Page 10 of The Viper's Wife

“I wantedto touch base and see how you were fitting in.” Melissa clasps her hands on her lap and leans back in her chair, probably in an attempt to make me feel more comfortable, but despite the pictures of laughing, grass-stained grandkids on her desk and a handmade charm bracelet on her wrist, meeting with her is about comfortable as sitting on a thumbtack.

When she interviewed me a couple of months ago, she leveled a hard stare at me and asked if I would be able to sleep at night if one of my mistakes sent an innocent man to jail.

I told her no. She accepted my answer with a noncommittalhmph, but a few days later, I was sent an acceptance letter for the illustrious role of entry-level forensic tech.

She used to be a police officer until a perp shot her in the belly. She almost bled out on the side of the road as she dragged herself to the nearest gas station for help. She got her man, but after that, she decided she was more suited for office work.

“Thank you. I enjoy it. I’m learning so much.” I sit stiffly in the chair opposite to her, my palms on my thighs. After abeat of awkward silence, I add, “Trey and Connor are great to work with.”

Melissa lets me sweat in silence for a moment longer before she cracks a smile. “That’s great to know. I’ve been hearing positive things about you, so keep up the good work.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I fumble with my pants to silence it. “Thank you so much.”

She raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t mention the interruption. “We briefly discussed relocation during your hiring process.”

My heart rate spikes.

My phone vibrates again, and I silence it with sweaty palms. I wet my lips. “Yes, I’d be more than willing to relocate.”

“It would be about a year out, but I like to make sure my people can be prepared. At this point, it’s looking like once you’re finished with the training period, we have a need for competent folks in our lab in Springfield.”

I hold my breath. Springfield is almost three hours away, one of the farthest labs from Chicago but still within the Division of Forensic Services.

Melissa frowns a little. “I know you’re young. Relocating from Chicago to Springfield probably isn’t most people’s idea offun?—”

“No,” I say. Her grey eyebrows rise higher. I force a smile. “Springfield would be great. More than great. Thank you for telling me. I’d love to be considered.”

Another beat of horribly awkward silence before she lets out a raspy smoker’s laugh. “You’re an odd bird, Val.”

I speedwalk to the bathrooms, containing all the buzzing energy inside me like a ricocheting bullet looking for an exit. I squeeze my hands into fists until I manage to get into a stall and lock the door behind me.

Once I have privacy, I cover my mouth and grin wildly.

Springfield?

Big, bright, New Year’s Eve fireworks shoot off in my mind’s eye.

All of my hard work—balancing school and bartending and stints of dancing and grocery delivery, of saying no to my friends countless times so I could study—all of it is finally,finallycoming to fruition.

In a year, I can move. It’s practically a done deal the way Melissa spoke.

I’ll finally be free from my family—and I did it all on my own, the right way. I finished my degree, landed the job, and soon I’ll take off for a fresh start, far away from my crumbling, rotten life.

I blow out a huge exhale of relief through my fingers and slump against the bathroom stall divider.

I did it.

I fucking did it.

It doesn’t matter that Dad messed up or that Mom left or that Stefano’s on edge. I’ll move into my own apartment early next month, open a banking account my family won’t find, and I can start saving for a real place of my own in Springfield.

I close my eyes. I’ll have to get something tiny. A fixer upper. But it’ll be in a safe neighborhood where I can walk to the coffee shop a few blocks down. Maybe I’ll meet someone there. Springfield’s a quiet town. I could raise kids there. I think of the sexy guy at Mei’s party and grin—a wild memory for when I’m a boring, happy, suburban mom.

With my lungs full of fizzy delight, I grab my phone and check my messages. Lacey sent a dozen memes per usual, and there are two missed calls from Stefano.

And a text from Dad.

Come home now.