But it’s okay,’ she went on, secure enough of his continuing desire to try a little teasing, ‘you don’t need to pay me for my services. I’ll... let you–‘ And then she froze, realising why he wanted his wallet at exactly the same moment she witnessed the dawning horror in his expression. ‘Oh…’ ‘It’s all right.’ But something in his demeanour told her he was attempting to reassure himself more than he was trying to reassure her. ‘It’s okay.’ ‘No, it isn’t!’ She regarded him in consternation. ‘Last. She was in the middle of a lush green meadow with a clear blue sky above. There were thousands of Monarch butterflies swarming around the edges of the meadow. They were so thick, that they nearly blocked the trees from view. Dragonflies of a variety of colors flew past, their stiff chitinous wings making a characteristic rattle. Despite recognizing everything around her, it felt like no place on earth. It was too beautiful. It was too tranquil. It was too perfect.Betsy knelt down and ran a hand. I went back through the house, locking the door, and made sure everything was switched off. I opened the garage door, drove the van out, and then shut the garage door. Getting her up to my flat wasn’t going to be easy. I knew Keith and his trophy wife were away, but that still left Mrs Johnston on the ground floor, she would probably shit a brick if she watched me struggling to get the bound Cynthia up the stairs. I walked her into the flat and sat her in a chair. Keeping up my foreign accent. ‘She was one of my customers … in Kansas City. Recently, she moved to Charlotte, so I’m moving there too. My business is fairly portable, but I’m still traveling, so it doesn’t mean I won’t be back here fairly often.’ ‘Do you love her?’ she asked, looked directly into my eyes. ‘Yes … yes I do. Very much.’ ‘Good … I’m glad. You deserve to be happy. Someday I’d like to meet her. I’m sure I’d like her.’ The comments surprised me, but at the same time, it was a great relief that there were no.