn’t because I was about to be violated, it was because that man hurt Andrew.”
    “Well, it wasn’t directed at us, and I’m not leaving him.”
    “Fine.” Whitney threw her arms up, still not seeing Mia’s side.
    Mia didn’t think Andrew would hurt either of them, but she did realize he was capable of doing so. Corinna popped back up in her mind. She wished Andrew would have beaten William the same way he had taken care of the trucker; then maybe her sister would be alive and traveling with them. Whitney didn’t understand those feelings yet.
    “If you won’t leave him, at least go and get him.” Whitney nudged Mia.
    “No. We’ll wait awhile. I think he might need some space.”
    Mia saw the fear and concern on Whitney’s face. She realized why she couldn’t comfort her friend. Mia was not afraid or