Dance of Deception: Chapter 36

The cold air hits my face like a slap as I stumble out of the mansion, my breath choppy, my heart pounding so hard it drowns out everything else.

Then the reality outside the house slams into me.

Voices. Shouts. The blinding flashes of cameras.

The Barone mansion is swarmed with professional news crews, amateur journalists, and maybe just people who stopped to grab a torch or pitchfork, spilling off the sidewalk and onto part of 5th Avenue.

The moment they spot me, chaos erupts.

“LYRA!!” a voice screams as a million camera flashes explode in my face.

“Do you have any comment about your father’s copycat killer?”

“Did you know the victims?”

“Do you think your father is still alive?”

“Where’s Marcus Chen?!?”

The last question is shrieked above the rest, sending a shockwave of panic down my spine.

I stagger back, the world spinning as the flashes disorient me, the reporters’ voices blending into one horrific, unrelenting assault.

I don’t think. I just break into a sprint across 5th Avenue, headlights blinding me, horns screaming.

A car swerves, missing me by inches, and the driver leans out the window, shouting something I don’t hear.

Footsteps thunder behind me—not just reporters, but cameramen, conspiracy nuts, people screaming my father’s name. I push harder, lungs burning, the frigid air slashing my skin. I dive into Central Park, the trees swallowing me up.

I don’t stop.

I don’t slow.

Tears blur my vision, making me stumble on the uneven ground, catching myself just before I fall.

The voices behind me fade, but I still don’t feel safe.

My phone dings, slicing into my psyche. I gasp, jolting as I skid to a stop near the Glade Arch. My fingers tremble and shake as I pull my phone from my pocket and stare in horror at the screen, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

My chest tightens. I force my shaking fingers to type.

I hesitate. My hands shake harder. I don’t know how to answer.

My phone buzzes harshly again, as if to say “time’s up”.

My stomach drops as I read the next message.