page60 (1/1)

“Hugo!” Delphine crowed in delight, enveloping h her door

The apartment Dad had found for her was craer place if she’d gotten a job, but Dad didn’t want her to have any distractions If she was going to be going to university, that should be the focus Moo at all

I remember a similar scene when I left for America The first born, off to seek his fortune in the New World Our sweetto the afterlife instead of New York It would take a tragedy, but I finally understood her urge to hold on Even if it wasn’t healthy in the long run

Delphine ht have appeared like a woman but the decor spoke of youth Holdovers from adolescence, and before, a prih-schooler At least froe, I had the overwhele to march her down to the shop and do a co how royally pissed I would have been if one of our parents had done the same to me Better to let her make her own mistakes

Per The ed since I’d been there last Though I wasn’t sure what changes I thought there could really be in five years, particularly to a city property It was soot Probably because of their lack of history on the grand scale There were trees in Europe that were older than the American Nation

It was a picture of wonder

every French citizen should be able to do at least once in their lives Hell, so everyone should do

While she see to have to get used to it if she lived in the capital She’d hbor about 20 miles away I hadn’t been asked, but knew she would have to acclimatize sometime Best to do it when I was there to hold her hand Literally, as it turned out Her surprisingly strong grip not relenting until we took our table at the cafe

We’d barely had ti back to the kitchen when it happened

Everybody got down a, I tackled Delphine, trying to get her out of the line of fire Using myself as a human shield

After what seemed like hours but were probably onlyover the scene, I held her, like I had when she was a baby The rief-addled mind

At first, as the shock and adrenaline still ran, I hadn’t noticed how cold she was getting Three rounds to the chest Two right through her heart The coroner said she would have died instantly No pain No tioodbye

S to mar the crisp white sheets beneath The tears that wouldn’t fall before, co in a cascade

“Hugo?”

A light touch on a, awake and alert, the covers fallen around to her waist It awp at in the Louvre Every gentle curve of her, perfectly syhtmare

The pad slipped away as a pulled entle embrace My soft sobs were muffled by her supple neck The silver of the collar pressed into a cuddled and shushed ly

“Want to talk about it?” she asked when I pulled ether

“I think I’d better, or I o insane”

It all ca out The da the e before it stated to take a terrible toll I’d never even been able to talk to ain after the funeral

As soon as Delphine was put in the ground, I was on the next plane back to California Re in the airport terminal for the entire twelve hour wait I just couldn’t face theuardian had failed At least that was how I’d felt at the ti I could have done except take the bullets myself Given the option, I would have