I swallow. Hard.
“Influences,” I say. “That’s me and Talon.”
Gideon looks up. “Let me see.”
I hand the page over. He reads it once, then again, his jaw tightening each time. He doesn’t swear, but the air around him feels like he did. He holds the page up and snaps a photo.
Silas pulls open the second nightstand drawer and finds a small metal lockbox. “Talon.”
Talon’s already moving. He digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out a bent paperclip. He kneels, fiddles with the lock, and pops it open.
Inside are a USB drive, a folded photo, and a thin metal bracelet that looks like it belonged to someone else.
“USB,” Gideon says. “Give it to me.”
Silas hands it over.
I reach for the photo, unfolding it carefully. Abi stands in the middle, younger, in a sundress, smiling wider than I have ever seen her smile. Her arm is around a man I don’t recognize. He has laughing eyes and a hand resting on her waist like it belongs there.
“I don’t know this guy,” I say.
“You wouldn’t,” Talon says quietly. “That’s my dad, her first husband.”
“The one who died?” I whisper.
He nods once. “Yeah.”
Silas leans over my shoulder. “We’re taking that too.”
Gideon snaps a picture of the photo before I refold it and tuck it into a folder with the emails.
The bracelet glints under the light. It’s small. Too small for Abi. Maybe too small for anyone grown. My chest tightens. “Is this Minxy’s?”
Talon’s throat works. “No. That’s mine. From when I was a kid.”
Of course it is. I place it back in the box as if it might explode.
Silas closes the lockbox and moves to check under the bed. “If she hides anything else, it’ll be somewhere she thinks no one has a reason to look.”
We’re mid-search when I hear it. The rumble of the garage door and the distant roll of tires.
I freeze. “Someone’s home.”
Talon checks his phone. “She shouldn’t be?—”
“No,” I say, moving to the window. “That’s my dad’s car.”
Relief hits me so hard my knees go soft. I grab the windowsill and suck in a slow breath. Gideon straightens, already sliding the last page back into position.
We walk out calmly. We didn’t touch anything we shouldn’t have.
Silas shuts the nightstand drawer, wipes his gloved hand across the top once like he’s checking for dust, and peels the gloves off, tucking them into his pocket.
Talon moves to the door, opens it, and we step out into the hall just as Dad rounds the corner in the hallway.
His face lights up the second he sees me. “Penelope. Well, this is a surprise.”
Guilt stings under my ribs. “Hey, Dad.” I force a smile that feels almost real. “Sorry for just showing up. I wanted to apologize for ducking out early last night. I had a headache.”
