But maybe I can hear them, in a way that still counts, if I listen to more than my fears.
I open my mouth, not sure exactly what to say or whether I should thank her, and a ping resonates up the stairs from my bedroom where I left my phone. My heart jumps with the thought that it’s probably my friends looping meback into whatever they’re talking about in the wake of my outburst.
Daphne stands before I need to excuse myself. “Go on. Like I said, you do still have a life you can live here—and itisyours.”
I bob my head and hurry down the stairs to my bedroom.
When I grab my phone and flick on the screen, it isn’t the group chat that pops up. Instead, there’s a single text from an unknown number but an easily identifiable source.
Call me when you can, mia amata. I found her.
Thirteen
Elodie
Salvatore picks me up in the same blue sports car as before, around the corner and a few blocks down from my house as we agreed. His smile when I hop in might not be outright smug, but it’s definitely self-satisfied.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about now?” I demand, unable to stop myself from prodding his impressively muscular arm. He stayed cagey on the phone, not wanting to talk beyond agreeing on a meeting place.
He merely laughs and strokes his hand down my cheek as the car rolls to a halt at a stop sign. “Better if we talk somewhere no one could see us, right? I don’t want anyone calling the cops on me for loitering in this fancy-ass neighborhood.”
I grimace at him, but I can’t argue when I’m the one who made such a big deal about being careful. This isn’t a great locale for remaining anonymous.
And I’m glad to spend the time with him. That’s normal, isn’t it? Maybe… maybe not even a reason to feel guilty.
“This is where you fit,”Aunt Daphne said, and I feel it, simply sitting next to him. This Salvatore doesn’t feel any less like my true match than the one I left behind.
Why does my fate have to be so complicated?
At least it’s a fairly short drive to the downtown condo building where Salvatore cooked me dinner a couple of days ago. I walk in to see he’s added a new touch: a bouquet of red roses giving off a sweet perfume from their vase on the dining table.
Salvatore grins when he sees me noticing them. “You can’t take ’em home without saying who gave them to you, but you can at least enjoy them while you’re here.”
I dip my face to the blooms to inhale their rich scent even more deeply. “Thank you.” I lift my head. “Now what did you find out?”
“Right down to business! That’s my girl.” He motions me to sink onto the sofa with him while pulling out his phone. A disposable coffee cup with a dent in the rim sits on the low coffee table.
Salvatore props his feet on the table next to the cup. “I went on a private field trip yesterday. Took that look inside the Hearsts’ house that you couldn’t get.”
I jolt off the cushions. “What? How did you—what did you say to them?”
He shrugs, still grinning. “Didn’t need to say anything. I waited until the housekeeper went out and no one else was home. It’s not hard to smash through a security system if you know what you’re doing. You just have to make sure you get back out before anyone comes to see who did it.”
A chill washes from my throat to my gut. “You broke into the house?”
“Yeah. Found Kenneth’s room, looked around—like you found that pen at your friend’s place, the trash holds a lotof secrets. He’d thrown out this cup.” He nods to the table. “The logo’s from a joint I know not too far from here. I thought that was weird, right? Why would he go out of his way to buy coffee there just to turn around and bring it home?”
“Maybe he really likes their drinks?” I say, but the suggestion comes out weak even to my ears.
There are plenty of fancy coffee shops closer to our upscale lucent neighborhood. It is odd that Kenneth would have gone downtown for coffee if he wasn’t going to stick around at least long enough to drink it.
Salvatore makes a dismissive sound. “I think he had reasons much more interesting than that. It was a lot easier getting into the coffee shop, in case you were worried. They don’t even have magical security. I waited until they closed for the evening, alchemized myself a key, and strolled on in.”
I swallow hard. “Of course you did. All that stuff I said about being careful?—”
“Iwascareful,” Salvatore interrupts. “Part of being careful is figuring this shit out. I got into the shop’s security footage, deleted the bits I was in, and jumped back to a week or so ago.”
Ah. “Right before Kenneth attacked me.”
