Page 15 of The Silent Note

Okay, but that doesn’t mean he actually met Slavno. Maybe he just got a picture that he could use to trick me.

“I don’t think he’s lying to you,” Cadence adds as if she can read my mind. “Zane’s been working like a dog since your accident. Making calls and doing research. Dutch said he even called in a favor with a mob boss.”

“Really?”

She nods.

My shoulders sag. A part of me was hoping that Zane was screwing around like usual. If I confirmed he was lying, I could rip off this expensive dress and tell the bastard to take a long, breezy hike off a cliff.

But I can’t.

Not when Zane has a key to the door that I’ve been desperate to open.

I know where we can find Sloane’s murderer.

An image of my best friend fills my head. I see her sitting in the makeup chair next to me. Sloane’s bright eyes and bouncy blonde hair. Her laughter that could fill a room. Her big, vibrant personality.

She would be over the moon at how crazy my life has been since I first met Zane.

Grey Jamieson? My adorable little nerd princess who would rather read a book than go out with me on a Saturday night? You’re getting married to a crazy-hot drummer who’s six years younger than you? Yes! Yes to all of that!

The Dream Sloane smiles at me.

And then she disappears.

Gone.

Left in her wake is a pool of blood dripping on the ground.

I shiver and whip my gaze away.

Cadence notices. “Are you okay? Did I cinch this too tight?”

“I’m fine,” I say shakily.

She goes back to work and I wipe my sweaty palms on the wedding dress.

Sloane’s death was unjust and undeserved, and the real killers are still walking free. Slavno might have wielded the knife, but it wasn’t his order. At the end of my mission, at the end of this long mystery, is the true culprit.

A man who will die by my hands.

His blood for hers.

I won’t stop until I see it through.

“Since there’s no mirror here, I’ll take a picture so you can see the full effect.”

Cadence steps back, snaps the picture and shows it to me.

I gasp.Holy…The dress is magnificent. The princess cut shows off my décolletage before sweeping down into a gorgeous white train. Even with my hair a mess and my face free of makeup, the gown is transformative.

“You look stunning,” Cadence says, stepping behind me. “Really beautiful, Miss Jamie—I mean… Grey.” Her smile is hesitant. “But you know you don’t have to do this, right? I mean, of course you know that. You’re an adult. And so is Zane. He’s an adult too. But it’s just…”

I take one of her hands and squeeze it. “I’ll be okay.”

At the start of my mission, I swore I’d do anything to bring justice to Sloane and find the ones who ordered her dead.Anything.

But I didn’t think the scope of my promise would include getting married to a psychotic drummer who happens to be all kinds of off-limits.