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Hunter smiled more broadly. “Funny. I can think of two words right off.” But Becca was already pulling Chris to the other side of the table.
“Words, not hands,” said Layne. She poked Gabriel with her fork. “I think you need a T-shirt that says that.”
He leaned in close. “Give me five minutes and I bet I can change your mind.”
“Ugh,” said Quinn, spearing a piece of chicken with her fork. “Spare us.”
Michael glanced over at Hannah. “I told you you’d regret staying for dinner.”
“Are you kidding? You should see dinner at the firehouse.”
Hunter grabbed a paper plate and a piece of chicken, then dropped into one of the folding chairs that had been added to make enough seats. He was smashed between Nick and Simon and barely had enough room to put his plate down.
Chris was still glaring at him. “So what did you want to show Becca later?”
Becca was glaring at Chris now. “Leave him alone.”
“No way,” said Chris. “If it was so innocent, he can tell everyone.”
Hunter pulled the skin off his chicken and fed it to Casper, well aware that everyone at the table was looking at him now.
He was spinning his wheels trying to think of something innocuous to say, but he was coming up with nothing. He was tempted to keep everything secret, to hand over the files to Kate to see what they could come up with together.
But he didn’t know who all those people were, and the Merricks might.
The gun was a solid weight at the small of his back, like a heavy steel security blanket.
“I went through the things my mom packed up,” he said slowly, looking at the chicken on his plate. He wasn’t sure how many people at the table knew about Elementals, so he chose his words carefully. “She included my dad’s files.”
“Files files?” said Gabriel.
Hunter nodded.
“Anything interesting?” said Nick.
“They’re old.” Hunter paused. “But yeah.”
“What kind of files?” said Hannah.
“Later,” said Michael. He gave Hannah a crooked glance. “Maybe when the daughter of the county fire marshal isn’t sitting at the table.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll get the secrets out of you later.”
“Trust me,” said Michael. “You don’t want these secrets.”
Hunter kind of agreed with him.
Later, when Hannah and James were gone, and Quinn had driven home with Becca, Hunter brought the files downstairs and dumped them out on the table.
He’d been doubtful about Layne and Simon, but Gabriel said, “They can stay. They’re good at secrets.”
Hunter watched as the Merrick brothers went through their own files first.
Michael blew out a long whistle. “Your dad had a lot of information.”
Layne poked Gabriel’s cheek. “Did you always look surly? How old are you in that picture?”
Gabriel was staring at the grainy reproduced photograph. “Twelve? Thirteen? I don’t know.” He glanced up at Michael.
