Page 31 of Till Death Do Us Part

She nudged my side. “Bet you never thought it’d look like this.”

“Of course I did. I always dreamed of Princess Charming squealing into the parking lot, stabbing a man, and rescuing me.”

“Guess I’m more of a romantic than I realized.” She sat up. “We’ll handle the paperwork tonight and have the ceremony in the morning. We’ll arrange for it to happen at the house.”

“What is the house?” My wedding venue and marital home. If I actually made it through this whole thing alive, how was I even going to look back on it?

“My grandfather used to live there. A big house upstate. It’s my personal home.” She looked down. “I’m not used to having people there.”

I squeezed her hand. “Thank you,” I said. “For keeping me safe.”

She looked away, standing up. “Already almost failed at that once. Let’s get a move on, before it becomes twice.”

It was a quiet drive, peaceful at last. Vera put on some music—classical, a Wagner opera that filled the car with swelling strings. And we drove under open stars until we saw the house.

It was a beautiful old building, Victorian style, with tall gabled roofs and a breathtaking garden. We drove through the gates at the side and into an attached garage that looked like a classical mansion on the outside and a tech lab on the inside, blue-tinged fluorescent lighting turning on down the length of it as we entered, the doors sliding shut quietly behind us. Vera finally released the tension once the doors closed.

“Safe,” she said. “Even Whitecliff’s best operatives won’t make it in here. We can breathe now.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

She glanced across the center console at me with a gleam in her eyes. “Say you’ll marry me?”

“Vera—” I put a hand over my face, laughing shyly. “Stop. You’re making me blush.”

“Hey. You’re cute when you blush.” She brushed my hair back from my face, but the moment got interrupted—the heavy metal door at the end of the garage lit up with a ring of blue lighting before it slid open, and a white woman with an undercut and an earful of piercings, a black tank top showing off well-muscled arms with sleeve tattoos, slammed a hand against the metal wall.

“Vera Farkas, I’m gonna fucking kill you,” she shouted, her voice carrying through the car window, and Vera sighed with a smile.

“Petra,” she said. “Blackbirds’ best driver. Meet-and-greet?”

“Is it going to involve her killing you?”

“Ah, she’ll try to punch me in the face. I’ll dodge. It’s a whole thing.”

I scratched my head. “Is she your friend?”

“Sort of. We’ve got history. She’s a big softie, though.”

“Not… how I was going to describe her,” I said, but Vera climbed out of the car. I opened my door to where Vera took my hand, helping me up to my feet, and Petra strode over to the two of us, and just as Vera promised, she swung at Vera’s face. Vera stepped back, and then stepped back again when Petra went for the follow-up swing, and then Petra planted one foot and delivered a roundhouse kick that Vera ducked underneath. It struck the car mirror instead, detaching it cleanly and sending it flying across the room, where it shattered against the wall, a small warning light coming on at a workstation close by, and Vera whistled.

"Property damage, Petra.”

“It’s your own fucking fault for dodging,” Petra said.

“What is happening?” I said, stepping in between them. “Please don’t fight at a time like this.”

Petra grinned at me, her eyes gleaming. “So you’re Elaine, huh? You’re smaller than I expected.”

Vera put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me aside. “Relax,” she said. “Petra and I are good.”

“Are you sure?” I said. “You don’t look like you’re good.”

“I promise. Watch.” Vera moved in a blink, lunging forward and punching Petra in the gut, sending her staggering backwards, and I gasped at the impact. Petra flashed her a feral grin before she lunged in and hit back, Vera absorbing the blow, and they grappled in the middle before Vera flung Petra back, into the side of the car, where she moved easily and hoisted herself onto the car roof with one hand, the roof creaking under her combat boots as she postured like a dangerous, wild animal.

“High ground,” she said. Vera smirked at her.

“Just gives you farther to fall.”