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“I’ll kill him, too.”
Romeo shoved me outside. I allowed my legs to tangle and ate it right in front of the bar. Romeo peeled me off the ground. A detached part of me watched him, analyzing his discomfort. A deep frown wrinkled his forehead. He didn’t like this. He said nothing as he carried me through the streets and packed me into his car.
When we got home, I was ready.
Romeo dragged me into the house. It echoed with emptiness, and a switch flipped inside me. The drunken haze, instead of numbing, sharpened a single thought into a point: protect. It was all I had left, the instinct that had driven me all my life. Now it turned inward, twisted by despair.
Romeo suspected nothing. He helped me to the couch. As he dumped me on the cushions, I slammed my fist into his gut. He collapsed on the couch. Then I groped for a knife I kept hidden. A cold line of silver flashed through the air. I wrenched his head backward, exposing his neck. Then I put the blade on his artery.
THIRTY-NINE
VIOLET
The wind outside howled.
I sat huddled on the worn-out couch, wrapped in an old quilt that smelled like pine and mothballs. The fire in the hearth crackled. Jack slept softly in the other room.
I was supposed to prepare for a long drive to Tennessee. Instead I stayed up, doubt gnawing at me with sharp teeth. Leaving Achille seemed the only way to protect Jack, but the cabin felt like a prison. The walls closed in on me, each groan a reminder of the solitude I’d chosen. Jack, bless his heart, had cried himself to sleep after asking for his daddy. Each time he said Daddy, a knife twisted deeper into my gut.
I moved to the window, gazing at the shed in the distance. Achille’s face haunted me. He’d changed my life in so many good ways, and I’d repaid him by vanishing without a proper goodbye. The thought of him searching for us made my heart throb.
I missed him. Missed his rough voice lulling Jack to sleep, lying in his arms at night, and the glow in his eyes when we kissed. Pain stabbed inside me. Escaping the darkness had plunged me into a different kind filled with loneliness. Didn’t we owe it to him to stand by his side?
Tears blurred my vision as I pressed my forehead against the cold glass.
A knock hit the door.
Becky stood outside, her jacket wrapped tight around her body. I waved her in. I shut the door behind her, and she unwrapped the scarf from her neck.
“Whew. It’s windy out there.”
“Thanks for comin’,” I murmured, hanging her coat. “I’m sorry to keep you from your husband. Tell him I’m sorry.”
“Of course. No worries.”
Becky bounced on her feet, her gaze sweeping the cabin. “So, where’s Jack?”
“Asleep. I’m going to have some wine. Want some?”
Becky nodded, drifting toward a window. I poured two generous glasses of something I’d grabbed from Achille’s fridge. I picked up one. The dark red vintage filled the glass. The pungent smell swirled in my nostrils. Then I handed it to her.
She smiled. “Thanks.”
I clinked my glass against hers and swallowed a mouthful, but she didn’t drink. I sat on the couch, my back easing into the soft cushions. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Becky.
She stood at the window. “Does he know you’re here?”
“Nope. I took out the GPS tracker.”
“He had one on you?” she asked.
“In the car, just for safety reasons.” A sick feeling spread through my stomach, but I pushed it aside. “He’s furious with me.”
Becky faced me, cradling her untouched wine. “So, what made you leave him?”
“I found out what he’d been hidin’ from me. He never dated my sister. Elise—she slept with guys for money. Achille fessed up to it last night.” I shook my head, staring into the fire. “Why did she do it? What made her think this was a good idea? I mean, whatever, I don’t care. I love my sister no matter what. But I’m upset that she hid it from me. You know?”
Becky sat on the opposite end of the couch. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Vi. I was hoping it’d be something else.”
