Page 3 of Until Death Parts Us

“Not forever. Just thought I’d go north, see a different country. I’ll go back to Idaho eventually.”

“Will your husband be waiting for you?”

“Probably not.” The silence stretches until I drop my cigarette to the ground. “You traveling with your brother? Friend?”

I snort. “Yeah, brother.” Kaspian will love that.

“That’s cool. Where you guys headed next?”

“Not sure,” I lie.

Voices and the crunch of snow get our attention and we both turn to see Kaspian and Robert emerge from the trailhead.

“Thought we’d have time to finish,” Robert says. “Left too late. Maybe tomorrow.”

Kaspian grins. “Yeah, let’s definitely try tomorrow.”

“They trying to walk the whole perimeter?” the girl asks me.

“Yeah.”

“Weird.”

I cut her a look but she doesn’t notice. Kaspian heads for me, his eyes bouncing between me and the woman at my side.

“Hey,” he says with a huff.

He pulls down the balaclava to reveal his nose and mouth. His exposed skin is red from the cold, but he has a wicked twinkle in his eye.

“Hey. Have fun?”

“Robert was afraid it would be too dark by the time we made it all the way around, so we backtracked, but it was fine.”

“Being out here is one thing. I want to see the northern lights, but I’d never be crazy enough to walk miles in this weather,” the girl says.

Kaspian cocks his head. “Who are you?”

“Oh. I’m Anna.”

“Anna,” he repeats.

“Yeah. I was talking to your brother about?—”

“My brother?” he cuts in, humor in his voice.

“Yeah,” she replies, glancing at me.

Kas nods once, eyeing me. “Hmm. And are you traveling with anyone? A boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Nope. Just me.”

“She left her husband back in Idaho.”

“Ah. Newly single,” Kas says. “Probably looking for a rebound? Revenge sex?”

“Kaspian,” I say, warning him to keep calm.

Anna laughs. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

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