Chapter 2 - THE HOTEL WITH NO WINDOWS
The Meridian Hotel occupied the top floors of a glass tower overlooking the river.
My room was larger than the apartment Cameron and I had shared. There was a sitting area, a marble bathroom, a kitchen, and a bedroom with curtains that covered an entire wall of windows.
A woman from the hotel staff brought me clean clothes, toiletries, and a simple dinner.
I thanked her, then locked the door.
For ten minutes, I stood in the center of the room without moving.
I was safe.
At least, I was supposed to be.
But safety had become difficult to recognize. Cameron had taught me to question every kindness, every apology, every promise. He had made ordinary decisions feel dangerous.
I checked the door twice.
Then the windows.
Then the phone.
A message appeared on the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
You embarrassed me tonight. Come home before this gets worse.
I stared at it.
Another message followed.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
You know I only want to help you.
I blocked the number.
My hands shook so badly that I dropped the phone onto the carpet.
A knock sounded.
I froze.
“Nora?” a woman's voice called. “It's Isabella. May I come in?”
I checked the peephole before opening the door.
Isabella stood in the hallway holding a small paper bag.
“I brought you something to eat. The kitchen said you barely touched dinner.”
“I wasn't hungry.”
“Neither was I at your age. Then I learned that fear is exhausting and the body still needs food.”
She placed the bag on the table.
Inside was a sandwich, an apple, and a small container of soup.
I sat on the edge of the sofa.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why does Dante want to find my mother?”
Isabella considered her answer.
“Six years ago, his younger sister, Lucia, was killed in a car accident. The official investigation said she had been driving too fast. Dante never believed it.”
I looked up.
“Was my mother involved?”
“Margaret worked as a financial auditor for one of the companies owned by Dante's father. She discovered payments that appeared to be connected to Lucia's death.”
“Payments to whom?”
“Victor Sloane. And people close to Senator Richard Hale.”
Cameron's father.
The room seemed to shrink.
“Cameron knew?”
“Dante believes he did.”
I thought about the way Cameron had reacted whenever I mentioned politics. He'd always dismissed my questions with a smile, telling me his father was complicated and that I wouldn't understand the world he came from.
I had mistaken his confidence for intelligence.
“What happened to Lucia?”
Isabella's expression softened.
“She was twenty-four. She wanted to leave the family business. She had found evidence of financial crimes and intended to give it to federal investigators.”
“And my mother?”
“She helped her.”
I touched the silver bird at my throat.
“Then why didn't my mother tell me?”
“Maybe she thought keeping you ignorant was the only way to keep you alive.”
I hated that answer.
I hated it because it sounded exactly like something my mother would have done.
After Isabella left, I took off the necklace and examined it under the bedside lamp. The bird was small, smooth, and worn along the edges. I'd never noticed a seam before.
I pressed the wings.
Nothing happened.
I tried the tail.
A tiny click sounded.
The bird's body opened along a narrow line.
Inside was a folded piece of paper no bigger than a fingernail.
My hands began to tremble.
I carefully unfolded it.
There were six words written in my mother's handwriting.
WHEN THE BIRD OPENS, FIND LUCIA'S SONG.
I read it again.
Then again.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
“Nora?” Dante called.
I closed my fist around the note.
“Come in.”
He entered alone.
His gaze moved to the open necklace on the table.
“You found something.”
I nodded.
He approached slowly.
“May I?”
I handed him the note.
He read it once, and his expression changed.
“Lucia's song,” he whispered.
“What does that mean?”
“My sister played the piano. She had a piece of music she never performed for anyone.”
“Where is it?”
“Her piano has been in storage since she died.”
I stared at him.
“Then we should go there.”
“Not tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because someone has been watching this hotel.”
My blood ran cold.
Dante placed the note in a clear evidence sleeve.
“Gabriel spotted a car outside the service entrance. It left when our security team approached.”
“Cameron?”
“We don't know.”
I looked at the open door.
“Is this what my life is now? People following me? Men with guns deciding where I can go?”
“No,” Dante said. “This is what someone has tried to make your life. It doesn't have to stay that way.”
I swallowed.
“Then take me to the piano tomorrow.”
He studied me.
“All right.”
I picked up the necklace.
“But I want to go because I choose to. Not because you order me.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
“Understood.”
He reached the door, then stopped.
“Nora?”
“Yes?”
“Don't answer any calls from unknown numbers. And if you feel unsafe, call Gabriel directly.”
“Why not you?”
His eyes held mine.
“Because I don't want you to feel that your safety depends on pleasing me.”
May you like
He left before I could answer.
For the first time in a long while, I slept for more than three hours.
