Timepiece (Hourglass 2)

“I thought once I found Emerson, and once she was mentally healthy, I’d just need to help her understand what I’d done for her. I was sure once we connected, she’d be willing to make any number of trips for me. But she chose the Hourglass instead. And then she tricked me by keeping the exotic matter formula disk.”

“Why are you telling me this? You always have a motive. What is it this time?”

He smiled slightly. “Because we’re the same, Kaleb. The things we want from life. We’re always the last to be considered. The second choice. And we both want that to change.”

Fury. So much I shook the bench. “We. Are not. The same.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” He shrugged. “I have answers for you when you want them. Wake up. I can see you. Now you need to try to see me.”

A throat cleared. I looked up sharply at the police officer from earlier.

“You’re free to go.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a nod. “I’ll be on my way shortly. I just want to finish this conversation.”

The officer frowned. “Are you sure you’re all right? No headache or … lingering … anything?”

“I’m fine,” I said, smiling. I even threw in a thumbs-up. “And dandy.”

He nodded doubtfully and walked away, and I turned back around to face Jack.

He was gone.

But he’d left the pocket watch in his place.

Chapter 30

The minibar stood open.

I could see Em and Michael in the dim light through a crack in their door, curled up in bed. I assumed the door wasn’t closed because Michael planned to stay with Em all night. Either he didn’t want her honor to fall into question, or he didn’t want to break Thomas’s rules. Boy Scout.

Lily was nowhere in sight.

Picking up a tiny bottle of Crown Royal, I ran my finger over the ridges of the glass, a perfect replica of the bigger bottle. I was a perfect replica of no one. I wanted out of my head—out of my body. Out of my life.

“Put it down.”

Lily.

“Go away, little girl. I don’t want to play right now.”

I didn’t want to hurt her, either, but I didn’t need any witnesses. Still, I was surprised when I didn’t feel any hurt. I turned around.

The sight of her made my chest ache with an unexpected want.

“I’m not playing.” She crossed the room and took the bottle out of my hand, her determined fingers unwrapping each of my tense ones. “You aren’t going to do this.”

Holding on to my wrist with one hand, she took away the liquor with the other.

“You aren’t my keeper, Lily.”

“No one is. You’re responsible for you. I’m simply reminding you that you’re worth more than what you’ll find at the bottom of a bottle.” She leaned over to put the liquor away and shut the mini-bar. Her hair fell in waves over her bare shoulder, hiding the black strap of her tank top. “Days like today could make you forget.”

“How about years like today?”

“I was worried when you took off. So were Em and Michael. I made them go to bed—promised I’d wake them up if you weren’t back by midnight.”

Gesturing toward their open door, I said, “I don’t think they really cared whether I came back at all.”