Page 13 of Code Violation

She pulls the lid off the olives and pops one into her mouth.

The apartment is barely lit; only the under-cabinet lighting offers a soft glow in an otherwise dark space.

Light catches Vesper’s big blue eyes as she looks at me. It feels like something has shifted, and she’s considering opening up to me more than she has before, and I wonder if that has to do with what we witnessed downstairs. The fear on her face when she saw Kane was too obvious to mask.

“When he drinks, it’s the worst.”

An icy-cold shiver creeps down my spine, making my voice shake as I say, “How does it get worse?”

She eats another olive. “Kane’s behavior. What he will say to me, the things he’ll smash up when he’s mad. There’s no reasoning with him when he’s drunk, especially when he’s been hitting the bourbon.”

I know it’s really important to keep calm. If I don’t, Vesper will close off and stop talking. Still, it’s really fucking hard to keep my voice even, body language relaxed.

“He never hit me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I rest my palms on the cold marble countertop. The chill against my skin contrasts sharply with the fire singeing my veins. “You and I both know his behavior is still abuse, Ves.”

She nods once, swallowing hard even though she’s already finished her last olive. “I’m an idiot for going back to him.”

Vesper lifts her eyes to mine, and they’re glossy. Fuck … I need to wrap this girl in my arms and never let her go.

“I’m going to say this as clearly and kindly as I can,” I begin, causing her to swallow again. “Not once have I ever questioned your strength, character, or loyalty.”

I offer her a warm smile, and she reciprocates.

Christ, she’s beautiful.

“Just because I believe you’re worth way more than him doesn’t mean that I don’t respect the hell out of you for trying to see the good in someone.”

Vesper’s shoulders relax, and she pushes the jar of olives away from her. “I know we haven’t spent that much one-on-one time together, so you might not have noticed this about me, but once I make my mind up about something, I won’t change it. With Kane, I’m disappointed with myself for taking so long to see the light.”

I want to tell her that I already know all of this. After almost three years of silently observing someone, you get really good at getting to know them, even if they only reveal the tiniest pieces of themselves.

“I know, Ves,” I reassure her. “I can tell, this time, you’re done, and I would be a liar to deny how relieved I am that you are.”

Vesper pulls the olives toward her and eats another.

“Do you want me to go downstairs and speak to Kane?” I offer.

Her attention snaps to me, horror written right across her face.

“No. Absolutely not. And anyway …” She waves a hand in front of her. “By the time he wakes up, your truck won’t be there. When he drinks bourbon and passes out, it’s usually for a good three to four hours. The hood of his car was still warm, so he hadn’t been parked for long.”

It’s disturbing that Vesper even thought to check his hood so she could gauge how much time we had.

I try not to dwell on how often she’s done that.

“I won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

“Why?”

Sliding off my stool, I round the island and take a seat next to her, pinching an olive from the jar. “Because I’m not into leaving a woman in a vulnerable position while her abusive ex-boyfriend sleeps off the booze only three floors below.”

I expect her to protest, although she doesn’t. Well, not in the way I thought she would.

“That’s a shame because I was hoping to kick you out ASAP so I could spend the night in peace.”

I smirk, delighted to hear a playful edge return to her voice. “Oh, yeah? What did you plan to do once I left?”