rice
creaked open with the same eeri
felt like walkin
gh, calm and poised, just as I was trained to be. The d
ally n
hen I was walkin
greeted me stiffly. "Your fat
s," I whispered
leaming, chandeliers sparkling. From the outsid
... it ree
her had eyes everywhere, and I had to act like I hadn't betrayed him. Like
urse, keeping my face blank,
Every step reminded me of the danger. Of Kelvi
ce on the he
e the deep voi
nte
saw
Sam
fat
cing the wide window behind his desk.
etly. "You've been gone
keeping my voice steady. "
ally t
ately notice
s were
ne of them was already crumpled slightly at
the docks," h
caught in
mb. Sta
I was
a man t
ou... you had
ially after the Rico incident. One of my b
ned fo
u love
sita
ie had
I whi
ssion did
r. No s
disapp
ore foolish th
around the desk, circling m
man, but you love a ghost. A boy raised by vengeance. A boy
s not
our softness, my men are dead. My routes ar
ightly, but he cl
"And tell me, if it came down to i
ds tre
k in his face. Tell him about the files. The pictures. T
I whispered,
es, I might not lea
ared
and
wly... h
oo
lowed.
himself a glass of dark
going to use
you talk
d the window ag
. The terrified daughter. Feed him small truths. Keep
d back t
oing to brin
t dried
was
full
ust me. He w
betray
I d
e to stay soft.
ld, hollow smile I had a
l have no
ween us stretch
ind
r make it out of the mansion alive
odded
o what
tudi
is wine again
't his gir
r what I
hat I was a
t had been locked off since my mother's mysterious death when
s known tha
I needed
rotated shifts, 3:00 am,
etly, using an old key I had st
n slowly, and I step
mell of old wood, forgotten perf
s once
mot
was the truth about
started scanning every shelf,
nd an old dres
n compa
... wa
k. L
ed the
insi
ogra
s of
ling with my f
ures of her with
pp
ha
ver one of
ther's handwritin
er knew a
gs we
dusty floor,
and Kelvin
ere in
creaked b
urning the
oved in th
tst
e had
ved it into my bag, an
steps go
cl
door silently,
no w
y t
wasn't