Page 49 of Till Death Do Us Part

Jenna pushed away from the railing. “Vera should be cleared to leave care shortly,” she said. “After that, I leave her to you. But I’ll be around. I have a very charismatic little kitten to look after.”

I laughed, brightening a little. “Jenna?” I said, and she stopped.

“Yes, dear?”

“Thank you. For keeping us safe.”

She stared at me for a while before she broke out into a smile. “You’re very welcome. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

I guess a mob doctor didn’t get a lot of genuine appreciation.

I stayed on the balcony, and before long, Vera joined me, leaning on the rail, her expression dark. I smiled at her, and I felt myself melting a little when it got a smile out of her too, the dark countenance breaking.

“Are you okay?” I said, and she shrugged.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m your wife. Of course I’m worried.”

She laughed, hanging her head. “Should have realized you’d be like this with a wife. You’re a softie.”

“You caught a knife for me.”

“I’m not a good person. I’m doing this for the job.”

I gave her a playful push. “You still got hurt, Vera! Let me worry about you a little.”

She held out her hand for me, wrapped in bandages but moving fine. “I’m okay,” she said. “See?”

I caressed her hand gingerly before I even realized what I was doing. The bandaged hand felt like a symbol… the woman who had caught a knife by the blade to keep me alive. “Thank you… for protecting me.”

She looked away with a sigh. I turned to the railing.

“Sorry… am I annoying?”

“You’re too good to be involved in this.” She put her hand on my opposite hip, pulling me into her side, and I went with a gasp, my heart racing. Viscerally, I flashed back to the kiss—even as heated as the moment was, how much it made everything else disappear.

And to last night… to the sounds she made.

“I’m safe now, though,” I whispered, and she hung her head.

“I just don’t know how Whitecliff got here. They won’t try another attack like that, not for a while at least, now that they lost the element of surprise, but… this was supposed to be a secret location. All I can think is that someone… someone must have leaked it.”

“Vera… who even knows about this place?”

“Not many.” Her voice was clipped, but she squeezed me before she let go. “Come on. I’m exhausted. And starving. And I need a break.”

“Me too,” I said, and I reached for her hand without thinking. And I think she took it without thinking—held my hand and led me back to the house, but we both stopped in our tracks at the sound that made my stomach drop.

A gunshot.

“Vera,” I whispered, and she shushed me.

“Elaine… I need you to stay here with Jenna. Don’t go anywhere,” she said. “I’m going to go find out what that was.”

“Where’s Petra? I don’t want you walking into this alone!”

“Trust me. I’ve got this.”