Every ounce of calm I’ve learned over the years has dissipated. In the wake of finding an actual priceless artifact so carelessly left behind, I’m wondering what else I’ve been taking to Oscar. This also feels like a turning point in my relationship with the man. He’s showing me what he’s taking. Now, it’s up to me which direction I go. The ultimate sign of trust.
I can’t fuck it up, no matter how much I’m starting to panic.
“Umm, I have a dress? Or a washcloth?” Nova tilts her head in question.
“Do you have something to wear home if I take the dress?” I look down the hall when I hear a door open, but no one heads this way.
“What is going on?” she asks instead of answering me.
In this moment, I make a choice. One that will forever change everything about my life and my future. I look at the back door then back to Nova, then back to the door.
“Come with me.” I yank her outside. Thank God I know there are no cameras.
“I can’t leave right now,” she hisses.
“It’s fine. You weren’t even supposed to be working tonight,” I tell her while practically dragging her to the cave.
“It is not fine. What the hell, Chri—” She freezes in place; eyes locked onto the priceless artifact I’m trying to figure out how to transport.
“I need something to transport that in, a barrier to touch it. Because I sure as hell am not touching it with my bare hands.”
It’s then that I realize she didn’t actually bring the dress, and now shit’s getting too risky. But I have no other options.
Chapter 8
Nova
I’ve never hyperventilated in my life, yet I’m dangerously close right now. Not only am I supposed to be working and am not, but I’m staring at something that I presume is a very fucking old piece of stone with hieroglyphs on it. I’m also in a fucking cave that could be used for smuggling or killing.
What the fuck is going on?
“That’s not drugs,” I blurt out, my brain deciding on the most ridiculous thing to say, it seems.
“No, it sure isn’t. So, your dress?” Chris looks over at me, and I see the anxiety in his eyes.
“Sure.” But I don’t move. I continue to stare at the very old and probably very illegally piece of stone.
“Can you go get it?” Chris says with more urgency.
“Shit, yes.” I spin around and march out the opening before Chris pulls me back by my shoulder.
“Let me clear the way first. No need for you to be seen, then asked questions you can’t answer right now, and make this more messed up than it already is.” He peeks out of the cave and keeps his head on a swivel the entire walk back.
My head is completely blank the entire walk back to Bella’s. It’s like there were so many thoughts in there, trying to figure out what the hell is happening, that it just gave up. I’m now walking like a zombie to my locker, with Chris hot on my tail, like this is a normal everyday occurrence.
I fear I’m about to be dropped into far more than I bargained for.
And that’s saying something since I assumed I’d either end up dead or in jail when this was all said and done.
Wordlessly, I hand Chris the T-shirt dress I keep in my locker and watch him bolt out the door to the random cave. I stand in the back parking lot, waiting for him to return so I can tell him to be here at the end of my shift.
He better get ready because one hell of an explanation is going to be needed once I’m done with my impromptu shift. Chris agrees to stick around before I have to get back to work.
I came here to try and focus on my end game. To digest everything that happened at the MET and process how I feel about where Charlie’s life went.
Now? I’m distracted as hell on stage, looking for Chris—who doesn’t return—and wondering what the hell that stone was. It was old, as in “should be in the MET” old, which means knowing it was in the cave is probably dangerous as hell.
Shit.What if Thing 1 or 2 saw me and tell Cano? That’s a sure-fire way to get myself killed.
