CHAPTER 25
Chess Match
Rory hit the high note with a clarity that made the stadium shudder, her back still turned to the front row. She did not need to see his face to know the obsidian of his eyes was darkening. The white-knuckled grip on the railing was his only giveaway—a crack in the armor of a man who usually moved through the world with total, terrifying calm.
Rory realized in that moment that she was not just singing for the fans anymore; she was singing to see how much more pressure it would take for him to finally break. She was playing with fire, and she knew it, but she enjoyed how little he felt in the crowd right now.
“I will not give him the satisfaction of my attention.” Rory thought as she finished the song perfectly.
That smirk was Rory’s first real taste of victory.
