Page 81 of Till Death Do Us Part

Caitlyn lit up. “His name is Bernard! He liked you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, we went for a little run together once I’d gotten Matt set up at his place. He’s pretty quick for his tiny little legs. Bernard, not Matt. Anyway, that’s not what I went for.” She opened her bag and rummaged through, and I felt like I could cry when I saw what she pulled out.

She held it up with a mischievous grin, eyes gleaming, and Caitlyn put a hand over her mouth.

Caitlyn’s tablet. The one I’d gotten her for her birthday.

“I hear this was important to you,” she said, handing it to Caitlyn, and Caitlyn choked, wiping her eyes.

“Oh my god, Petra. You went back there just to…?”

“Ah, don’t look at me like that. You just look like a sad puppy sometimes, so I thought I’d give you something to do.”

“You’re such a jerk,” Caitlyn laughed through tears, taking the tablet. “I don’t know how to… thank you.”

Petra flexed. “Draw a picture of me knocking Vera’s lights out, and we’ll be even.”

Caitlyn sniffled, wiping her eyes. I felt my chest swelling, too. This was our safe place. It was ridiculous that the safest family home I’d ever had was a mob house with two lethal families looming over us from either side, but…

But in the end, family was the people who loved you.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For helping.”

Petra scratched her head. “I just wanted the picture.”

“You would make a good figure model,” Caitlyn said. “I guess you’re good for something other than just throwing punches after all.”

“Hell yeah, I am. I’m damn good at kicks, too.”

We all laughed together, some of us fighting tears as we did, and the oven timer went off. It was only a bit later that we were all sitting around the table together with food, Jenna having shown up for dinner too and echoing Caitlyn that Petra needed to do something to make sure her cut didn’t get infected. Petra, of course, complained about it.

But we were mid-meal when the front door slammed open again, and Petra and I both stood up, turning to where footsteps came striding in.

My heart shot into my mouth when Vera turned the corner, her clothes torn and a bloodstain on one arm, soot and dirt on her face, and she headed straight for us.

“Vera,” I said, and she stopped at the table, picked up a turkey drumstick, and polished off half of it in two bites.

“They tried to kill Rail,” she said. “God, I needed some damn food.”

She took another bite, set it down, and she collapsed on the floor.

Chapter 38

elaine

Even like this, there was something so compelling about Vera—sitting on the care bed in the medical wing with that wild, intense look on her face, five separate injuries all wrapped in bandages, but her eyes still gleamed like it only fed her fire.

“Whoever is acting right now, they’re not holding anything back.”

Petra folded her arms. “Whoever is acting. You don’t know who attacked you?”

“Contracts, all of them. Not internal operatives. Meaning this was intended to be silent… someone hiding their identity.”

I swallowed. “The people paying off Glenn…?”

Vera shrugged, sliding off the bed and onto her feet. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t let them either way.”

She was so troubled, underneath that cold, callous exterior. “Vera,” I said softly, and she whipped her gaze to lock onto mine. “Are you okay?”