Symphony in Blue

Symphony in Blue Read Free

Book: Symphony in Blue Read Free
Author: Shira Anthony
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the first of December.”
    “Then we’ll just have to get creative, won’t we?” Alex set the small bag he’d been carrying down on the stone path and turned to survey the grounds. From where they stood, he could see the dirt road that led through the rows of grape vines. At the edge of the vineyard was a small building made from the same stone as the main house. He headed over to the building and David followed behind.
    “What are you thinking?” David asked as they reached the door. Unlike the main house, this building had no lock.
    “I’m thinking,” Alex said as he opened the door, “that we need some tools.”
    The shed, while dark, was surprisingly neat. Tools covered the walls, very few of which Alex recognized. Not that he had much experience with tools, but many looked like antiques. The vines that stretched down the hill from the main house were a working vineyard—no doubt some of the tools were for tending the vines. Alex nearly tripped over a box as he reached what he’d been hoping to find: a folding ladder.
    “Help me get this outside?” he asked David, who eyed him warily before picking up one end.
    “What do you have in mind?”
    “The windows on the upper floor of the house don’t lock, do they?”
    David frowned. “You can’t intend to climb up there. If you fall—”
    “I’ve climbed much higher in my day.” Alex nodded to a spot under one of the side windows. “Before I met your sister, I broke in to a few warehouses.” He’d been nearly sixteen and running from the foster-care group home where he’d been living when Rachel had quite literally saved his life. She, too, had been living on the streets when she’d found him passed out in the middle of a blizzard. They’d lived together until he’d left for college three years later, and he still thought of her as his sister.
    “Broke in to?”
    Alex laughed. “Not to steal anything. There wasn’t anything in them to steal even if I’d wanted to. I just needed a place to sleep. The top floors were warmer and most of the offices weren’t locked.”
    “I see.” David looked extremely uncomfortable. “I’m sorry.”
    “You don’t have anything to apologize for, David.” Alex offered him a reassuring smile. He wouldn’t have said it, but knowing what he did about David’s upbringing, he figured he’d had the better deal as a kid.
    Alex opened the ladder and put his weight on the first step. It was old but sturdy. “Spot me, okay?” he asked.
    “All right.” David appeared unconvinced. “Just be careful. The closest hospital is a good hour from here.”
    “No problem.” Alex climbed up the ladder. The second-to-last step put him just shy of reaching the window frame. Not close enough.
    “I really don’t think this is a good—”
    Alex climbed one more step, wobbled a bit, then reached out for the windowsill. He pushed on the wood with the heel of his hand. It didn’t budge.
    “Alex,” David said, sounding genuinely worried now, “I don’t think this is a good idea. Surely there must be some other way inside.”
    “Don’t worry. I can do this.” Alex hit the window harder this time, and the two sides swung inward. Unfortunately, he used a bit more force than he’d intended. The ladder shook, and Alex teetered on the platform. He struggled to regain his balance, but the smooth leather soles of his dress shoes slid against the wood.
    Shit. He reached for the windowsill and scrabbled for purchase on one of the rough stones of the ancient façade that stuck out a few inches, right under the sill. His feet found an indentation where the grout had deteriorated a bit. He prayed the stones were in better shape than the mortar, since he figured it was at least twenty feet down to the stone patio. There was nothing to break his fall. He needed to get a grip on the sill to steady himself.
    “Alex!” David shouted from below. His voice shook with concern.
    The narrow perch did not crumble. Alex used the stones

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