Wicked in Love

Chapter 27 - the one

Kara

"How's your bullet wound doing, John Wick?"

Through my phone speaker, I heard Veronica let out a quick awkward laugh. "It was a graze, Kar. Stop worrying."

I stepped out of Cecille's gift shop, done for the day.

I'd been here since the crack of dawn. My cousin Cecille phoned me early in the morning begging for help. She had received a huge delivery of new inventory for her gift shop and was feeling overwhelmed organizing everything.

I stretched my arms up, bending this way and that, hearing my joints cracking, and proudly looked at the front display window. I designed it myself using all the new items and it was a beauty.

A thick, soft blanket adorned the arm of a beautiful, pink chair with a deep seashell cushion. The chair sat on a rug with a gorgeous pattern that reminded me of a secret garden. A side table with legs the shape of slim roses stood beside it. On top of it were strategically positioned knickknacks: a forest green cup and saucer, a Victorian style table lamp, a silver music box, a vegan leather journal with an old-fashion style pen. Hanging over all of it are fairy lights that made the overall aesthetic soft and romantic.

Cecille, looking haggard but happy, gave me a thumbs up behind the window.

"Okay, Double-Oh-Seven. You better be in tiptop shape for your next mission," I said. "My pigeon will deliver you the intel through a note tied on its leg where it will disintegrate as soon as you've received the message."

"The bird or the note?"

I fake gasped. "Why did this turn dark so fast?" I looked up. The day was gone and night had creeped in. The heavy grey in the sky looked like rain. "Seriously though, you're really okay?"

Today was the last day of the build. I wanted to be there on the last day to see the crew off.

And okay, to see Cameron.

I had a very vivid dream of him last night. When I woke up, I was very, very close to phoning him, but I curled in my bed instead, and cried myself to sleep. I missed him so fiercely my heart ached all night.

When would I see him again now that the rebuild was done? My stomach knotted at the possibility that I wouldn't.

"I'm really okay," Veronica replied. "It's just a little sore sometimes, but Caleb's been very attentive."

I believed it. After what happened to Veronica, if he could lock her in an impenetrable castle to protect her Caleb Lockhart would. Too bad she would have none of that.

"Sounds like he's been treating you right."

At the long pause on the other line, I frowned. "Ver? What's wrong? Did something happen between you and Caleb?"

When she finally spoke, her voice sounded thick with emotion. "It's amazing what these past few months have taught me. I realized that the good times you spend with someone makes you want to be with that person, but the difficult times that you go through and overcome together makes you stay together. When that person is there with you during the painful parts of your life, knowing that you have their support, their loyalty, their love makes you trust completely, makes you love deeper, makes your foundation stronger, so that when the next storm comes, your relationship will not crumble."

Her words hit me in the heart like a hammer.

"When my mom died," she said softly, "I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life. I made myself believe that I was fine with that. I thought there would be no one out there for me. Caleb proved me wrong, didn't he?"