Page 125 of The Kiss Of Death
Perhaps because light never shines as bright as within the complete darkness.
As her final note quivered in the air, she glanced toward the window, catching sight of my reflection and meeting my gaze. “You’re here.”
“Don’t stop,” I urged almost desperately, taking a tentative step toward her. “What’s this song?”
“I improvised it.” She turned around, a smile gracing her lips. “It’s inspired by that day.”
“Your mother,” I interjected, recalling the somber notes in her composition.
She nodded. “It’s about the what-ifs—what if I hadn’t begged her each year to go to Pantheon’s opera? What if the terrorists never came?”
She never called them by their names because a name held power. I tilted my head to the side, and my thumb grazed her cheek. My muscles tensed. I’d gone to the roof earlier because I needed to think about my next move.
“You’re not responsible,” I said.
“I know that deep in my heart, but…” She struggled to keep her smile on, her lips shaking slightly. “Tell me what you think of it.”
She pulled away from me, standing by the piano across the room, and resumed playing. Her bow danced with grace, moving with an exquisite delicacy and precision, drawing out notes that weren’t meant to be heard but felt. Her eyes were solely locked on me, and I felt my skin prickling.
Her furrowed brow intensified, and crows burst from the trees outside, their cawing echoing the tumult within her. The sad and heartbreaking melody emanating from her violin was so profound, it almost transformed her violin into a cello.
Her music created the most beautiful feeling I’d ever experienced. I stood frozen. Mesmerized. Obsessed. Everything she touched became beautiful. She had angelic fingers and a heart so pure I’d never believed it could exist.
When she stopped, it was as if she emerged from a separate world, a world that was hers and only hers, and she smiled again. “What do you think?”
“Beautiful and haunting, just like you,” I whispered, looming over her.
She pinched her lips together, avoiding my gaze. “I need to tell you two things.”
I hummed, waiting for her to continue.
“I found the last clue to Lucie’s scores.”
I froze, the soothing effect of her melody already dissipating.
“There was a violin cadenza,” she continued. “The notes formed numbers, and I finally discovered what they meant… They formed a URL link.”
She bit her lip and seized my hand, waiting. She waited for my reaction, probably some sort of excitement. Dalia was so stubborn; it wasn’t surprising she didn’t listen.
“I thought I told you to stop searching.” My voice was barely audible, my muscles coiling with tension. “You hid that from me.”
“Because I knew you’d disagree,” she quipped, throwing back the same sentence I’d used about the picture statement.
My lips tilted in a thin line. “We’ve definitely mastered the art of communicating.”
“I know you’re against it. That you gave up. But aren’t you curious to know what she’s been meaning to tell you?” She stood on her tiptoes, her hands resting on my chest. “It’s up to you, but I think it’d be good for you to know.”
“Okay,” I whispered, not believing that that damn kid made me change my mind.Why did I even want to know, now?
Having hope always deceived me.
“Okay?” Her smile widened, her innocent eyes sparkling beneath her long lashes.
“Not right now, but okay,” I conceded, studying her plush glossy lips. “What’s the second thing you wanted to tell me?”
“I made up my mind about Christmas.” Her lips hovered over mine. “I want you to come with me.”
She kissed me, but my mind raced with calculations, my body rigid. I’d been waiting for this moment for so long. Everything was falling into place, and my plan unfolded flawlessly. I was a checkmate away from Mercier’s downfall, and there was no way out for him.
