Just when she was sure that whoever was on the other side of the wall wasn’t going to respond, there was a knock. And then another and another. Sally realized it was a pattern, not just random knocks.
Costin responded with another series of knocks.
Sally nudged him. “What did they say? And what did you say in response?”
“They said they were Jen. I told her to prove it.”
Sally’s eyes widened and then narrowed. She really shouldn’t be surprised. Jen freaking learned Romanian, for goodness’ sake. Of course, she learned morse code. She probably took an online course and never told her and Jacque.
There was another series of knocks from the other side and then Costin laughed.
“What did that G.I. Jane wannabe say?” Sally glared at the wall as if Jen could see her.
“She said you and I better not be bumping uglies.”
“Seriously? That’s how she proves who she is?”
More knocks came from the other side.
“If I can’t have any fun, then no one can,” Costin translated.
“Okay, it’s her,” Sally confirmed. “Ask her if she’s okay.”
Costin did his knocking thing and they waited.
When Jen responded, her mate smirked and shook his head. “I’m great. This is the vacation of a lifetime. Never better.”
Sally huffed a laugh as she leaned her shoulder against the wall.At least Jen hadn’t lost her sense of humor. Sally always felt like things were going to be okay if Jen was holding it together. But when Jen began to crumble, then Sally knew things were really falling apart. Or at least that was how she perceived things. Jen was the strong one. She was always able to see past the immediate danger to the other side where they’d manage to defy the odds and be victorious.
There was more knocking, and Costin continued to translate for her.
“Have they said anything to you?”
Costin replied with his own knocks and said out loud, “No. There’s been nothing since they put us here.”
“She says that they brought her stuff for Thia,” Costin said after more knocking. “And she asked how you are doing.”
Sally shrugged. “I’m…” She paused.How am I?These were the people who were responsible for what had happened to her in Ocean Side. They’d hurt her in a way that still haunted her, though there had been much healing, thanks to her mate and her family. But it wasn’t gone. It would never be gone. The scars of what she’d suffered would always be there.
“Sally mine,” Costin said, pulling her from her thoughts. His hazel eyes stared into her, the compassion and love robbing her of her breath. “It’s alright not to be okay.”
Costin replied to Jen and then took Sally’s hand and pulled her over to the bed where Titus was sleeping. He reclined on it, leaning against the headboard, and then pulled her down next to him, tucking her against him and pressing her head to his shoulder.
“You’re the bravest person I know,” he said softly.
Sally shook her head. “That would be Jen.”
“She’s brave. But there’s more to you. You’re adaptable. You respond to difficult situations with such control. It takes a lot to not just give up.”
“But I wanted to give up,” she reminded him, thinking back to that time where she’d laid on the bathroom floor of their suite and seriously contemplated leaving the world. “I’m pretty sure that doesn’t qualify me as in control.”
“But you didn’t,” he said in a fierce tone. “You made the hard choice. Living is hard, Sally mine. Dying is easy.”
Sally bit her bottom lip to keep the tears at bay because his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Livingwashard. Some days, she felt as if she was going to be swimming against the current forever and never get a good breath. Other days were a little better. Though dying might be painful, that pain would be gone once it was over. The pain of life was day in and day out. Sometimes, you just lived second-to-second.
“I suppose being here is messing with my mind more than I realized,” she said after a few minutes of silence. Her head slid down a bit and rested on his chest. His heartbeat comforted her. The constant thudding was a reminder that he was still alive, which meant she was still alive. They hadn’t won. If she’d taken her life, the Order would have defeated her, and that was something she couldn’t allow to happen. Not then and not now.
“There’s no shame in that nor does it make you weak.” He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head.
