Maybe her mother didn’t know about Darkside. If she did, could her mom really sit there, making small talk with Walker, and not suspect anything?
The questions buzzed in Keira’s head, demanding she ask them. How could her mother have cheated on her dad? How could she have had another man’s baby? How could she have kept the truth from Keira all these years? And what if her mother knew something about Pike that might save Keira’s life?
“Mom? How did Uncle Pike die? I can’t remember.”
Keira wasn’t sure who looked more stunned by the question—Walker or her mother.
Her mom’s eyes held a curious mix of stale sadness and fresh pain. “No one knows exactly, honey. His lawyer called one day and said that Pike had passed away and that he’d left you his piano and, of course, the college fund. He traveled a great deal for his work, and it was very dangerous.”
“What did he do?” Keira pushed. Walker kicked her under the table, his eyes darting furiously between Keira and her mom in a please-don’t-make-her-suspicious sort of way. Keira shot him a glance that she hoped said, Shut the hell up, and looked back at her mom, who was twirling spaghetti around her fork in slow motion.
“Something for the government, I think. He said he wasn’t allowed to tell me the details. He’d warned me that if something went wrong at his job, it would be the end of . . . everything,” her mother finished awkwardly.
She looked up at Keira, her eyes narrowing. “Why all the questions about Pike? You haven’t asked about him in years.”
Keira spun out a lie as fast as she could. “Walker was asking about the piano. I couldn’t remember all the details.” She speared a carrot from her salad, as nonchalant as if she’d been asking about the weather.
“Ah.” Her mother patted her lips with her napkin and then tucked it neatly under the edge of her plate. “Well. It was a hard time. Things were . . . things were never the same after Pike died.” She pushed her chair back, clearly hoping to end the conversation. “Walker? More pasta?”
“No, thank you. It was delicious, but it’s getting late.” Walker gave Keira’s mom his most shining smile and picked up his plate, carrying it over to the sink. He glanced over his shoulder at Keira.
“What’s your plan?” he asked casually. “Do you want me to drive you to Susan’s, or are you going to stay here awhile?”
The thought of staying—when the living room was a blind spot and the reality in the rest of the house was slick as an ice rink—no. Just no.
Keira grabbed her bag from the corner of the kitchen. “I’d love a ride,” she said.
Her mother’s face crumbled. “But we had such a nice visit. And things have settled down around here. Keira, I really think it’s time you came home.”
Crap.
There was only one way out of this and it meant hurting her mother. Keira curled her hands into fists. Her nails were barely long enough to cut into her palms and she tightened her grip, wanting the pain. Punishing herself for what she was about to do.
“I couldn’t even play the Brahms piece without having the music in front of me,” she said. “Everywhere I look, I think about Dad and the fact that he’s not here and he’s not coming back.” Her voice shook with the double meaning of her words. Neither of her fathers were there. Neither of them were coming back. “I need more time. Susan likes having me stay there, Mrs. Kim doesn’t care—I have to get my head together.”
Her mother leaned back against the kitchen counter, wrapping her fingers around the edge. Keira could see her mother’s loneliness. The long, empty night ahead shone in her mother’s eyes. It cut through Keira.
This is the only way. If I don’t go . . . if I don’t find some way out of this, she’ll lose me forever.
The thought crashed into her like a rock through a window, cracking her into pieces. Her terror rose through the mess, leaving her feeling wounded and helpless.
“I’ll call you as soon as I get to Susan’s, okay?” Her voice was quiet. “And I promise you, as soon as I can, I’ll come home for good.”
Her mother sagged. “Fine. I’ll drive you, though.”
“I have to go right past Susan’s,” Walker said. “It’s really no trouble for me to drop Keira off.”
Keira’s mom hesitated, glancing between the two of them. Her gaze landed on Keira.
“If Walker drives you, you’re to go straight to Susan’s and stay there.”
Keira nodded. She felt like she’d gotten away with something, and relief slid over her, guilty but sweet at the same time.
Her mom lifted a warning finger. “I have had my trust broken too many times these past few days. If you betray me too, I will be beyond disappointed. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” Keira said. The word was hard to say. She’d violated her mother’s trust before she’d even promised not to. She couldn’t go to Susan’s, even if she wanted to. Susan didn’t want her there.