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“I didn’t want to be the daughter of Aleksander Obuchowski anymore. Or Cyrus Andeno. They each gave me names that they themselves ended up tainting. In order to be Kordin Debrosse’s wife, I thought I had to get another new name.”
“Kordin made you believe you had to get a new name,” I say.
“He made me believe a lot of things.”
“How many have been true?”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever know the answer to that.”
“Has he ever hit you?”
“Never. He uses words.” She considers something, then says, “He uses his voice, his tone. It’s not what he says, but how.”
That’s exactly how Breckyn described it.
“It’s other things, too.”
“Like what?”
In the blink of an eye, Lex’s entire demeanor changes. “Is this your idea of fun? An interrogation?”
“What do you have to lose telling me about your life?”
Without missing a beat, she throws right back, “What do you have to gain?”
“Your trust.”
Her eyes fly to each of the escape routes. Shit. I’m gonna lose her. If she was willing to hike in the woods barefoot in nothing but a bikini and robe, she won’t bat an eye at leaving here fully clothed.
“Look, they say trust is a two-way street. Okay? So—”
“They also say to make lemonade when life hands you lemons, but that’s the worst advice ever.”
“Why?”
“Because lemonade’s disgusting.”
“So what do you do with the lemons life gives you?”
She shrugs like it’s obvious. “Stockpile them to use as weapons.”
I laugh, and she quickly glances away from me.She’s trying not to smile.
Lex is back. Little by little, she’s thawing, but if I move too fast, she’s even quicker to freeze back up.
“All right, Snow White, you win. Let’s have some fun.” I turn for the door, but Lex calling my name has me stopping.
“If it involves board games, tell me now.” She removes the wire cutters from the hoodie’s pocket.
“Are you gonna use those on me if it does?”
With a shake of her head, she says, “Myself.”
I let out another laugh and hold up my hands, palms facing her. “I promise, no board games. I’m just getting the rest of the stuff from the car. Go start a bath. I’ll meet you in there when I’m done.”
Out on the front porch, I hesitate until Lex disappears into the bathroom, then start unloading everything from the back of the Explorer, taking it all inside two handfuls at a time. The last trip, I’m just closing the rear hatch when my phone rings. The service has been so shitty ever since I got up here, I almost lost Lex earlier. Thankfully she didn’t leave the resort once she checked in or I probably would’ve.
I reposition the tote in my hold to grab it, almost dropping the cell when I see Cyrus’s name on the screen.
