“Truth be told, that very sonnet and that exact line is my favorite above everything else. I’ve read it at least a thousand times because I love it so.” Carolina began to shovel again. “That is how I know you misrepresented it.”
“Impossible,” he said. “Ittoois my favorite line, and Itoohave read it a thousand times.”
“Then you wouldn’t know it isn’tAnd what is a few moments when our souls haveknowneach other since the beginning of time?ButAnd what is a few moments when our souls havelovedeach other since the beginning of time?You ruined the best part.”
Lalo’s brain nibbled on those words. By the stars, she was right. How could he have made that mistake?
He snuck a glance at Carolina. Her hair had fallen from its braid. Her brown skin was covered in dirt. And yet, she appeared perfectly smug. He quite liked that smirk playing on her face. Her confidence was inexplicably as charming as it was irritating. A conundrum, to be certain.
Her eyes met his.
“What?” she whispered.
“You’ve got mud on your cheek,” he said. He didn’t know why. He panicked.
She raised a brow. “So do you.”
He recoiled. “I do not.”
Carolina reached forward and something cool pressed against his cheek.
“Now you do,” she said.
Lalo gasped.
She giggled as she pulled back her soiled hand.
“Oh, you are a devil,” he scorned. But he found himself smiling. He grabbed a glob of dirt and flung it her way. Carolina laughed and shielded herself with a raised hand.
Shaking his head, Lalo dug his shovel into the earth again. This time, the blade bumped into something hard. They both froze.
“Vidal’s coffin,” Carolina uttered. She made no motion to move.
“Indeed.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. This was it. Lalo would learn if he was one step closer or back at square one.
“Ready?” Carolina asked.
“Not really.”
“Want me to do it?” Her eyes searched his. And for a moment, he was stunned by how empathetic her gaze was.
“Together?” he asked.
She nodded and knelt. He did the same. He reached down, ready to dig into the grave dirt. Their fingers grazed, and a shock of warmth sizzled up his skin. Carolina drew back.
Recovering from the moment, they began to shove the dirt away.
Together, they dug toward the center.
Lalo’s heart dipped at the first sight of splintered wood.
“Holy hells,” Carolina whispered.
They dug harder and found nothing but bits of shattered fragments until his knuckles bumped into the bottom of the coffin.
“There’s nothing here,” Carolina said.
“Keep searching. We must be sure.”
