Page 111 of The Kiss Of Death
I was abruptly cut off by the blaring horn of some imbecile. Through the rearview mirror, I watched as he drove like an absolute lunatic, careening toward my meticulously maintained car like a bat out of hell.
The maniac’s hand protruded through the open window, his gnarled fingers waving erratically, and simultaneously, his head leaned out.Wait.It wasn’t a he. Her gray hair was tied into a bun.Is that—
“My flower!”
“Grandma?” Dalia’s scream felt like a physical blow to my eardrums.
Our lunatic was none other than Dalia’s grandmother, behind the wheel of the Tesla Model S, with James Bond-like sunglasses on.
She executed a sharp turn, and—fuck no. She scraped against the side of my pristine car. The screech of metal against metal tore through the air in a painfully long wailing shriek. And while she was at it, she also unapologetically shattered my side mirror.
“I believe you just met Grandma,” Dalia said with a smug grin, seemingly unfazed about what had happened.
My pitiful side mirror dangled with a few stubborn cables, swinging back and forth, even though I hadn’t even left my parking space.
Dalia pranced out of my car and enveloped her grandmother in a hug. Everyone wore formal attire and uniforms for Parents’ Day, except for her grandmother. With her long, tiger-patterned dress, she looked like a rock star fresh from a stint in rehab.
“I miss my school days!” The old lady chuckled.
Meanwhile, I emerged from the car and assessed the carnage inflicted upon my vehicle. The paint was brutally stripped from its surface.
Grandmother: one.
My extensive research: nil.
That golem masquerading as a frail, petite grandmother spared me a glance. “Let me guess, he’s the annoying asshole who’s been bothering you for a full semester?”
“In the flesh,” I said in a crisp smile, advancing slowly toward her, each step laden with an implicit threat.
“I’m sorry about the side mirror, young man. You know, I’m old and half blind. I shouldn’t be allowed to drive rental cars.”
I arched my brow. She wasn’t half blind. She did it on purpose. A twisted amusement stirred within me, curling my lips into a semblance of a smile. She was as crazy as her granddaughter.
“Oh, I think you didn’t miss what you aimed to do,” I quipped back. “I see where Dalia gets her spirit from—like her desire to poison me or kick me in the balls—but I’m afraid all of thoseattempts were futile. It made me even more interested in your granddaughter.”
Dalia’s eyes widened, and the grandmother’s grin deepened, with a lipstick way too red for her age. “I know hundreds of ways I could torture you, young man, if you ever dare hurt my flower. She tells me everything.”
Why does everyone expect the worst of me?I was usually the one doing the threats, but it was almost delightful how she seemed to be speaking my language. “Everything, hmm?”
Dalia’s cheeks reddened as she clasped her hands. “Well, now that you’re here, should we eat somewhere or…?”
“Not now, so many things to do! I’m flying back home this afternoon; it’s just a four-hour flight, can you believe it!” She grabbed Dalia’s arm and surged toward the university entrance as if I didn’t exist. “I want you to give me a tour. Where should we start?”
“The greenhouse,” I said, causing both of them to halt ahead of me. “I heard you were into plants, the most exotic and poisonous kind, right?”
“And after that?” Her gaze bore into mine, sharp and probing, as she released Dalia’s arm.
“After that, I’ll prove to you that your granddaughter doesn’t tell you everything.”
“Levi!”
I managed to coax a chuckle from her grandmother. “I like him. For now, at least.” With that, she resumed walking, falling back into step beside me. “I still have many questions to ask you.”
“I’ll warn you, you probably won’t like my answers.”
“Do you have impure thoughts about my Dalia?”
“Yes.”
