Page 48 of That Emerald Vow

“Yeah, running water too. The only thing it doesn’t have is a working bathroom, but that would have been overkill.”

I snort. “And basically having a second home for a child wasn’t? Sorry, that came out wrong. It’s just so vastly different from how I grew up.”

She laughs with me, not taking offense. “Oh, I totally agree. This was 100 percent overkill, which is why I never had one growing up.” I sit on the small couch and pat to the cushion next to me for her to do the same. I’m very curious how they managed to get this up here. “Not until Mr. Jefferson—his rival—got his kids one. So, as you can imagine, my dadhadto upstage him. But this became my safe haven from the horrorsof that house.” Her eyes narrow and darken out the window, staring at her childhood home.

I pull her close to me and rub her shoulder, allowing her a moment of quiet while knowing I’m here. “I would always run here whenever things got hard. I know I didn’t have it as rough as others, I didn’t get beat—”

I abruptly shift in my seat, and she looks up at me. “Never. I meanneverplay that comparison game,” I say sternly but gently. Using my hand not wrapped around her shoulder, I take her face and swipe my thumb over it. “Everyone has their baggage and trauma they carry, and it helps no one to see whose is heavier. All of it is valid. Your pain. My pain. Everyone’s pain.”

“Day . . .” she whispers, leaning into my hand.

Pulling her gently with my hand, I lay a kiss on her forehead, which makes my heartbeat increase tenfold. “Our trauma may not have been the exact same, but we both suffered at the hands of people who should have protected us. And despite all of it, look how incredible you turned out.”

She chuckles through tears. “You didn’t turn out so bad yourself.”

I do a little shoulder dance. “Well, duh, I’m fucking awesome. You’re lucky I give you the time of day.” I wink at her.

Charlie playfully hits my chest, but I grab her hands, our eyes locking.

“Tell me something good, gem. What about this place helped?”

I follow her gaze behind me to find a bunch of stuffed animals that look handmade. Turning back, I look at her as she starts to speak. “My uncle would give me a teddy bear every time . . .” If I didn’t have this magical girl in my arms right now, I would be outside ripping Demetri limb from limb. I need to remind myself that it’s not my place . . . That’s Charlie’s demon to fight. “It made me hate them. I used to have this amazing collection, and I guess that’s why he started gifting them . . .” She trailed off before starting again. “I discovered knitting when I wasscrolling through YouTube one day, and it looked so therapeutic. I made my father buy me everything I needed, and I started a new collection here, away from the darkness of that house. These were the ones that saved me. Every bad memory was turned into something beautiful.”

I turn again to look at the plethora of stuffed animals: a blue giraffe, a purple octopus, a white lamb, and so much more. “They are amazing, baby. Do you still knit?”

She laughs. “Not anymore. I just don’t have a lot of time. And murdering seems to be my new release.”

I squint my eyes in a playful way. “We’re a bunch of demented kids, aren’t we? Murdering people.” We both burst out laughing.

“Probably, but the world is a better place for it.”

“The world is a better place ‘cause you’re here. My world definitely is,” I tell her honestly.

She gazes up at me and leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Ditto,” she whispers before changing the subject. “Um, what’s your favorite weapon?”

“I really love my double blade. How about you?”

“I don’t know if I’ve found my favorite, as I alternate between several to cater to the sick fuck I’m torturing. But mixing drugs is always a standard for me.”

Smirking at her, I say, “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

Charlie moves her head slowly side to side with a wicked grin, showing me. “Oh, sweetheart, I have no bad sides.”

I love her confidence. “That you don’t.”

She winks at me. “Any ideas of the method you’d want to use for Alex when we get her?”

The question catches me off guard. Adrian and I have wanted this for years but never plotted out exactly what we wanted to do. Just organizing behind the scenes to get more members on our side and figuring out thebest way to do it.

“I’m not sure, but she deserves the maximum level of pain, and it should be a team effort.”

Charlie nods in agreement as the music grows louder outside. “Come on, we should get back,” she says, standing up. Which is the last thing either of us wants, especially if her roaming eyes have anything to say about it.

“Okay, but I want more childhood Charlie memories,” I say as we head down.

“Why?” she asks, like it’s crazy someone would want to know her.

“Because I want to know everything about the girl who’s turning my world upside down in the best way.”

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