Shortly

There’s no need to explain things. I did what I had to do. Downstairs, the mistress is in the kitchen wearing a robe and making coffee.

“Do you have somewhere to go?” I ask. “Clean-up team will be here shortly.”

She taps her spoon against the side of her mug. “Do I have to leave?”

I consider her request for a moment. It’s not as if the crew will do anything worse than I’ve already done. They’re just here to erase the evidence. “No.”

She gives me a sunny smile. “Then I’ll stay. It’s my home, after all. Why should I leave?”

The home was the price of her silence. It was worth it. I give her a nod and make my way toward the door.

“The girl you saved—the one Edward wanted—”

At the door, I tense. “Yes?” I ask.

“She okay? I heard Edward kind of beat her up. He was bragging about it.”

I look over my shoulder with a grim smile. “Are you trying to get me to reanimate his corpse so I can kill him again?”

The woman laughs. “Nah. I guess I should feel remorse or something that he’s gone, but all I