Page 66 of Back In the Shadows

I shook my head, trying to grasp those memories with her, but I didn’t have any. “I thought there was something off the day I told you about it. There was a subtle hint in your expression, like you recognized the interior, but then you realized you couldn’t let me know.”

I smoothed the stray hair away from her tear-stained cheek. “You’ll never understand how sorry I am for putting you in such a horrible position.”

A sad smile eased across her features. “You don’t ever have to apologize. I hated lying to you, but once Dope told me the truth, it was as if a thousand-pound weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was so torn between two men, in love with them both.” She leaned forward. “Did Death ever tell you how we met?”

I placed my hands on her hips, still inside of her as we talked.

“Fucking camera,” I growled. “Once I found out why you were working as a cam girl …” I hesitated, wondering if my strong-willed wife would be angry with me if I told her the truth.

“What? No more secrets between us. Please.”

“Okay. I got insanely jealous and paid your dad’s medical bills so you wouldn’t have to continue entertaining men to pay for his treatment. But that moment when I was putting it all together, my heart filled with pride that you’d found a way to take care of him. Plus, no one had to touch you, and you had control over the situation.”

To my surprise, she laughed. “I wouldn’t call it control. I mean Death found me and manipulated the circumstances and was incredibly possessive and jealous.” Her features softened. “Thank you for paying the bill. If I’d known before we were married, I would have worked to pay you back. I thought it was Death, though, since he arranged the clinical trial that saved Dad’s life.” She grew silent, and I assumed she was skipping down memory lane. “He also made sure that no other men had access to my videos. He was my only paying client. The two of you went out of your way to protect me, just differently.” She kissed me tenderly.

“And we will again.” A sharp pain shot through my skull, and my wife climbed off me.

“Are you okay?” She placed her warm palm on my shoulder. “What does he need to say, Sebastian?”

The pain left as quickly as it had arrived, and I lifted my head, our eyes connecting. “He’s ready to deal with Xavier. I won’t have much time with you, baby. Death won’t take no for an answer.”

She took my hand in hers. “I need to go with him.”

I shot off the bed so fast we nearly butted heads. “No. That is completely out of the question. You just came home and haven’teven started to deal with the aftermath of what Xavier did to you. Not to mention he’s not even the one running the damn show.”

My body was frozen in shock as Death shared the memory of Ella viciously plunging a knife into a man’s chest until he stopped breathing. The scenes played out in vivid detail, searing into my mind as if burned by a branding iron.

With my legs shaking uncontrollably, I tried to process what I’d witnessed. A cold chill shot through me as I struggled to accept the truth.

“You … you killed him?” I stuttered, unable to comprehend the monstrous act that had just been revealed.

Ella winced at my accusation, her eyes flickering with pain and regret. “Death should have let me tell you instead of sharing that with you. John had abused me and other little kids when I was younger. When Death found out, he tracked him down and took justice into his own hands.”

A calm storm brewed to life in my chest as I imagined Ella, a sweet innocent child, being violated by a twisted grown man. A monster and pedophile lurking in the shadows, preying on the most vulnerable. My blood boiled at the thought of such unspeakable depravity.

“What if someone hurt Verity? What would you do?” Her voice was soft. “I know what I did was to keep our children safe. John would have continued to hurt more and more kids. I couldn’t let him get away with it any longer. I’m sorry if that changes how you see me.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Honestly, it’s one of the reasons I understand Death. Understand you. I rid the world of one more pedophile, and I won’t apologize for that.”

A war consumed me, one between right and wrong, but the protective father and husband inside me would have done the same. Hell, I wanted Death to torture Xavier for what he’d doneto my wife. My emotions bounced back and forth, wrestling with the idea that my Ella had brutally ended a life.

The question on the tip of my tongue scared me, but I had to know. I had to know if Ella was more like Death than me.

“Did you enjoy killing him?”

She stood up from the bed and walked towards me. “Yes, it brought me closer to Death. He promised that if we found the man responsible for your parents’ death, I would be there with him when he took his life.”

A thick silence filled the space between us. I shoved my hand through my hair, grappling with the horrible reality that refused to release me from its grip.

“Sebastian, you’re scaring me. Please, say something. Anything.”

I searched her beautiful face, my gut churning with acid at the thought that I didn’t know Ella at all. Who was she? My wife and mother to my children was suddenly a stranger to me but not to him. My heart hammered against my ribs and my head buzzed with his voice and my thoughts, stealing my breath. Moments later, I was finally able to speak.

“What the hell have I done to you?”

32

DEATH

“Shadows whispered secrets sweeter than salvation, teaching the lamb that being lost was just the first step to being found.” ~ Anonymous

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