"What?" He's looking between us as if expecting a different kind of news.

"I talked to Simon," I say carefully. "Everything's going to be okay."

Todd's gaze rivets to mine. "We don't have to leave Glory Glade?" he asks, astonished.

"Not if we don't want to."

He's frozen for a moment before he flings his arms around me in a very rare display of affection. "I don't want to," he whispers to me. "I want to stay here with Petr."

"Depends on how well you two behave," I remind him with false sternness. I'm bursting with happiness at the news but trying hard not to reveal what's been going on.

"I'll be good," Todd promises. He pushes away from me. "Can I pleeeeeeeease go shooting?"

I glance up at Petr, unable to stay upset long with everything swirling in my thoughts.

"One of the guys is going down with them," Petr explains and nods to the man he introduced as Riley.

"I suppose," I murmur.

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Todd doesn't stick around to see if I change my mind but darts away quickly. I wait until he's out of earshot before rounding on Petr. Pulling away from his touch, I glare up at him. "Care to explain?"

"Can I ask you to just trust me?"

He has a way of deflating my negative emotions, of grounding me. Holding my gaze, Petr is smiling faintly. This time, when I see the happiness in his face, I don't feel envious of him and Todd the way I have before. I feel like I, too, can participate in their little happy club. He's done more to help my brother than I ever could. If he asks me to trust him …

"Always," I murmur.

"Good," he responds and takes me in his arms again. "He's a good kid, Claudia, and he now understands what it means to make a decision like using a weapon."

"You've done so much for him. For us," I say, a little distressed by the enormity of Petr's involvement in my life while I tried to pretend he wasn't there.

"When you care about someone, it's what you do," he shrugs.

"It's not what I do! I made you ask me out every day for weeks."

"Twice," he teases.

I groan.

"Or is it three times?" He pretends to consider.

"Stop!" I retort.

He laughs. "Not trying to escape before you have my hide for Todd learning to shoot, but I've got a family affair to wrap up," he says. "You want to meet me upstairs on the couch where we first kissed? It's a little less crowded." His eyes are twinkling again.




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