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My cock rages in protest as I walk away from her. I’m done. Finished. Beaten. There’s no more walking away from her. Ever. I can’t exist without this scrap of a woman.
Valentina
I more or less abate my nausea with two crackers and ginger ale before getting ready to meet Kris. Charlie and I are halfway to my car when Rhett comes jogging up the driveway. From the way sweat drips from his body, he’s been out for a long run. Things between us have been awkward since Gabriel brought me back, mainly because I’ve been avoiding him. It’s not his fault, but I’m still upset that he betrayed me. In the end, before I ran, I felt like we were becoming friends.
“Hi,” I say to be polite without breaking my stride.
He grabs my wrist as I pass. “Valentina.”
I look back over my shoulder. “Yes?”
“Can I talk to you?”
“I have a lunch appointment.”
“It’ll only take five minutes.”
From the steel in his gaze, it’s clear he’s not going to budge.
“All right.”
He relaxes marginally and releases my grip. “I had to tell Gabriel.”
“I understand.”
“You don’t. Magda’s men were going to kill you. The only way to keep you safe was to play that pregnancy card. Magda will never hurt the mother of her grandchild.”
“Oh.” Understanding blooms in my senses. “I thought Gabriel… I thought he…”
“Was going to force you to get rid of the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Well, now you know.”
“I owe you a thank you, then.”
“I’ll settle for you not being angry with me.”
“I wasn’t angry. You work for Gabriel, and your loyalty lies with him. I just felt betrayed.”
A look of hurt washes over his face. “I didn’t want to compromise your trust, but as I said, if I’d kept my mouth shut you would’ve been dead.”
I look at Charlie quickly, but he doesn’t react to the statement.
Rhett holds out his hand. “Friends?”
“Friends.”
We shake on it.
“How are you doing?” His gaze trails to my rounder belly.
“I’m good when I’m not nauseous, vomiting, or crying for nothing.”
He grins. “I hope you’re giving Gabriel a go for his money.” His face sobers. “Is he treating you all right?”
“Yes.” I don’t want to discuss my relationship with Gabriel. “Very well.”
“Good.” He pats Charlie on the back. “I have to get ready for door duty. See you around.”
The atmosphere between us is lighter. There’s some of the old banter in his manner as he calls back, “At least the baby saved me from training you.”
“Not by a long shot.”
He turns and skips backward. “How come?”
“The minute he’s born we’re back to basics.”
He groans, but there’s a grin on his face as he jogs away.
We find Kris in the kitchen, frying veal schnitzels. The smell puts me off, but I swallow down my nausea.
“Sit down,” she says. “Food’s almost ready.”
“Yum–yum.” Charlie takes his usual seat at the table and sticks a napkin into his collar.
I pour the water while Kris dishes up rice, schnitzels, creamed spinach, and cinnamon pumpkin mash.
“So,” she says between two forkfuls of food, “I’ve decided to go for it.”
“The plans for extending?”
“The pool, the new operating room, the bigger kennel, everything.”
“Good for you.”
“I reckoned it’s rude to stare a gift horse in the mouth.”
My suspicion grows. Kris is too much of a principled person to change her mind overnight. “Is Gabriel behind this?”
She makes big eyes. “You know he’s paying.”
“I mean, did he tell you to do this for me?”
Caught out. Her cheeks flame. “He might’ve mentioned it’ll be good for you to get back into a business you enjoy.”
“You’ll shove your pride and do it for me?”
She reaches over the table and cups my hand. “He’s right, you know. Giving up your studies was damn hard. Nobody knows how much that meant to you better than me. You lost a thumb, and you can never be a veterinary surgeon, but so what? What’s wrong with being a clinical vet?”
“That’s not what I had my heart set on.”
“Then get your heart set on something else.” She points her finger at me. “You still have the passion. I can see it in your eyes.”
“I’m not going back to uni.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t have the heart for it any longer.”
“What about something different in the field?”
I stab at a piece of meat. “What’s your idea?”
“Practice management.”
“You want me to run your practice?”
“If you’re not going to be a vet, so be it. I can do with another vet on the staff, but I need someone to run the business more. It will free up my time to be a vet and not a manager.”
My interest is piqued. It sounds challenging and exciting.
She scoops up the rice with a piece of bread and pops it in her mouth. “More, Charlie?”
“Mo–more. It’s goo–good.”
She places another helping on his plate and holds the spoon to me, but I shake my head.
