Page 144 of The Kiss Of Death
“Yes, you can’t make someone love you, Levi. Just like feelings don’t go away like that. If she has feelings for you, she still will, but she’s hurt, that’s understandable and—”
I dug out the USB key from my pocket, the one she’d given me on Christmas. I hadn’t found the time to listen to it yet. Although, time wasn’t the only issue; I also didn’t want to feel the loss, the pain. But he said she could still love me, so I had to feel that love again.
Leaning in, I handed the USB key to Mr. Henry. “Can you play this?”
He frowned skeptically.
I sighed. “I promise I didn’t put any malware in.”
He took the key, and I sprawled on the couch, looking up at the ceiling with cracks.
“There’s only one track on it,” he said, inserting the key into his stereo. “Butterfly.”
As the first notes emanated from the violin’s strings, I closed my eyes. “Doc, meet my Dalia. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Her melody wrapped around me, its tendrils dark and airy. Each of her notes were like a caress, her strings touching the deepest recesses of my soul, resonating not just in my ears but reverberating down to the core of my stitched-up heart. It soothed me like a lullaby and calmed my breathing. It was as if she was there with me, whispering through the strings.
We listened to her music in silence. When it ended, I shifted to a sitting position. The warmth that her music had ignited within me dissipated, and the world seemed to have lost all of its colors, shadows encroaching once more.
“Can you feel her love through her music?” I asked him, and he responded with a light smile. “What should I do to make her choose me?”
“You need to earn her forgiveness and her trust back. Respect her boundaries. Think of what she needs, and then maybe she’ll choose you. Maybe you’re not enough for her yet, but you can be. We can all improve and become better human beings. I’m not asking you to change who you are, because let’s be honest you’reyou, but you proved to me tonight you’ve already become better for her.”
“So what?”
“You can become the man she deserves.” He rose from his chair and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Sleep here tonight. Towels are in the second drawer in the bathroom.”
I shook my head. “No, your house gives me the creeps. Plus, I’m better back at my suite—”
“Stay,” he insisted as if he could read me. He’d definitely be a Unifier. “We’re not peasants. I’m sure you can sleep on the couch?”
A lump formed in my throat. I wasn’t accustomed to being welcomed, even less wanted. He knew the monster I’d always been, and he was letting me stay under the same roof as his family?
“Thank you,” I muttered.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you say those words. Maybe miracles can indeed happen.” He chuckled, then tapped the play button, allowing Dalia’s violin music to fill the room once more, and then he left the remote by my side. “Happy New Year, Levi.”
Icreaked open the door of my hotel room, and a surge of irritation washed over me.
The figure perched on the edge of my bed was none other than Bruno Mercier.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped, tossing the key card aside, ready to show that piece of shit the door.
“You’re not the only one with ways of knowing things,” he said with a sly smile. “We need to talk. In private. I don’t have my phone with me, in case you’re worried about that.”
I yanked him up by his collar, the veins on my hands bulging in fury. “Leave before I do something I’ll regret.”
He didn’t try to resist, his gaze fixed on some unseen void. “I’ve already lost everything, so you can’t scare me. You’ll want to sit for what I have to say.”
“Speak. Quickly.” I released him, leaning back against the desk, arms folded.Tick. Tock.
“My company has been developing the most advanced warfare drone, but it’s still in trials. A secret project, almost undetectable by aerial sensors with insane firepower—hellfire missiles, guided bomb units, and—”
“Get to the point.”
“Los Calaveras want the drone.” His voice trembled, his thumbs nervously circling each other. “If they get it, it’ll cause unimaginable destruction. I can’t let that happen, not again. This extremist group is ruthless. They’ll stop at nothing.”
So the deal wasn’t just about the guns, but a fucking advanced warfare drone.
