Page 113 of Inception

He lowered his head. “I know.”

“So why are you like this with me?” I pushed, unsatisfied with his response. “Why do you talk to me and sit next to me and offer to take me to see my dad after you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me?”

“Can’t people change their minds?”

“I guess they can,” I shrugged, struggling to keep my hands from shaking as I needled another stitch into his side. “It just seemed like there was something more behind it.”

“There was.”

“And now?” I looked up at him wanting to read him like a book; to know him and all of his secrets.

“And now I’m having a hard time remembering what it was.” There was something incredibly moving about the way he looked at me, about the way he let me see him—reallysee him. Even if it was only for a moment.

“So then...” I paused, swallowing the mounting butterflies. “What does this mean exactly?”

“Does it have tomeananything? Can’t I just sit next to you if I want to sit next to you?” He reached forward and gently moved a strand of hair away from my eyes.

My heart pounded in my chest as I tried not to get lost in those spellbinding pools of blue.

“Am I distracting you again?” he smiled.

Unable to deny it out loud and keep a straight face, I rolled my eyes at him in an effort to appear flippant. I heard him chuckle softly, but I didn’t meet his eyes this time.

“So how about you tell me who you think is behind this? Would be nice to know why I took a knife to the stomach.”

“I’m not sure,” I started, unsure of where to go with it.

“But you have a theory.” It wasn’t a question.

“I think it might have to do with my sister, Tessa.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he watched me—studied me. “What makes you think that?”

“She’s in trouble,” I explained, eyes lowered. “I can’t tell you much about it because I don’t really know the details myself. Just that there’s these Revs after her, dangerous ones, and since we met up last night, I just thought it might be related—”

“Tessa was in town?” he cut in, his interest piqued.

“Yeah, not for long though. She came to see me—to warn me about what was going on.”

He nodded, taking it in. “So you’re thinking these Rev’s followed her last night and saw you with her? That they’re trying to use you to get to her now?”

“Maybe.” I tried to read his expression, but he gave nothing away. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Rev’s don’t usually go through all this trouble. They must really want something from her.”

I swallowed hard, afraid to think of what they would do to me if they found outIwas the one who had the Amulet now and not her. I was way out of my league with this—

“The Amulet?” Trace’s dark brows pulled together as he covered my hand with his, stopping my movements. “What do you mean you have the Amulet?”

Shit. I yanked my hand back. “Dammit, Trace!”

“Jemma—”

“You have no right to eavesdrop on my private thoughts!” I shouted, fumbling to come up with a plausible diversion. “You’re...you’re misconstruing everything I’m thinking!”

“I’m not misconstruing anything,” he asserted. “I heard you, Jemma. You said you had the Amulet. What Amulet? The one my sister was looking for? The Immortal Amulet?”

Double shit. I had no idea what to do or how to answer him. Tessa didn’t prepare me for this. She didn’t tell me what to do if I accidentally blew my cover telepathically announcing my possession of the Amulet to someone who could read minds. She just didn’t prepare me for any of this!

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