It was the Tuesday after the anniversary party, and she’d agreed to stay indoors despite the fact she had the night off. She knew that Brix, Sam and Jessup were close by, but she wasn’t in the mood for company. She’d woken up late, then spent the afternoon cleaning to distract herself, but every second indoors made her want to be outside in the gorgeous evening even more. Still, she remembered the promise she’d given Nikita, and Zoe vowed not to make things more difficult for the people trying to protect her. After the meeting with their friends last Monday, Zoe had agreed to put her violin in the local bank vault so they didn’t have to worry about Paul Wei going after it. Dante had insisted on it, despite her protests. The instrument was like a security blanket for her. She liked knowing it was close by, even if she didn’t feel like playing it. Sensing her sorrow, Dante had surprised her a few days later with another violin. It wasn’t a very expensive piece, but it meant more to her that he would think to get it for her than the actual value of the instrument.
