The heat on the savannah was a physical weight, pressing down on the roof of the Land Cruiser until the metal ticked and groaned. Leonardo was still bent over the open hood, his movements theatrical in their slowness. He wasn’t fixing anything. He was waiting.
Fifty yards away, the golden shapes in the grass shifted. A tail flicked. A head rose, heavy and lethal.
“Thea.” Veronica’s voice cut through the drone of cicadas. She stood near the edge of the track, pointing toward a cluster of acacia trees further down, dangerously close to the tall grass. “Look. A Lilac-breasted Roller. Leo said you wanted to see one.”
I didn’t move. My hands were slick with sweat against the leather seat. “I’m fine here.”
“Don’t be boring.” She turned, her silhouette stark against the blinding sun. The wind whipped her linen dress around her legs. “It’s just over the ridge. Unless you’re too scared?”
Leonardo looked up from the engine, wiping grease from his hands with a pristine rag. “Go on, Thea. Stretch your legs. I’ll need another ten minutes.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command. If I refused, I was the hysterical wife. If I went, I was walking into a trap. But sitting in the car felt like waiting for the executioner, so I opened the door. The heat hit me like a physical blow.
I walked toward Veronica, keeping the vehicle in my peripheral vision. The dry grass crunched under my boots. When I reached her, there was no bird. Just the vast, indifferent emptiness of the plains and the scent of dust and dried blood.
“You know,” Veronica said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. She stepped closer, invading my personal space. Her eyes were dilated, swallowing the iris. “You remind me of her. Rosalie.”
My stomach turned over. “Don’t talk about his sister.”
“Why not? I’m the only one who remembers how she really screamed.” Veronica smiled, and it was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. It wasn’t human. “Leo told everyone she ran away. Or fell. He’s so good at cleaning up messes. But he wasn’t there when I pushed her.”
The air left my lungs. “You…”
“She was in the way. Just like you.” Veronica’s hand shot out, gripping my forearm. Her nails dug in, sharp enough to draw blood. “She bounced, Thea. Off the rocks. It was messy. But effective.”
We were close to the grass now. Too close. A low rumble vibrated through the soles of my boots—a sound felt more than heard. The lions.
“Leo won’t mind,” she hissed, her breath hot against my ear. “A tragic accident on safari. The grieving widower. The supportive new partner.”
She shoved me. hard.
I stumbled back, my heel catching on a root. The world tilted. The tall grass parted, revealing amber eyes and bared teeth not ten feet away. The lioness rose, a massive wall of muscle and instinct.
Veronica lunged again, her hands outstretched to finish it.
Then a blur of motion slammed into us from the side.
Derek hit Veronica with the force of a linebacker, tackling her into the dirt. The impact sent a cloud of red dust into the air. The lioness snarled—a guttural, bone-shaking roar—and scrambled back, startled by the sudden violence. The pride scattered, disappearing into the brush.
Veronica shrieked, thrashing beneath her cousin. “Get off me! What are you doing?”
“Enough!” Derek pinned her wrists to the ground, his face pale and streaming with sweat. He looked up at me, his eyes wide with panic. “Get back to the car, Mrs. Stone. Now!”
I scrambled up, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I looked at Derek, really looked at him, and saw the terror of a man who had reached his limit.
“I have it,” he mouthed, the words barely audible over Veronica’s screaming. “The proof.”
Leonardo was jogging toward us, looking annoyed rather than horrified. “What the hell is going on?”
“She tripped,” Derek lied, hauling Veronica to her feet. His grip on her was iron. “Heatstroke. She’s delirious, Leo. We need to go back.”
***
Night fell over the lodge, heavy and suffocating. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the small silver flash drive in my palm. Derek had slipped it to me in the hallway while Leonardo was ordering drinks, a silent exchange that shifted the axis of my world.
*Rosalie.* The cover-up. The truth.
I closed my fist around the drive, the metal biting into my skin. I had the weapon. Now I needed the opportunity.
The door handle turned. I slid the drive under my pillow just as Leonardo entered.
He looked impeccable, as if he hadn’t spent the afternoon watching his mistress try to feed his wife to lions. He loosened his tie, watching me in the mirror. “Derek says Veronica is resting. The heat got to her.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” I asked, keeping my voice flat.
He turned, leaning against the dresser. “Don’t start, Thea. It’s been a long day.”
I stood up. My legs felt weak, but I forced them to hold me. I walked over to him, stopping inches away. I needed him to believe he had won. I needed him to lower his guard.
“You’re right,” I whispered, letting my shoulders slump. I reached out, my fingers brushing the lapel of his jacket. “I’m tired, Leo. I’m so tired of fighting you. You win.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, searching my face for the lie. “Do I?”
“I can’t do this anymore. The lawyers, the fighting… I just want to go home.” I looked up at him, summoning every ounce of vulnerability I had left. “Take me back to New York. Please. I’ll sign whatever you want. I just want my life back.”
A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face. The predator sensing the surrender of its prey. He reached out, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb stroking the skin there. It took everything in me not to recoil.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, darling,” he said softly. “For you to know your place.”
I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes to hide the hatred burning in them. “Take me home, Leo.”
*Take me back to the city where I can bury you.*
