“You okay?” Faith appeared in the kitchen, moving with that silent grace of hers.
I smiled. “I’m fine. But it’s sweet of you to check.”
She walked over to the black roses and cocked her head at them. In a totally casual voice that didn’t hint at all that Axel and I might be in mortal danger, she asked, “How do you think they make them black? Some kind of dye?”
I blinked, and then I couldn’t help but smirk. “Really good question.”
“Can you even imagine?” She leaned against the counter. “Some big, bad crime boss in a flower shop? Picking out roses? Like, do you think organized crime has their own preferred vendor? Maybe sometimes, they send black roses. Other times, they hide a dead fish inside a bouquet. You know,sleeping with the fishesand all that.”
I was genuinely smiling now. God, I appreciated her coming in here and trying to make me laugh. Everyone else was being so heavy about this.
“We should ask Ryker what other ‘flair for dramatics’ crime families used,” I said.
“Maybe a chalk outline outside your front door.”
“A box of snakes. Dyed black, of course.”
“Ooh, or maybe they send you a fake lottery ticket. Really mess with your emotions.”
I snorted. “A singing telegram, but it’s just someone dressed as the Grim Reaper.”
“They order you a pizza, but when you open the box, it’s just a photo of you sleeping.”
“Okay, that one’s actually terrifying.” I laughed.
Faith smirked. “They’re so dramatic though, right? Like, just send a text like normal people.”
I smiled wider and let a small silence pass. “Thank you for this. Everyone else is so freaked out. I needed to see the humor in it, or I’d explode. Not many people could pull that off.”
She shrugged. “I’m used to living under the threat of danger.”
I stilled. The casual way she said it, like discussing the weather, sent chills down my back. “What does that mean?”
Her gaze snapped to mine, widening when she realized I wasn’t taking this as casually as she’d intended.
“Oh, we’re not doing that.” She jumped up and sat on the counter, waving her hand dismissively.
“Doing what?”
“That thing where you might have just gotten an actual death threat from a crime family, and you’re turning it into worrying about me. I’m fine. Trust me, I’ve been dealing with darkness and skeletons since I was a little girl. I’m good.”
It broke my heart to think of all the darkness she must have endured. I knew a little about her background from Blake. How their parents died in a car accident when they were young, how she’d almost been killed by her foster father, and how they were separated in the foster system. But I sensed there were even more layers of pain she kept buried deep.
Why did I get the impression that Faith was always scanning doors and windows, looking for signs of trouble? Always checking the shadows for threats?
“Look, I know we haven’t known each other long, but if you ever need anything …” I trailed off, letting the offer hang in the air.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. The urge to hug her and demand answers was so intense, it took everything I had to hold back. But I sensed that if I pushed too hard, she’d run.
Her body language screamed,Change the subject.
“Axel hasn’t taken his eyes off you,” she said, pretending our moment of vulnerability hadn’t happened.
I didn’t want to let her off the hook that easily, but I could see the walls slamming back into place. “He’s just worried.”
“Those weren’t worried eyes.” Faith’s tone turned knowing. “Those were moreif anything happens to her, I’ll burn the world to the groundeyes.”
“You’re wrong. He still blames me for this whole PR mess. Probably blames me for this too.” I gestured toward the vase.
