Emi drops my wrist. Nods. She smooths out the front of her coat as if regaining her composure. “Well—my wife, Olivia, is notorious for being on time, and I’ll be late on our anniversary if I don’t leave now. But you know how to reach me. Keep that phone with you at all times.” She nods again. “Good luck, Lia.” Without waiting for a response, she heads out the glass doors and into the night.

The back of my throat burns like I’ve swallowed ash. I pull out my inhaler and take in a deep, medicated puff.

On my way out the door, I pass a guy staring at me. At first, I don’t recognize him, but when I take a closer look, I see the creepy spider tattoo crawling up his neck, behind his ear.

Spider Tattoo.

My throat clenches, trapping my breath inside me. I dart through the glass doors, glancing back to see if he’s following me. Instead, he heads over to the desktop I was using and starts punching at it with tight concentration.

I don’t dare wait to see if Emi’s program works. Without a second thought, I turn away from the Apple Store and take off running.

Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

I kick my covers and flip away from the clock on my nightstand. It’s past midnight. My mind won’t stop racing.

If my sister Annie were around, would any of this be different? Would Adam still be alive? Would she and I find a way to take down the mayor before the gala? Before Emi’s article? Something that ensures he rots in prison instead of spending the city’s blood money on flashy hotels with gaudy fountains.

I flop to my back, tangling my leg in the sheets.

That’s what this is about for him: His image. His legacy. He’s murdering people so he can splash his name all over city buildings. I should’ve recognized it the first time I met him. His artfully grayed hair. His perfect teeth. He’s a narcissist—the dangerous kind. And the whole Lakefront Project reflects it. For the last ten years, the project’s platform has been all about bringing in revenue, generating tourism, and saving this city. But those promises are all secondary to the real reason behind it all: the mayor’s ego.

I’m not sure whether to laugh or simply despise the irony behind it all. This city turned their backs on my dad’s entire career when he was pegged as a narcissist. And yet everyone, including the media, seems to give the mayor a pass? Unless the mayor found a way to control the media too.

My right eye twitches, and I massage the dull ache pulsing inside my head.