33
FENELLA
When the van entered the tunnel leading to the village, Fenella sighed in relief. Despite the brave face she'd shown Kyra's sisters, she had been shaken by what had happened.
It was proof that the outside world was still a scary place, and it was good to return home, to safety, to Din.
As she saw him waiting for her in the parking garage, her heart leaped. It did that complicated thing where warmth and feeling battled for dominance.
He'd been waiting for her, probably pacing the concrete like a caged panther since the moment she'd texted him that she was almost home.
She let Kyra and her sisters exit the van first and was the last to disembark.
"Thank you," she told Jackson. "Next sandwich is on me."
He waved a dismissive hand and closed the van doors from his control center up front. He'd told them that he was going back to work, so she wasn't surprised when he did a K-turn and headed back into the vehicle lift that would take the van down to the tunnel.
The man had been patience personified, letting them decompress at the café and then entertaining them with stories about his rock band days while driving them back home.
Turning to Din, Fenella smiled. "Have you been pacing the parking garage since the moment I texted you?"
"You know I have." His eyes swept over her, checking for damage as if she'd been in actual combat rather than shopping. When his gaze landed on the brooch still pinned to her shirt, something in his expression softened. "How was Ruth's café?"
"Awesome," she said, glancing at the sisters who were heading to the elevator that would take them up to the glass pavilion. She lowered her voice. "I played shrink, trying to convince a bunch of scared women not to hide forever in the village, which was a bit hypocritical of me, since that's precisely what I wanted to do."
"Oh, sweetheart." He pulled her into his arms for a fierce hug. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
"Careful with the box." She took a step back. "You'll smash the sandwich I brought you." She handed it to him. "And don't talk like that. It stresses me out even more than encountering a Revolutionary Guard in a Persian market and watching Max tackle him to the floor."
Din looked confused, her meaning lost on him, but before he could figure it out, Kyra waved at them from the elevator while holding the door from closing. "Are you two coming?"
"Yes, we are." Fenella took Din's hand and walked with him into the waiting lift.
It was a bit crowded in the cab, and Fenella found herself pressed against Din's side, the scent of him familiar and soothing. It was nice to have someone worry about her and wait for her return.
When they emerged into the glass pavilion, she immediately noticed that something was different about the displays along the walls. "Are those new?" She pointed to a case that contained an artifact that hadn't been there when she'd left this morning.
"Kalugal must have refreshed the exhibits," Din said, moving closer to examine the piece. "He told me that he likes to rotate his artifacts, so all the good pieces get to shine. That's Mayan, I believe. Classic period, probably from Palenque."
Fenella shook her head. "He just casually has priceless artifacts lying around to redecorate with?"
Kyra touched her shoulder. "We're heading home. Thank you for coming today and for what you said to my sisters. They needed to hear it."
"I just told them the truth," Fenella said. "Fear is a prison you carry with you. Trust me, I'm an expert."
Kyra nodded. "Regrettably, I'm an expert too."
"I know." Fenella took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We were hell buddies, you and me."
"That's one way to put it." Kyra patted her shoulder and turned to follow her sisters.
"That one is new too," Din said, pointing to the next case. "Baltic amber, probably Neolithic. See how the beads are graduated in size? That's typical of?—"
If she let him, he would talk for hours explaining about each artifact, and although she was fascinated, she was also tired and wanted to get home.
"Din." She tapped the box he was now carrying. "Your sandwich is going to turn into a soggy mess if you don't eat it soon."
He looked at the box like he'd forgotten it existed. "Right. Where would you like to eat? Shira's place or Thomas's?"
