The weeks after Lucia's confession were the quietest Adam had ever known.
No threats. No shadows. No midnight calls. The garage hummed along. Customers came and went. Gus complained about the weather. Teresa fixed a transmission. Nina learned to rebuild a carburetor.
It was boring. It was peaceful. It was everything Adam had fought for.
And he hated it.
“You're restless,” Sandra said one evening. They sat on the couch, a movie playing on the TV, neither watching it.
“I'm not restless. I'm... waiting.”
“For what?”
“For the other shoe to drop.”
“Maybe there is no other shoe. Maybe this is just... life.”
Adam looked at her. “You don't believe that.”
“No. I don't.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “But I want to.”
---
The first sign that something was wrong came on a Tuesday.
