“No,” he says without hesitating. “Not really.”
My stomach drops like a broken elevator.
“So why do this?” Leroy shoutsfive minutes. “Why-why take off work and help me? Why blow off your—” I cannot. “Why don’t you seem shocked that I’m here? Why aren’t you mad about me snooping and putting someone else’s ring on my finger? I didn’t tell you I had a kid. I just—just, why?”
His eyes bounce between mine as the loud saw of cicadas fills the air along with Sunny’s shoutedhurry the hell up!
Nash glances at the gate then back to me, expression best described as amused disbelief. “Do I really need to spell everything out to you, Rue Conway?”
My heart pounds, because yes. He must.
Because I have no idea what’s happening.
Why I still feel like I’m in love with him even though there’s no possible way that’s true. Because Jonathan is everything I’ve ever wanted, and Nash and I have been apart for eight years.
In the distance, Cap chuckles then coughs, and Nash grabs my hand—interlacing every finger with mine. “We have to get out of here.”
“Damn cat running around in here,” Leroy’s saying on his phone when we get through the gate. “Yep ... yep. 10-4.” He raises his eyebrows at me while Nash drops my hand to put the chain through the links of the fence and locks it. “I’ll get him out and check for anything else.”
“Well?” Sunny demands when the call ends. “The happy couple have bes’ found somethin’ to be draggin’ feet like that.”
“Nothing,” Nash says.
“Leaves and twigs,” I add. “No marks. No sign a human has ever been up there.” To Cap: “You think we missed something?”
“Eh. Maybe nothing here to find.” He grips the top of his cane with both hands and leans into it. “Maybe just a place to see for fun.”
“Fun?” That is the worst news of my day. “Why on earth would he do that?”
“Anson and his wife had been away from each other for a whole war,” Nash says. “Four years. Fun probably sounded fun.”
I jam my palms into my eyes, wondering if for the first time we’re following some dead guy’s vacation itinerary instead. It’s only been three days, but I only have $17.32 left.
Leroy says, “Hate to bust up the shindig, but I have a city to protect.” He gives Sunny a hug. “Keep out of trouble, will ya, cuz?”
“These fools don’t listen to me,” she says to him before turning her gaze to me. Illuminated by a streetlight, the smile on her face goes frigid. “But I got my eye on them.”
Yikes.
Leroy chuckles, and we all thank him before he gets in his car and drives away.
“Where do we go tomorrow?” I ask with a defeated sigh. “Folly? The beach, right?”
“Deal was we have to move at Anson’s pace.” Nash folds his arms over his chest. “This was already too rushed. We have to take tomorrow off.” He gives Cap a sideways look. “Right, Cap?”
“Yep,” Cap says, tapping his cane in the dirt. “The Order of Historical Slow Reenacting says that.”
That absolutely was not what they called it yesterday.
“No way.” I blow my bangs out of my eyes, the ticking time bomb of my bank account making me dizzy. “We have to keep going. We can take the daysafterwe find the money off. After we’ve exhausted all the leads and explored every possible option of where this might be.”
“Sorry, Rue,” Nash says. “Not happening.” I start to argue, but he holds up a silencing finger, which, in fact, silences me. “Tomorrow we do something else, then we do something from the letter. There are only five places to visit and a fortnight to do it in.” He grins.Bastard. “I’m sure yourclientswill agree there’s plenty of time for both.”
“I like that plan,” Cap says with a puff of Penny. “Say, maybe one night we can go giggin’.”
Any swoony feelings I was having earlier completely dissolve. As does my adoration for the ring on my finger. At once, I am livid, jerking at the ring only for it not to budge.Again.
“I don’t want to gogiggin’,” I say through gritted teeth. “And I said I have two weeksat most.” My nostrils flare. “You two act like I don’t have a whole life to get back to. A kid. A job. A fiancé.” I give Nash a pointed look. “What else do we have to do that takes a whole day?”
