Please enjoy this preview of a chapter from an upcoming book in the new Valentine R series.

Mariposa

Veronica struggled to find the switch on the lamp on her nightstand. As she switched it on, she squinted in the sudden blinding light to read the time on the digital clock next to her. Two in the morning. Who was knocking at her hotel room door at two in the morning?

Whoever it was, they weren’t going away. She dragged herself out of the bed, slipped into her robe, and crossed the room to answer the door. She was surprised to see Jo standing on the other side, leaning against the wall. She blinked at her, sleepily. “Did I wake you?”

Veronica smirked. “Yeah, but it’d okay. Everything alright, Jo?”

Jo shook her head. “Nah. I actually went to a bar and had a few, but then I didn’t want to go home. I need someone to talk to. Can I talk to you, for just a little bit?

She’s drunk, Veronica thought. “Come on in.” She stepped aside and watched Jo stagger in, and sit on the edge of the bed, nearly sliding off. Veronica sat next to her. “What’s up?”

Jo gave a heavy sigh. “Do you ever think about some of the stuff you’ve done?” she asked. “I mean, like, the bad stuff? I’ve done some pretty bad stuff, you know.” She cleared her throat.

“Would you like some water?” Veronica asked.

“Nah, I’m okay,” Jo said. “I’ve done some bad stuff, Veronica.” She rested her hands on her knees. “I killed people. I killed people for the government, and I killed people for Kelly, and the Syndicate. I still see them, sometimes.” She paused, and sniffled a little. “Mariposa.”

Veronica leaned forward with interest. “What?”

Jo smiled for a moment. “Mariposa. It means butterfly in Spanish. That’s what my mother used to call me. She’d say, ‘Get up, Mariposa! Time for school!’ or “Mariposa I love you so much’.” Her eyes grew watery. “Sometimes at night when I dream I see her. I see all the people I killed, and then I see her. I don’t think she’s proud of me.”

Veronica furrowed her brow. “Listen Jo: why did you start working for Kelly in the first place?”

Jo shrugged. “Sully needed a leg. He was gonna be on the waiting list forever, and Kelly offered me a job. I knew that first kill would cover the cost of the prosthetic leg and he’d get it right away. So, I took the job.”

“You did what you did to help a friend,” Veronica said. “Do you think you’re a bad person?”

Jo shrugged again.

“Do you really think your mother isn’t proud of you?”

Jo’s bottom lip quivered. “I don’t know!” She used the heal of her hand to wipe her eye. “I don’t know. I always said, after the I.E.D. hit us I wasn’t going to have PTSD. I wasn’t going to be one of those soldiers. But I see them! I see the faces of the people I killed, and they won’t go away.” She leaned over and rested her cheek against Veronica’s shoulder. “I don’t want to see them anymore.” She chuckled softly. “I’m drunk.”

Veronica snickered. “It’s okay. Just stay here tonight, okay? We’ll talk more later in the morning.”

END OF PREVIEW