Page 52

“Holy shit!” April says.

chapter

seven

April

There are gold bars in the wall. Actual gold bars. It’s like something out of a bank robbery movie.

I stare into the safe, then at Gabriel, then back into the safe.

“Are those real?”

He glances at the neatly stacked bars. “Of course. What would be the point of hiding counterfeit gold inside of a safe?”

“Of course,” I repeat. “Because everybody has a secret stash of gold in their library.”

“It seemed prudent.”

“Prudent?”

“One never knows when one might require access to funds.”

“Right. Like when the economy collapses or you need to buy a small country.”

He gives me a look. “I have never had any desire to purchase a country.”

“But you could probably afford one.”

His mouth twitches.

I turn back to the safe. In addition to the gold, there are bundles of old banknotes, several velvet pouches, and a wooden box that looks as though it might contain the crown jewels.

I reach toward one of the gold bars, then stop.

“Can I?”

“April, you own the house, as you keep reminding me. Technically, everything in this room belongs to you.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Why are you suddenly being so kind?”

“It has occurred to me that you hold all the actual power in our arrangement. What is the saying, don’t bite the hand that feeds you?”

“I can’t tell if this is personal growth or if you’re simply pandering.”

“Embrace the mystery, April.”

I grin and pick up a bar. It’s heavier than I expected. “Oh my God. This is bonkers.”

“You’ve said that several times.”

“There’s a literal fortune in your wall. I think I’m entitled to a few exclamations.” I turn the bar over in my hands. “Do you have any idea what this is worth?”

“Approximately what I paid for it, I should imagine.”

I close my eyes. Count to three. Open them again. “Gabriel, gold has gone up in value since the eighteen hundreds.”

“Has it?”