Arnie runs to Mary and hands her an envelope. I can’t hear their conversation, but he’s got a huge, goofy grin on his face.

I should just go. I don’t need Arnie right now. I just don’t want to be alone.

Arnie jogs to the car and gets in. “What’s up, dude?”

I don’t answer him. I peel away from the curb and head towards the highway.

“Where we going?” Arnie asks as we pass under the sign that reads San Francisco 375 Miles.

“I have to see Will.” I stab the gas pedal to the floor and turn on the radio.

All I can think about is Will. What his next move will be after I tell him. I wonder if he has people in Eureka he can call if I can’t reason with him? Alex was supposed to head back to Lake County today. I’m not worried about him. Matt will kick his ass if he tries anything. Matt will protect Dani. He’ll make the right choice, he’ll put her first. I didn’t. I didn’t think of her. I only thought about Will and what this meant for me. For my business. What a fucking joke I am.

I wanted to go into business with Will. I wanted to be something more than just a Marino. No matter how hard I worked in school or how successful I became, it would never be impressive. My success is expected. I thought going into business with Will was my chance at something beyond my expectation. It’s not the most respectful business, but it meant power, money, and making a name for myself in a market that doesn’t give a shit about my family’s wealth. The people Will deals with aren’t impressed by my last name. It’s about your name in the street. That’s the one place the Marino name hasn’t conquered. That was going to be my legacy. My mark on the world.

All of that changed when I saw the picture. When I saw the look on Will’s face, the way he looked at Dani as she blew out her birthday candles. Knowing he hurt her in a way that nobody should ever feel. People don’t get it. Losing your parents is like losing a part of yourself. Something you can never get back. You will always have this hole, this emptiness. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up never being able to celebrate Father’s Day. I’ve never bought a card on Mother’s Day. I don’t have any family pictures. I don’t care how much money my grandmother threw at me. She couldn’t buy me that kind of love. I’ve never felt truly loved, until I met Dani. I never knew I could love someone the way I love her.

I should have taken her in my arms. I should have told her everything was going to be alright. I didn’t. Because I’m a piece of shit. I’m no better than Will. I might as well have pulled the trigger on her parents. I was ready to pull it on her. Not her, a faceless witness. Someone I didn’t know. That doesn’t make it right. Even if the witness wasn’t my Dani, it would’ve been someone else’s version of Dani. Someone who was loved and didn’t deserve to have her life taken.

Arnie tries to talk to me; he has some big news. He may have even told me, but I tuned him out. Eventually he falls asleep, and I somehow make it to the city without killing us.

It’s dark when I get off the bridge. I fly up and over hills, dodging buses and taxis as I make my way to North Beach. I’m banking on Will being at the bar since I don’t know where he lives. I know it’s somewhere in the Sunset District, but he’s never invited me to his house. We always meet at the bar.

Arnie wakes up when I turn onto Columbus. As usual there’s no parking, so I double park in front of the Lucky Charm and jump out.

“DUDE!” Arnie yells and shuts off the car.

“Wait here,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”

I burst in the bar and call Will’s name.

“Whoa kid, slow down.” Stacy, the doorman, pushes his hand into my chest.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” My hand balls into a fist. A natural reaction when I’m being challenged. Hit first, ask questions later. “Where is he?”

Stacy stands up from his stool and pushes me back with his enormous chest. When standing, he’s about six inches taller than me. “Back the fuck up,” he warns.

I don’t stand a chance against him, but I don’t give a shit. I want to hit someone. The rage that built up over the long drive is finally boiling over. “Fuck you.” I push against his chest.

Stacy’s body stiffens and I brace myself for what’s coming next.

“Hey! What the fuck, Nick!” Will grabs me by my hood and shoves me out the door.

I stumble onto the sidewalk. Arnie sits up when he sees me. I put my hand up, signaling him to stay in the car.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Nicky?” Will looks at my car sitting in the street. “Is everything alright?”

I don’t want to beat around the bush. “Who’s Bill Batista?”

A flash of uncertainty crosses his face. He pats my back with one hand while he jingles the change in his pocket with the other. “He’s the fucking lawyer, the dead one.”

My stomach does a somersault. I can’t believe Dani is the witness Will has been looking for. The same witness I wanted dead because she was ruining my business. I wish Stacy would have hit me. That pain is nothing compared to what I feel in my chest right now. I don’t know what I can say to stop Will from wanting to kill Dani. There was nothing he could say to me at the diner when I was ready to do it. Not that I would have. I could never hurt someone like that. But I wouldn’t have stopped Will, not if it meant I got to keep Humboldt.

I look at Arnie sitting in the driver’s seat of my car. I feel bad for dragging him all the way down here. I don’t even know why I brought him. It wasn’t like I wanted company. He’s another victim in my fucked-up life. He nods his head and I follow his eyes to a group of girls walking down the street. Fucking Arnie. He’s always trying to get laid. Nothing ever brings him down. I’m glad he’s here with me. He’s always good for a laugh. I look back at the car and see Arnie smiling. Then we hear them. Motorcycles screaming up the street.

Will pulls me to the ground and I hear the pop pop pop from a gun, followed by screaming. Before I realize what is happening, it’s over. I look up from under Will’s arm in time to see two bikes speed across Columbus Avenue and disappear into the Broadway tunnel.

Then I hear someone scream, “He’s been shot!” I look at Will. He gives me a thumbs-up. I stand up and dust my hands off. That’s when I see the shattered windshield.

“ARNIE!” I open the door and his head falls out. “NO! FUCK! Somebody help him!” My eyes are blurry with tears. I scream for someone to call 9-1-1. I scream for Arnie to wake up. I scream because my friend is dying in my arms.

Suddenly, Will is at my side trying to pull me away, but I won’t let Arnie go. I’m sorry, Arnie. I’m so fucking sorry. Please don’t die. Please keep breathing. I love you, bro. I love you.

Will is speaking to me, but I can’t hear him. The world goes silent. I hold Arnie’s head in my arms until the ambulance arrives. They jump out and run over to me. There is nobody to save here. Arnie is dead.

“Nick.” Will’s voice finally breaks through the silence. “Remember what I told you. You were just stopping by to say hi. Nick? Are you listening?”

Cops come and go. Arnie is dead. They take his body away. They ask me questions. Arnie is dead. I give them Arnie’s phone. His burner. The one he used to sell my drugs. Arnie is dead and it’s my fault.

I lean against the wall outside the bar. Arnie shouldn’t have been here. I shouldn’t be here. I should be with Dani. Will comes out and offers me a bottle of water.

“Dani’s last name is Batista.” I slap the bottle out of his hand.

Will looks at me like I lost my mind. “Who’s Dani?”

“My girlfriend,” I say, then I wonder if that’s still true. After what happened today I doubt she’ll ever speak to me again. “She has a picture of you. She saw you with her dad.”

I start to walk down the street towards the Bay, I think. I don’t know the city very well, not like Dani does. She could have lived around the corner for all I know. Matt probably knows. He knew about her parents. Why don’t I know? Why didn’t I ever ask? Why didn’t I go to her? Why didn’t I know I love her more than I love Will?