Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us 2)

She thrust a plate in my hands—she must have also bought out the Anthropologie kitchen department—and perched on a bar stool, watching us all anxiously. Last time I’d seen her, she’d been so relaxed, joking around with her boyfriend Liam even though the Order was attacking Circle members all over the globe.

Later that night, they’d gotten to Liam, too. And Colette hadn’t escaped unscathed. When their car’s brakes had gone out and the gas tank exploded, she’d gotten out alive, but the lace tunic she wore exposed the angry red scar on her neck and shoulder.

“Thanks,” I said, filling the plate with fruit. Jack, Stellan, and Elodie gradually wandered over, too, picking at the spread.

“Lucien told me a little, but what exactly are you all doing in Greece?” Colette said in her soft accent.

Elodie glanced at Jack and me, and I shrugged. Just by coming here, we’d obviously decided to trust her.

Jack told our story, and Stellan added details until we got to the part about Delphi.

Colette had taken it all in surprisingly easily. “What’s the plan?” she asked. “What can I do?”

“Get us to Delphi,” Jack said.

“The captain of the boat is just up in the village. I’ll make a call.” Colette disappeared and was back a few minutes later. “Done. We’ll be outside Delphi by morning. Now what?”

Elodie unzipped her bag and pulled out a bathing suit. “Now come sit out on the deck and let’s enjoy Greece.”

• • •

A few hours later, I set my knife on a lounge chair on the upper deck and angrily flicked back the strands of hair that had come loose from my ponytail. Jack and I had decided to take the free afternoon to train. I had a scrape on my arm that was smarting from sweat, and I’d narrowly missed giving Jack a black eye with my elbow.

As usual, the knife training was not going well. It was like my hands weren’t meant to hold it. The second I tried a move, I’d drop it, or fumble, or forget everything I’d learned about blocking and leave myself open to attack.

I leaned on the railing, watching the wake behind the boat as we chugged toward Delphi. Elodie, Colette, and Luc were sunbathing on the next deck down. Elodie looked even taller and thinner than usual in her sleek black one-piece, and Colette was her opposite, a modern-day Marilyn Monroe, curvy and soft in a white crochet bikini, her hair pulled back in a boho headband and topped with sunglasses big enough to cover her entire face. She looked more relaxed already, and I was glad we were at least able to do that for her. But it wasn’t them that made me laugh out loud. Luc lounged on a chair between the girls, gesturing animatedly with a cigarette. I had forgotten how many European men wore Speedos instead of swim trunks, and Luc was wearing a tiny one, turquoise with white flowers. If I was seeing correctly, the earpieces of his mirrored sunglasses matched.

“Oh wow,” I said.

Colette heard me, and waved. “Come down! We only have a few more minutes of good sun.”

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I called, and then turned to Jack. “Do you?”

He shook his head and gestured to Luc. “And I would not be able to compete with that if I did.”

I’d seen Jack with no shirt on, and flowered Speedo or no, Luc had nothing on him. But I didn’t say that.

“We should go in,” I said instead. I shoved my knife back into the makeshift sheath I’d made of cardboard and stuck it in my bag. “I have to call Alistair and Lydia back.” My father and sister had both left me messages earlier. I couldn’t tell whether they genuinely felt bad about our fight, or were worried about me, or were just trying to make sure I hadn’t run away. I tried not to care, but I couldn’t help hoping they hadn’t given up on me. If we found the tomb—when we found it—everything could be different.

That made me remember something I’d been meaning to ask Jack for days. More important stuff had kept crowding it out. “Dev Rajesh—” I bit my lip. If talking about every dead person we knew was going to be this difficult, I was in for a hard time. “Dev said something, at dinner the other day. About an Oliver Saxon.”

Jack, who was picking his jacket up off the railing, stiffened. “What did he say?”

“He just mentioned the name, and I didn’t get a chance to ask any more.”

Jack’s face had gone blank as a mask. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not something you need to worry about.” His words were clipped.

“But—”

“I’m going inside. I think Elodie wanted to do dinner soon.”

The cabin door swung shut behind him before I could respond, and I was left trying to talk to empty air. What was that?

I made my way out of the sun and back into the boat’s cabin, and I heard Stellan’s voice.

“Why don’t you tell her anything? You can only keep her in a bubble for so long.”

I stopped, holding the door so it wouldn’t slam and give me away.

Something banged on the counter. “I’m keeping her safe.” It was Jack. “You know what the Circle can do to people.”

“I do. That’s why you shouldn’t keep things from her. Let her make her own decisions.”

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”

“You used to.” Stellan’s voice was mock wistful. “Remember those days when we were in things together?”

“No.” I heard the refrigerator close and footsteps recede.

“I’m just saying,” Stellan called, “If you’re not careful, she’s going to realize she has other options. You see how they all look at her. It’s not even just the eyes. She’s so little and pretty. It’s like blood in the water.”

A cabinet door banged shut so loudly, I jumped.