He spread his hands. “I think we should ask.”
It was true that his tree’s roots began here, which meant he would be able to reach a lot of roots, a lot of land, a lot of green that could tell him if they’d felt Fate’s coin passing by.
“You could have done the same thing with your own tree,” I said.
“I thought Fate would find her if I did. Turns out it didn’t matter.”
I shifted over as he put his plate and cup in the sink. He was moving like every muscle ached. He wasn’t lying about needing some recovery time.
“Okay, yes. You can talk to my trees,” I said. “But so help me, if you try to make any of them walk, even a single blade of grass, I will wash my hands of this whole mess and sell you to the siren, or Fate, or whoever will pay the contract fastest.”
He tucked his ring finger under his thumb in some sort of an oath signal. “No green walking. Promise.”
“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? Why do I know I’m going to regret this?”
“You won’t. I promise. We can get to the hidden coin, then I talk to the trees and this will all be over. Soon.”
He braced his hands on the counter, then turned, propping himself against it and trying not to look like he was so exhausted he was about to fall asleep on his feet.
“How far away is the hidden coin?”
“About four hours.”
“Round trip?”
“Yeah. Round trip.”
“Okay, so you’re going to get some sleep. No, don’t argue. I’m giving you an hour and a half. That will give me time to take care of a few things, and then we’ll go.”
“There’s not a lot of time...”
“There’s enough. We have one coin. We know where one is. And if your tree talking plan is going to work, you need sleep. I’ll sleep in the car on the way home. Go.”
He hesitated a moment more, then nodded. “Wake me.”
“I will.”
He walked, still barefoot—I’d forgotten how sexy that looked on him—across the kitchen and down the hall. Before he stepped out the doorway, he paused. “Thanks, Ricky.”
“You getting tired of saying that?”
“No. Never.”
“Sleep. I’m going to follow up on a lead.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and poured myself another cup of tea.
He lingered, then left, the soft shush of his feet on the old wood floors, fading.
I waited until the bedroom door closed, then groaned. “He knows where the coins are.”
“He might not know where one is,” Val said, strolling into the kitchen. “That one with the man.”
“No, he knows. He just doesn’t think I’d approve of who he gave it to.”
“That narrows it down. Who would you hate him trading the coin to? Wait,” Val said. “It also has to be someone he’d think would have information or resources he’d need to find his sister.”
Val sat in the chair Card had just been occupying, the ghostly wolf lying at his feet.
“There are a lot of beings in this world who could help him. Gods, demigods, supernaturals, witches, wizards, seers. He knows about all of them. It could be anyone.”
