Page 79 of Till Death Do Us Part

Vera had mentioned a contact who just went by Rail, a seventy-year-old retired mob logistician who lived in a small house in the old town, who knew the harbor routes better than anyone—and how to stop them. She’d left this morning to meet Rail, after gathering enough resources to make what was apparently the required tribute offering to work with him, and I’d been tense all day waiting to see if she’d make it back safely.

I knew she was capable of anything. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was hiding just under the surface, and I was more worried for her every time she went out.

I told myself it was because things were getting more dangerous as time went on, more likely that the truth about Penumbra would come to light.

But in reality, I knew it was because I was falling for her more and more.

And of course, assuming she did come back safely, she’d still probably have some… endorphins to work out. I was already wearing one of the wine-red underwear sets Vera got me, ready for whenever she’d get back and…

A timer going off pulled me out of my thoughts, and blushing fiercely, I gave Clara one more kiss on the head and stood up to wash my hands and get back to the food.

Caitlyn came in not long before the food was ready, wheeling her chair in through the doorway and the furniture that had been rearranged for her chair, and she smiled sweetly at me.

“Anything I can help with?”

“Oh, no, no. I’m not making you help. But you’re right on time. You can set up at the table.”

“I’m offering to help,” she laughed. “My arms still work fine!”

“No, I didn’t mean it like—”

She folded her arms, giving me a dry smile. “You’re still babying me. I’m a grownup now.”

I sighed, dropping my arms by my sides.

I guess she was a grownup. My little baby sister, all grown up and… working for a mob family. And firing a gun. I wasn’t thinking too much about those parts.

“Can you set the table?” I said, and she beamed.

“I’m on it.”

We worked around each other for a minute, talking about the food and the setup, and finally we settled down into the gentle quiet between us as the last of the food was in the oven and the table was ready, and Caitlyn smiled softly at me.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing better now.”

“I’m… stressed. About a lot of things. I can’t believe I’ve been pulled into this all,” I said. “But… it’s nice to be a part of something.”

She looked down. “I hated seeing how much Mom was just… draining you.”

“Mom was doing her best with what she had. She just… didn’t know how to…”

“Stop. You don’t need to make excuses for her.”

I sighed. “She raised me. I can’t complain.”

“Listen to you. You sound like Vera and Petra. I can’t betray the family.”

I laughed. “It’s not like that.”

“You’re your own person. You don’t owe her anything for raising you. And she hurt you so much.”

“She hurt you so much. She was… I mean, she’d been hitting you.”

She snorted. “It never hurt that much. The things she said hurt much more.”

“Cait…”

She shook her head. “But now we’re here. And you and your wife…” She grinned. “I never imagined you with a woman like that.”