Page 128 of It Starts With A No

“And you think that too?” Seth could almost hear the cracks streaking across his heart.

“No, of course not.”

And just like that, his heart was perfectly fine again. How absurdly fickle his feelings were. Was this what it was like for everyone who was—in Oliver’s words—crazy about someone?

“But Mr. E was worried and I didn’t want him to be,” she continued. “Besides, I thought if it was important, you would’ve told me.”

“What would I have told you?”

Her chest rose.

“You can’t tell me,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “This is stupid.” Her eyes darted toward Andrea Lowe. “It’s about the man who held us up.”

“What about him?”

“Was it Jimmy?” she asked.

Seth frowned.

“Mr. E told me about Jimmy and Winnie.”

Dropping his head forward, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Do you know who the man was?”

“No.” Seth jerked his chin up. “I don’t know. When he said I killed his sister, I did think for a moment it could be him. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. I can barely remember what he looked like.” He peered over to make sure Oliver wasn’t within earshot. “But when you said it was probably because of Movement’s drugs, I thought that made more sense.”

“Why did Jimmy think you hurt Winnie?”

“I did not hurt Winnie. Jimmy kept yelling at us for hurting her and told everyone who would listen that we did.”

Clary pressed a hand to her face. “Whatever happened to Jimmy?”

Seth shrugged. “We never heard from him after Edward Eolenfeld separated us.” He smoothed down her wind-whipped hair. “I promise I’ll tell you everything later, okay? For now, I think you should take some painkillers before the adrenaline rush wears off.” He reached into his pocket and took out the device he’d removed from the watch. “And I want to know why they’re all after this stupid watch.”

Chapter 25

“How’s your hand?” Andrea asked as she strolled into Seth’s apartment with Oliver.

Clary gave her bandage-free hand a wave. “By some miracle,” she paused to shoot Seth a smug look, “I’m perfectly fine.”

“I still think we should go to the hospital for a second opinion,” Seth said.

A very disgruntled Elton had come and examined her hand. He grumbled throughout, then eventually declared that his fantastic suturing skills had held up well and she didn’t need the bandage anymore.

She couldn’t remove the stitches yet, but at least she no longer had a thick bandage around her hand.

“I thought you’d fallen down the cliff,” Andrea said. “I saw you go over just as I grabbed the skillet again.”

Seated next to Clary, Seth stretched his neck to the side.

“I can’t believe Tamara shot at you,” Clary said. She didn’t know Tamara had done that, not until she regained enough brain function while Elton was checking her wound. That was when she finally texted Andrea to ask what had happened while she was over the railing. “I’d told her who your father is.”

“Thank God for the skillet.”

Clary nodded. Cast iron skillets weren’t just great for cooking. They were great at stopping bullets, too.

---