How did it come to this? Letty asked herself time and time again.
Miles was gone. Murdered by the man he had once considered his best friend. The only emotion stronger than the utter despair that roamed unchecked through Letty’s body was her tremendous rage. Anger plagued her days and nights. Every time she closed her eyes, Letty recounted the shots that had taken Miles’s life. She vividly recalled the look of malice on Knox’s face. Every night she re-experienced the horror that struck her the night of Miles’s murder. It would be a memory that Letty would never be able to discard.
The clock on the wall read 7:24 a.m. Letty was supposed to be dressed by now but she just couldn’t get herself moving. A knock on the door caught her attention. As the door swung open, Letty turned to see who it was.
“Letty,” Juan Alves said softly. “Baby, we need to go soon. The service begins at nine.”
“I’m coming, Dad,” Letty said as she lifted herself off of her bed.
“Okay,” Juan said somberly. “I’ll be downstairs with G.”
Letty nodded as she faced her reflection in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself with the bags under her eyes. She had barely slept a wink since Miles’s murder. Her body wouldn’t let her relax, and her mind most certainly would not stop. This was a day that Letty had dreaded since Miles was taken from her the first time. Though Miles’s incarceration was painful, the utter desolation Letty found herself in when facing Miles’s death was nearly intolerable. Fate had delivered a cruel and terrible blow. Losing Miles again had stretched Letty’s mind to the point of snapping.
If I see Knox Capadonno, I’ll kill the bastard myself, Letty thought.
Walking to her closet, Letty pulled out the black dress Miles had bought for her to wear one last time. Though she was not ready, Letty prepared herself to say her final goodbye to the man that owned her heart.
The bells of Saint Laurentius Cathedral chimed loudly as Letty Alves walked up the cobblestone pathway to the church. Walking through the doorway, Letty peered around her, searching the crowded church for Knox’s face. When she didn’t see him, Letty cut up the middle aisle.
Of course he wouldn’t show. He’s a coward, Letty thought.
A grey casket sat just before the altar with its lid shut. An arrangement of white lilies lay atop the casket. Letty had picked out the arrangement herself. Next to the coffin, an easel showcased a handsome photograph of Miles that Letty had taken herself. Although the Capadonnos paid for the funeral expenses, Letty wanted to make sure she put her own personal touches on Miles’s service. Though they had never officially said “I do,” in her heart, Miles Capadonno was her husband.
Kneeling at the coffin, Letty closed her eyes as she laid her hand upon its glossy surface. Praying silently, Letty could feel the weight of the congregation’s stares upon her. Rising up, Letty’s eyes met Landon’s as she took a seat next to him in the front pew. Letty thought that it was a beautiful service. Very fitting of the man she knew Miles to be. It was a side that not many people got to know.
After the ceremony, the congregation followed the pall bearers out to the cemetery where a burial plot was prepared. As Miles’s casket was lowered into the ground, Letty dropped a single red rose upon his casket as her emotions began to bubble over. She breathed deeply, trying to keep her tears from falling. Before her first tear had time to escape from her eyes, someone had placed a firm hand on Letty’s shoulder. Startled, she turned around and came face to face with Dustin. Public enemy number two in her eyes. He had Miles at gunpoint that night. Letty held Dustin just as much responsible for Miles’s death as she did Knox. Even if Dustin didn’t pull the trigger, he had conspired with Knox to kill him. Giving Dustin a hostile glare, Letty bit her tongue, trying to refrain from speaking her mind. Around here a loose tongue can get you killed.
“Letty, I’m sorry. I know he meant a great deal to you,” Dustin said as he placed a comforting hand on Letty’s arms. Somehow, his touch didn’t comfort her at all.
“Yeah, you are sorry. A sorry piece of sh—”
“None of that,” Dustin said to Letty as Landon walked up beside them.
“Hey, Letty,” Landon said with a somber look upon his face.
“Hi, Landon,” Letty replied, unsure of what else to say.
“I’m going to need you to come with us,” Dustin said as he motioned to his car across the parking lot.
“Why would I go anywhere with you?” Letty asked with a bite.
“Miles had asked us to do this,” Landon said, not clueing Letty in to what was going on.
“Asked you to do what?” Letty asked skeptically.
“You’ll see,” Landon said as he hooked his arm around Letty’s shoulder.