Free Covenant by Maria Rachel Hooley

explanation he can give her. There’s no truthful
explanation that doesn’t involve Elizabeth.
    “ It doesn’t matter why,” he
finally manages. “Besides, I’m sure there are duties you must
attend to. Celia and I can take care of Lev.” He doesn’t wait for
her response but turns instead to me and levels a knowing glance as
he mouths the words, “Say nothing.”
    I realize Sarah is watching
me, so I give an imperceptible nod I’m sure Evan will pick up on.
It goes without saying, considering how long we have been
close.
    “ Of course you can,” Sarah
agrees. “And you always do, even when it’s not the right thing to
do.”
    Although Evan is pretty good
at keeping his expression neutral, when he has to, I can see he’s
clenching his jaw. It’s hard to tell really. The only reason I pick
up on it again is that I know him so well.
    “ Is there something you
would like to say to me, Sarah?” His tone is slow and deliberate as
he turns to her, giving her plenty of time to back down.
    “ Do I need to say it, Evan?
Really? Because I know you’re smart and you see the obvious.” All
the forced pleasantness has drifted from her tone, leaving a much
harsher edge.
    “ Perhaps whatever you are
insinuating isn’t nearly as obvious as you believe.”
    Celia watches the two of
them, and even though I’m pretty used to her being able to do the
whole” neutral expression” thing, too, right now there’s a sort of
worry playing at her lips, and that’s pretty much a clue that
whatever is transpiring between Evan and Sarah has been building
for some time, and even though I can’t remember the crux of it,
somehow it has something to do with me.
    “ All right, then. We’ll
just leave it at that. After all, Lev isn’t quite his old self.
With any luck, the new one will be an improvement.” She gives me
one last glare before walking out, and suddenly it occurs to me
that Evan placing his body between us probably wasn’t just because
of the argument. There’s some seriously bad blood between me and
Sarah. I just don’t have a clue what happened that caused this kind
of a rift, not that I’m going to get a chance to hear the other
side of the story. Evan has made sure whatever lies in the past
stays there, and even though Celia could probably tell me just as
easily, she’s going to take Evan’s side. I have absolutely no doubt
of that whatsoever. That’s how she has played every hand since I
first woke up.
    “ You all right?” Evan asks,
his forehead furrowed with worry.
    “ Just peachy.” I look at
both him and Celia, trying to figure out all the missing pieces,
but I can’t find them. “You wouldn’t by chance like to fill in the
blanks on what that was all about, would you?”
    “ That’s an old rift between
you and Sarah. Nothing good will come by talking it over, and she
hasn’t seen you since you were…hurt. More than likely, she wanted
to stick her nose where it didn’t belong and figure out what’s
going on.”
    All three of us look at the
place where she stood. “But that doesn’t tell me why she was so
angry.”
    “ That’s another story for
another day,” Evan says, patting my shoulder. We’re all about to
leave when I see the door open and a middle-aged woman enters. She
clutches a handbag which, considering her slumped posture, seems to
be weighted with rocks, and it’s easy to see the tears spilling
down her face. More of them pool in her eyes and flow over, but she
doesn’t even bother trying to wipe them away. Obviously, right now,
there is no end to them.
    There’s a stoop to her
shoulder as though she carries the weight of the world, and her
steps are slow like she isn’t sure she can make it to the bed.
Celia frowns, and I can feel the old woman’s chaos. She’s never
been one able to watch someone else in pain. Before I know it, she
stands next to the woman and takes her hand to help guide her
toward the body. No, the woman won’t realize that an angel has
helped