The Remarried

Chapter eleven

I pass the few clothes shops that carry the standard confection, nothing like the salon where I used to work. These shops have no mannequins, just hangers with clothes that come out of big manufactures. There is no face nor name to put to them. Usually the lower middle class shops here – the women wear these outfits for a couple seasons and then take them to charity shops for the poor, so in the end, we will see people wearing this collection even ten years from now.

I ring the bell and walk in after the buzzer, and then I head straight to the door at the end of the corridor.

"What happened to you?" Jordan asks after he greets me, pointing to the deep purple bruise on my forearm.

"I think you know," I smirk. "I was at the steeplechase."

Jordan raises his brows. "And why should I know?"

"Don't act like this wasn't the Underground's doing," I say calmly. "I was expecting you to claim responsibility for it."

"We don't have to," he shrugs. "It seems like everyone knows it was our doing anyway. Although I personally had nothing to do with it. Our group isn't interested in things like that."

I sit down on a chair next to the table with the computer. "I hope you are at least interested in the power plants," I say and take my necklace off. "This plan has been waiting for too long."

"Well, you weren't too interested in finding us," he notes and takes the necklace from me.

"I didn't think it was possible."

"Edmond didn't give you any instructions?"

"No," I say. "Edmond never wanted me to get involved in anything. My life was already in danger simply because I was his wife. I would never be able to find you, if you didn't find me."

I watch him make a few clicks before he turns back to me. "It will take a bit of time," he says. "Would you like some coffee?"

I'm not really a coffee person, but I don't mind it. I sit there patiently until he comes back with a cup. "Besides that, you weren't really interested in finding me either," I note, taking a sip. It's strong and bitter as hell.

"We weren't sure how you'd react," Jordan shrugs. "I still got the impression you don't trust us. And to be honest, you seemed to be eager to get your second chance."

"I was eager to get the chance to avenge Edmond," I say and put the cup on the table. "It has nothing to do with my loyalty to the Republic."

"All right," he says simply and looks at the screen.

We don't speak again until he returns the necklace to me.

***

I only have time to change before dinner, and when I come to the table, Senator Wintercourt and his wife are already there. I can immediately sense that the atmosphere is heavy. They are not talking to each other, instead, Senator Wintercourt is reading newspaper. He always does it in the morning, so it only has to be a pretense.

"Do you have to keep reading at the table?" his wife hisses at him.

"We're not eating yet, are we?" he dismisses her. "If our young man can take his time coming to dinner, I can take mine reading the paper."

Mrs. Wintercourt just shakes her head. Then the engine of the car sounds in front of the house.

"Finally!" Senator Wintercourt says and closes the newspaper.

Then Saul walks in, sporting a dark bruise under his eye. Mrs. Wintercourt gasps upon seeing it. "Oh my God!" she exclaims. "What were you doing?"

"Let me guess," I chuckle. "Shooting a rifle. And you forgot about the recoil."