Page 142 of Dark Endures

“I want to put a body in the ground.” After introducing him to my snakes.

“So? You’ve put dozens of them there without a permission slip from me.”

Huh? “I want to kill Adonis.”

“Dahlia’s boss? I’ve been wanting to kill him since he brought her soup.”

Then why haven’t you? “Are you really okay with this?”

Vex leans forward. “Why do you care what I think? Are you just that polite or afraid of me?”

Everyone is afraid of you. “This was about respect. Before I killed him, I’d assume you’d want to get a few blows in or the option to kill him.”

“A few blows? What in the world are you talking about?”

“After he assaulted your wife—”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?” Vex shouts without raising his voice.

And now I’m going to die. How didn’t he know?

Dahlia didn’t tell him.

“EXPLAIN.”

“A few weeks ago—”

“Lying. Why are you lying to me? Dahlia hasn’t been away from my side except for work—and I watch her when she’s there—since the wedding.” Vex’s hands flex into fists.

Hopefully, he kills me quickly. “A few weeks ago, your wife visited her friend, Mindy. During that visit, Adonis kissed your wife without her consent. Mindy found her fighting him off—”

“No. That’s impossible. She would have told me.” Vex isn’t talking to me. “I was downstairs waiting in the car for her. They were having a girls’ night, talking about wedding stuff.” He stands up and stalks away.

I’m still alive. And if I were smart, I’d stay right here… breathing without any new wounds. But I’ve never seen Vex show any emotions before. Who knows what he’ll do if someone gets in his way right now?

My kids practically jump out of Vex’s path as he heads towards the library.

That must be where he stashed her during our meeting. I pick up my pace yet remain out of his line of sight.

“Dahlia!” Vex’s voice echoes through the library and people scramble out.

As she turns around from where she’s talking to Mindy, her smile fades away.

You Need To Tell

Mindy

My phone rings, waking me up from the restless nap I was semi-forced to take. The hospital bed disappeared between when I left for work and when I arrived back. In its place is the comfiest California King-sized bed I’ve ever seen, let alone slept in.

The ten thousand pillows on top of it made it even dreamier.

I don’t want to move, but my hand tunnels through the blankets blindly reaching for my phone on the nightstands that appeared too.

They both have fresh flowers in them!

Who spends money on fresh flowers in the middle of winter?

Maddox!

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