Page 157 of Axis of Fire

Silence settled over the ruined backyard.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

“And now you're claiming the people responsible conveniently returned and left a clue behind.”

I pressed my lips together.

Damn it.

They had noticed.

And worse—

Tarven wasn't looking at the brooch anymore.

He was looking directly at me.

Like I was the mystery he was trying to solve.

“Ria does that sometimes,” Gwen shrugged casually. “Talks to herself out loud. We found out those people came back because of the neighbors across the street. They saw them yesterday morning... and again this afternoon.”

I held my breath.

Waiting.

Praying they'd believe her.

Lars's expression didn't change.

Not even slightly.

Which somehow felt worse than if he'd called us liars outright.

“Why didn't you tell Airis?”

He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Because I found out after he'd already fallen asleep,” I replied, forcing myself to mirror Gwen's relaxed posture. “He passed out the second he got back to the apartment. I didn't want to wake him.”

“When exactly did you have time to talk to the neighbor?”

His eyes never left mine.

“Airis didn't leave your side for a second.”

Damn it.

He wasn't buying any of this.

“I talked to her,” Gwen answered smoothly before I could.

“I had a work meeting nearby today. While I was heading home, I ran into the neighbor and she told me what happened.”

Gods.

You were terrifyingly good at lying, Gwendolyn Dürkgheim.