Chapter 79

“I thought you were a gang member,” Cam said, not sure what was happening.

Ralphie nodded. “Was. I ran from that, too. I watched my buddy get sliced up and all I could think of was I gotta get out of here. That’s why I came to Baltimore. No one knew me here.”

“It never gets easier,” Cam concurred. “I’ve had to kill several times and it’s always the same. You never get used to it. You rethink yourself into oblivion. Did I really have to kill? Did I make the right move? Could I have avoided it?…done it differently? Ralphie, I didn’t enjoy killing Will last night but at that moment it was him or me. I didn’t want to have to kill Steve, either. I used to work with the guy. We didn’t always see eye to eye but I didn’t want to have to kill him.”

Ralphie thought it through. Finally he nodded in acceptance. “I’ll call in sick tomorrow and be gone before the weekend is up.”

Cam frowned. “I won’t mention this to anyone until you’re gone. Where will you go?”