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“And if I say yes?” I raised a brow, dipping a toe into the water, feeling the knot in my stomach tightening.
“Depends. Where?” He paused. “And for the love of God, do not say Monowi.”
“You don’t believe in God.”
“No, but Idobelieve someone out in the universe is messing with me.” He claimed his usual seat at the table. “Seriously, though. If you say Monowi, I might nuke the city.”
I slid into the plush upholstery, lifting the lid off my bowl of stones. “How?”
It wasn’t lost on me how light our conversation had gotten. As if both of us wanted to shy away from the obvious trouble looming.
As always, he picked up a stone with perfect etiquette. “Have you forgotten that our neighbor is an arms dealer?”
I countered his move with the most ruthless one I could think of. “Right. Well, I guess I better spare the sole resident of Monowi.”
He frowned at the board. “This could last all night.”
“I have good stamina.”
“That may well be, but I plan to wear you out nice and good.”
“We’re still talking about the game, of course.”
“Of course.”
Four hours later, he gained control over the board. Neither of us had said a word the entire duration, instead concentrating on the stones.
He seemed deep in thought by the time I finally gathered the courage to broach the subject.
I reclined in my seat, linking my fingers together on my lap. “I resign.”
His eyes darted up from the stones. “Excuse me?”
“I have no moves left.” I unlinked my fingers, gesturing to the board. “Congratulations. You won.”
“I won?”
“Yep.” I nodded, doing my best not to melt into oblivion. “You won the pendant. Fair and square.”
Sorry, Dad. Are you disappointed in me?
Somewhere along the line, Zach and I had agreed to leverage the pendant as the award. Over time, the game had become foreplay rather than competition.
I didn’t think either of us really realized what we’d done. Judging by Zach’s tense shoulders, he must’ve forgotten what we were playing on.
“Farrow.”
I shook my head, shooting up. Wanting to say goodbye to the pendant one last time.
But a few steps in, I realized only one of the pendants sat in the glass case.Notmine.
My mild reaction startled me. I thought I’d break down, pivot, demand an explanation. But the confrontation with Vera had sucker punched me in the skull, rewiring my brain.
Vera, Reggie, and Tabby spent their lives amassing material items, unable to satiate their thirst. They committed crimes, ruined lives, and never understood the harm they caused.
I didn’t want to turn into them.
Would I love everything Vera had pawned back? With every fiber of my being.
