Timepiece (Hourglass 2)

“Yes. Right where?” A female voice dragged the question out.

All three of us looked toward the stairs.

Teague.

Chapter 52

I’d have given anything to be inside the panic I saw in Jack’s expression. Fear like that made your skin too tight.

“Teague.” He said her name with a reverence that should have been accompanied by a bow.

What did Teague know, or what could she do that would make Jack act that way?

Teague smiled serenely at me, absolute calm bleeding from her pores. “Liam’s son?”

“Yes.”

Footsteps echoed on the stairs behind Teague.

Poe.

Lily’s fear. Teague’s calm. Poe’s despair. And still, nothing at all from Jack, except a vein pulsing steadily in his forehead.

Teague didn’t acknowledge Poe, just continued to focus on me. “Where is Emerson? I expected to find her here. She is the reason Jack wants the Infinityglass.”

“Emerson’s gone.” It took effort to keep my voice from breaking. “So is Michael.”

Jack whipped his head toward me. “Gone?”

“We ran into a rip at the Phone Company. A fire. Em ran in, Michael ran after her.” I paused, hearing my weakness. When I’d regained control, I said, “Neither one of them came out.”

Jack stared at me, searching for a lie. Hoping for one.

Teague seemed unaffected by the news. She shook her head and made a tsking noise. “If Michael and Emerson are gone, what will you do, Jack? Continue to use Poe to try to get what you want? Make him do things, and then steal his memories?”

“Poe offered,” Jack said coldly.

“Is that true?” Teague kept her eyes on Jack but directed the question to Poe. “Did you offer Jack use of your ability?”

“No. I didn’t.” Poe stared at the wall behind Teague, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket.

What the hell was going on? Poe claimed not to be a traveler the night we met him. How had Jack used him?

“It’s fine, Poe. I wouldn’t expect you to remember if you did,” Teague said.

Poe turned to Jack and held out his hand. “I want my knife back.”

Jack played with the blade for a moment, weighing his options, and then he looked at Teague. He aimed the blade toward himself and passed it over to Poe.

“Are you done with me?” Poe asked Teague.

“That will be all.” Teague waved her fingers toward the exit.

Poe slid the knife into his boot and and disappeared down the staircase.

“So many lies, Jack,” Teague observed. “Have you told Kaleb the truth yet?”

I flinched when she said my name, and thought I saw pleading in Jack’s eyes.