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Both ends were good and stuck, and all he could think of was how fast he could search the other boxes for more tubes and how quick he could get Ryker to look into this. Something akin to elation flooded him as he gripped this container. Could he have found what his father hadn’t been able to? Could he finally bring these back to the O’Shea family? As head of the family, he felt the pressure to do what his father hadn’t been able to.
His family prided themselves on their business, yet they hadn’t been able to relocate their own inheritance after decades of trying. All the frustration and anger and stomps on their pride may finally be coming to an end.
They’d hunted down so many false leads over the years, but now Braden wanted to focus on the last point of origin. This house held the answers; he just had to know where to look, and he may have struck gold.
Braden held on to the tube and stepped into the cool hallway. Where had she gone? He called her name, waiting to hear her reply. Silence greeted him, but then she appeared at the top of the stairs with the kitten beneath her arm. Even though the little guy nestled against her, Zara still didn’t look comfortable with her new friend.
Maybe Laney shouldn’t get this kitten, after all. Perhaps Zara needed this bonding experience to get her to open up, to not be afraid of any type of a relationship. Animals had that effect on people.
“What were you doing?” he asked.
“You left the door open, and he darted out.” She stopped before him and held the cat out to his chest. “You were too preoccupied with whatever is in that cylinder and didn’t see him run out the door.”
Braden winced at the harshness of her tone and knew he needed to come up with a quick cover so she didn’t get too suspicious. He’d never expected her to be around when he found something of interest, so holding back his emotions hadn’t crossed his mind.
“Sorry. Occupational hazard. Old treasures get the best of me.”
She quirked a brow as if she wanted to argue, but didn’t say a word as she brushed by him and went into the bedroom. Braden followed, closing the door and placing the cat back down on the rug. He immediately went to the paper and packaging beside the box and started swatting and playing.
“Did you get that open?” she asked, pointing to the tube.
“No.” He needed to be careful how he approached this. The last thing he needed was for Zara to distrust him. “I’d like to have Ryker look, if you don’t mind.”
She shifted slightly, and her brows drew in. “Ryker is a friend of yours?”
“He’s more than a friend.” How did he even explain Ryker? Ryker was more of an experience than a person. The man was a force to be reckoned with. He butted heads with Braden more often than not, but the man was loyal to a fault. “If anyone can get into this and not do any damage to the container, it would be him.”
Zara stared at him before her eyes darted to the tube in his hand. “What do you think is in there that’s so important? It felt empty to me.”
A paper wouldn’t weigh much, and if this was indeed one of his family’s scrolls, Braden wanted it to be opened without Zara present. Waiting to get this to Ryker would be a true test of self-control, but Braden had come this far; he wasn’t about to destroy the tube by breaking it to get in.
“Old documents could be hidden,” he told her. “You never know what you can find stored away. We’ve uncovered some pretty important things from all over the world when people thought containers were empty.”
“I don’t care if you take it to look in, but you’ll let me know what’s inside, right?”
“Of course.” He refused to feel guilty about lying to her face. If the scroll was indeed inside, it would be of no use to her.
Well, she could sell it for a ridiculous amount of money, but the worth to the O’Sheas was invaluable. Braden was so hyped up on adrenaline with the possibilities, he could hardly stand still. He needed to contact Mac.
Braden set the tube on the side table by the door and pulled his cell from his pocket. He quickly shot Mac a text that he’d found an old tube, but couldn’t confirm the contents.
“I’m going to head back downstairs.” Braden glanced around the room, searching for the flashlight. “I’ll get those other boxes.”
“I’d like to talk to you about selling some pieces.” Zara had taken a seat back on the floor and was wrapping items back up and placing them in the box. “I’m not sure how that works or even if you’d be interested for the auction house, but...”
