Page 68 of Stars and Scars

I’m getting really tired of this game. How does Bastian put up with her?

“Yes, I would like to know.”

“Wyatt’s. He was at Wyatt’s house four times in the last three weeks. I guess you could say that he’s a regular.”

“This is fantastic news. Do you know when he might return to Wyatt’s?”

“No, his patterns aren’t that easy to discern, but Wyatt posted on social media that he’s having another one of his soirees.”

My eyes narrow, and I grip the phone a bit tighter.

“When?”

“Tonight.”

I clench my jaw, hard. If I can lay hands on McCloud at this party, he might just lead me to the Order. One step closer to keeping Charlotte safe, forever.

“Thanks, Harlowe. I owe you one.”

“Not really, I’m a paid employee of Platinum Security, but you can go ahead and owe me one if you want to.”

I end the call before she can say something else that might slow me down. I stuff my phone into my pocket and check on Charlotte. She’s still busy, so I go inside and look around for something to prepare for lunch.

I dig through the pantry, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the sight of a tin of canned beef. The door opens, splashing a growing rectangle of light over the cabin’s dusty floor. I turn to see Charlotte entering the cabin.

“All done?” I ask.

“Yeah. What you got there?”

I show her the can and she giggles.

“Oh my god, I bet that tastes terrible. But I might just be hungry enough to try it anyway.”

I chuckle and put it back on the shelf.

“Or, we could go down the mountain and find something good to eat.”

“A forty minute drive just for food? Okay, actually, it sounds like a good idea now that I’ve seen canned beef.”

I laugh and close the pantry door.

“I’ve swam those murky waters before. Sometimes, you just have to make do when you’re in the field. But quite frankly, I would rather eat bark than that awful stuff.”

“I read somewhere that you can eat bark…”

Her eyebrows raise high over her chocolate drop eyes.

“You’re looking kind of pleased with yourself. What’s going on?”

I grin.

“Maybe I’m just happy to see you?”

“Hmmm. No, you’re definitely up to something.”

Has she figured out how to read me already? Or have I just stopped trying to hide everything deep inside? I’m not sure which I should be more worried about.

“You got me. I do have something. Potentially something big.”

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