Page 13 of Harnessed in Gold

Jerking to his feet, he mutters, “I haven’t had a chance.” He blinks for a moment, looking confused, then points to the kitchen. “Mind if I get a snack?”

Avery shrugs. “Sure. Whatever.”

Try as I might, I can’t keep from watching him as he makes his way around us, his stride lacking its usual grace and ease. As he disappears into the kitchen, he rolls his neck and shoulders.

“It’s a Secotan necklace,” Avery says to me. “From the time of the Roanoke Colony.”

“What?” I turn my attention back to her. “Secotan?”

“Yeah. I used my psychometry on it, and holy crap, it’s legit. I saw two Englishmen in breeches. And let me tell you, they needed a good bath and a shave. Ugh.”

Leo reappears, a sac of Doritos under his arm and an open bag of frosted animal crackers dangling between his pinched fingers. “I’ll show her next time she’s over,” he tells Avery as he drops the chips onto the coffee table.

“You’d better,” she warns.

Eyes on mine, he holds open the bag of animal crackers, an appeal in his expression.

A peace offering.

I mumble my thanks as I scoop out a handful, my eyes prickling at the mere sight of them. Throat tight and burning, I put one in my mouth and chew. It tastes like sweet lies, but it’s much harder to swallow.

“So, uh, Rime,” I cough. “What’s your newest slang expression?”

Topaz snorts. I’m pretty sure it’s the only sound she knows how to make.

Rime grins. “I’mvibingwith this tea.”

Avery, Aaron, and I laugh. Topaz rolls her eyes.

Rime winks at me. “Did I use that correctly?”

“It was perfect.”

“He’s been bingeingEuphoria,” Leo says, settling back onto the couch.

“Euphoria? Are you kidding me?” If Rime is trying to familiarize himself with American culture, there are better resources thanEuphoria.

Leo sighs and shakes his head, like a dad who’s given up on teaching his kid good judgment.

“I’m not saying it’s not a good show,” I tell Rime. “But it’s not realistic. At. All.”

Actual words come out of Topaz’s mouth. “He’s not watching it for the realism.”

Beside me, Aaron snickers. Smiling unapologetically, Rime crosses one big foot over his knee and adjusts his weight in the small chair.

I pick at some lint on my jeans to hide my pink cheeks. Nudity is not a subject I want to discuss, no matter how obliquely, with Leo close by. Between the animal crackers and the memories of what happened a few weeks ago in the bedroom down the hall, I’m unravelling.

“So we’ve got Betts and Rime going to the river,” Aaron says,forcing a straight face. “What else do we need to do? Any other leads to follow?”

“I’ll tell you what leads they have,” Topaz drawls. “Absolutely none.” She goes right back to looking bored, eyes glazing over and her chin in her hand.

If I’ve learned anything in the past several months, it’s that I have a very low tolerance for catty women. I snap, “And what leads haveyoufound, Topaz?”

She looks at me like I’m something that fell out of the trash can. “I’m not here to do research.”

No? Then how does she expect to find the weapon?

Unbothered, Rime answers Aaron’s question, “We’ve been talking to the locals.”