Page 113 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Glenn… made a deal with her,” I said. “He paid her off. And she called me to tell me she was sick, hurt, needed me there.”

Vera’s hand fell on my back, and I looked up at where she stood over me, fire blazing in her eyes. “We’ll talk to her, too, once this is done.”

I shook my head. “No,” I said. “No, I don’t… I don’t need to. I don’t want to see her again. I don’t want revenge. I don’t want an apology. I just never want to see her again.”

Caitlyn welled up, nodding. “I’m so sorry, Elaine. I know you’ve always been trying so hard… that you’ve always felt responsible. For her, for the family.”

“All the always things are in the past,” I said. “And all the never things are in the future. Let’s keep moving. We’ll need your help, Cait. We’ll need everybody. To the Blackbird headquarters… and to the end of this fight.”

“Hear, hear,” Petra said. “Let’s do this fucking thing. Just don’t give Cait a gun.”

Caitlyn scowled. “I’ll throw something at you, Petra. I don’t need a gun for that!”

Rail tapped his cane on the floor. “We can’t just walk in. What exactly is your plan, Elaine?”

I stood up, turned back to him, and I looked around the room.

Caitlyn, my sister, who had been there since the beginning.

Petra, who’d put herself in harm’s way to keep us safe without even being asked.

Jenna, who had kept us alive so many times now.

Yulia, who had risked everything with her clan to stand up for us when we needed her.

And most of all, Vera.

Vera, who had thrown her life away for me, and found a new one in the process. Vera, who would take a bullet for me, who would burn the city down for me, who would die for me, who would live for me.

Vera, my wife.

“Our plan is right here,” I said. “With our family. With Penumbra.”

Chapter 57

elaine

Vera stood at the edge of the roof, up here where the rest of the city rolled up the hill beyond us, holding onto the chain link fence looking up at the horizon. She turned back to me with a small smile as I came out of the door.

“Hey,” I said softly. “Are you okay? Standing over here at the—”

She took my hand, tugged me towards her, and kissed me passionately. Her lips crushed against mine, and she pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes with hers shining, brushing her thumb over my face, and just when it looked like she’d speak, she kissed me again.

“You scared me,” she said finally. I blushed, burying my face in her shoulder.

“I’m sorry… I just thought it was the only thing I could do.”

“No. It’s my fault.” She sighed. “Everything I said this morning… I wasn’t thinking.”

“Vera…”

“It’s just… Elaine, once this is done, you could do anything you want to. You don’t need to be a part of this. You could go, spread your wings, be free. Live your life. Be happy.”

“This is where I want to be, Vera,” I said. “With you. If I left to go live a safe, peaceful life somewhere else… all I’d ever do would be worrying about you. I could have all the money in the world, and it wouldn’t buy me one more minute with you.”

Her breath hitched, and her voice shuddered as she spoke. “I just don’t understand. I’m a monster, Elaine. I’m a killer.”

“No.” I stepped back, my hands on her arms, looking at her. “You’re the woman who saved me. You’re the woman who put me first, no matter what. You’re the woman who saw how much I wanted that dress, when nobody had ever seen that before. And you never stopped seeing me since then. You’re the one who threw everything away for me, for us. The one who’s been by my side through everything.”