Page 22 of Till Death Do Us Part

We made it safely to the house, and I spent the whole drive fussing with my ring, turning it side to side on my finger, sneaking glances at the matching one on Vera’s hand where she held tightly onto the wheel. We didn’t share a word—she was intently watching the road, scanning our surroundings, and I could see that gleam in her eyes as her mind worked.

And it worked well. We took some side roads, and she didn’t explain why, but I knew she had her reasons. And in the end, we made it without any trouble back to Mom’s house, and I pointed her to it as we passed.

“That’s it. That’s the one.”

She stopped the car, pulling into street parking. I reached for the door handle, but Vera caught my hand.

“Hold it,” she said. “I’ll go first. Make sure there’s no threats.”

“Vera… I don’t want you to get hurt, either,” I said softly, and she stopped, giving me a strange smile.

“Well. Don’t I have a considerate wife?”

I blushed, looking down. “I just…”

“They couldn’t kill me if they tried. Look after yourself first.”

I didn’t know why I’d even said it. I felt silly as she left the car, heading around to my side. She wasn’t my wife, and she wasn’t even my friend—she was an assassin, and if the situation were even slightly different, she’d be trying to kill me.

But I couldn’t stop thinking of how she’d swept in to save me. Of how safe I felt when I was with her.

She opened the door for me and took my hand, leading me out, and I felt ridiculously like a fairytale princess, in my beautiful flowy dress with this strong and beautiful woman leading me up towards the front door.

The fairytale ended fast, though. I heard shouting even before I’d gotten to the door, and my heart hammered. I knocked quickly on the door, and I gasped when I heard glass breaking inside. Vera’s grip on my hand tightened.

“No way they’re targeting…”

“Oh—no. Mom just has a habit of breaking dishes when she’s angry. I just hope Caitlyn…” I knocked harder, banging on the wood, and I heard everything stop, Mom’s voice growling something low before footsteps came stomping towards us. My chest clenched up in knots at the sound behind it—Caitlyn crying softly in the background.

The door flung open, and on the other side, Mom did a double take at the sight of us, looking at Vera. “Who are you?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom, I have to tell you something,” I said, and Mom shot me a dirty look.

“You thought you’d be able to bring a friend around and hide behind her? Are you trying to manipulate me?” She shook her head. “If you didn’t bring the rest of the money you owe me—”

“Ms. Whitner,” Vera said, stepping in between us, extending a shielding hand so that the light gleamed on her ring. “I won’t let you talk to my wife that way.”

My heart jumped. Mom’s pupils shrank, her lips parted. “Elaine… what?”

Just like that, she was… scared. The look in her eyes like she wanted to backpedal. I felt so guilty, I wanted to cry, but there was no going back now. “This is Vera,” I said. “I have to tell you something.”

“This is… this is some kind of joke,” Mom said, sounding faint.

“What’s this about money Elaine owes you?” Vera said, and she walked forward, muscling into Mom’s space so she stepped back and let us into the house. “I’ve heard she’s been offering you support, not that you loaned her money.”

“I—well, it’s not that—” Mom started, and I rushed to soothe her.

“It’s okay, Mom, I’ll make sure you get the money—”

“No, darling,” Vera said, pulling me into her side and wrapping an arm around me, “you won’t. Go on, Ms. Whitner. Tell me all about what my wife owes you.”

“When did you… how long have you two…”

Vera smiled like a cat with a cornered mouse. “You haven’t been paying a lot of attention to Elaine’s life, have you?”

“Vera,” I started, but she didn’t slow down.

“Just to how much money she can give you. How long, Ms. Whitner? That’s what I should be asking. How long have you been bleeding her dry? How much money has she given you?”