Page 45 of Dearly Departed

“You’re ready.” He strokes the pad of his thumb over my cheek, then does it again and again.

Is anyone ready for something like this? I guess a few rare people might think a hike in the dark with a murderer on the same island was an average day’s work.

I’m not one of those people.

But more than that, I’m not ready to lose Jacob.

“I’ll be okay. It’s just, like, a walk in the woods.” For a hopeful second, I believe it. And I don’t just believe that I’ll succeed at getting to the tower and coming back. I believe, with all my heart, that no matter what happens, we’ll be okay.

Jacob sighs and leans his forehead against mine. One more kiss, and he straightens, offering me the flameless candle. “It’s dangerous to go alone in the dark. Take this with you.”

It’s warm in my palm. “Do you think it’ll survive the rain?”

“Yes,” Jacob says solemnly. “It can survive the rain. It’ll help you get back before I know you’re gone.”

I go up on tiptoe and kiss him. “In sunshine and in rain.”

That wasn’t part of our vows, but it earns a smile from Jacob. He’s putting on a brave face. When this is over—when I get us out of this—I’m going to make sure he doesn’t have to put on a brave face for a long time. No bravery required in the villa by Mougins.

“I’ll race the sunrise.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

My husband escorts me to the door, takes a deep breath, and undoes the locks.

The door opens to reveal…

More rain.

Jacob peers into it, the candlelight casting shadows on his face. “I think the rain’s letting up.”

I stick my hand past the threshold. “Still feels pretty strong. It’s probably waiting for me to get to the tower.”

Jacob wraps me in a tight hug, like he can’t stand to let go.

“Sorry,” he whispers, and then he’s kissing me again, deep and hungry. I can feel his balance shift as he runs out of strength.

So I kiss him back just as hard and pull away long before I want to.

“Rest for a little while. I’ll be right back.”

His lips part—he wants to argue with me, I know it—but instead he breathes in, his expression settling.

“You’ll be right back,” he repeats. It’s a vow between the two of us.

I go out into the rain and wait for Jacob to lock the door.

He hesitates. I knew he would. No matter how many times he promised to follow the plan, I knew he wouldn’t want to lock me out.

I rap gently on the door. “Lock it.”

“Fine,” Jacob answers. The locks slide into place. “I love you, kitten.”

“I love you, too.”

For a few seconds, I can’t make myself leave.

Then the light inside the cabin brightens a tiny bit. Jacob’s turned on the other flameless candle. He moves in front of the window and holds his candle up. We both have one. We’re both doing everything we can.