Page 146 of Burning Daylight
I lick my lips, to say or do…I don’t know what…but before I can, a noise breaks through the air, like a storm rolling over the horizon. At first, it’s just a low, rhythmic hum. A vibration that you feel before you hear. But then it grows into a rumble, metal wheels clattering against rails in a cadence that echoes off the concrete buildings.
He moves his hand away, and I lick my lips like I’ll be able to taste the remnants of him.
“Watch,” he says, pointing toward the oncoming train.
Quirking a brow, I wonder what the point of all this is, but I listen and do what he says.
I watch.
Even though my body is hyperaware of every movement he makes.
A train comes racing along tracks on a hill in front of us, a high-pitched whine layered over the deep growl of the engine. The air whooshes like it’s being pushed forward, and there’s a faint hiss of brakes as it comes hurdling past.
And at first, I don’t notice anything…but then I do.
A burst of colors, sprayed along the boxcars. Brilliant, bright, and intricate. It speeds along, and I soak it in, every sharp line, every blasted edge.
It blurs past in strokes of the rainbow, and then I see it: a mirage of pink and peach, with thorny edges jutting from the shadow. It’s a rose, I realize. Twisting, and bleeding from the petals. Like it’s wilting mid-bloom. Across the stem, in jagged letters, it says: “And with her kiss, I die.”
My chest seizes and then my gaze snags on the corner.
RMO.
My breath lodges in my throat.
I try my best to tamp down my reaction, but the tears spring to my eyes anyway, because that felt like a love letter. One written in tragedy.
“Is that…” I cut myself off, not sure if I want the answer.
Roman’s not even looking at the art. He’s too busy watching me. And when he speaks, it sounds soft. Final, even.
“I told you, Juliette. I’m going to paint you into everything.”
BREAKING: Graffiti Bombshell Hits Mayor Penngrove’s Office!
A jaw-dropping mural has surfaced overnight on the side of Mayor Penngrove’s campaign HQ.
A towering image of who we suspect is Mayor Penngrove looming over the town, a leash around his neck that’s held by a shadowed figure. The face of the figure? A logo.
Calloway Enterprises.
Is this a bold statement from our mystery artist about the mayor’s reelection campaign?
The Calloway family is expected to address the rumors in the coming days.
#MayorPenngrove #GraffitiGate #CallowayWatch #RosebrookRagExclusive
37
JULIETTE
Beverly flits around, hanging up a load of laundry in my closet, rambling about something or other, but my mind is stuck on Roman.
I’ve been nauseous ever since that night in the parking garage, his words ringing in my ears.
He hasn’t reached out since, and it’s been a week.
Years of being told that Marcus Montgomery and anyone with a hint of his blood is the enemy rings in my head, and my mind battles with what I’ve always believed and what I know Ifeel.
