Page 9 of Joel
I have to wonder…was he always this way?
“I didn’t call them,” I say, letting out an exasperated sigh. I should have known he’d find out about this eventually. The question is…how?
“You made national fucking news!”
Oh. Well, shit.
“How is that possible?” I ask, eyebrows drawing together. “Nancy’s a local reporter.”
“Jesus H. Christ. You’re on a first name basis with the woman who might be our very fucking ruin?”
Interesting how it’sourruin when things are rocky, but when this company scores a victory, it’shiswin.
I roll my eyes at the dramatics that have become all too common these past couple of years. No, I decide. Todd wasn’t always like this. When he and Mom first met, he was easygoing and fun. The life of the party everyone wanted to attend.
But ever since he got into bed with the slimy, rich elites, he’s changed. Greed rushed in, and his morals ran the other way. There’s no treasure hunt too cursed, too illegal, too dangerous anymore. It’s all about what the highest bidder is willing to pay.
I wonder how much he was offered to find and recover the pirate treasure of the sunkenEsmerelda.
The way this has changed him…it’s sad really.
“The story got picked up by a national fucking network.” The way he spits the words like bullets makes me imagine him with gritted teeth and that blood vessel in his forehead throbbing. The temper—nowthathas always been there—bright on his red face. “It’s all over the god damn internet, Kylie.”
I pull my phone away to see if I’ve missed a text from Joel. I’ll be damned if I let Todd ruin my night over this tantrum he’s throwing.
Nothing.
Hmm.
“Are you listening to me, Kylie?”
“Yes, Todd. And this isn’t a big deal,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Why aren’t you taking this more seriously? Oh, wait. You don’t have your entire life savings invested in this business.”
God his mocking tone is the worst.
“Did you even watch the segment? They don’t know anything. They don’t know why I was out there.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You gave them your real name. They’ll connect you to this company—tome. You gave them a reason to dig.”
Then you shouldn’t have buried so many fucking skeletons in your closet, Todd.I want so badly to say it out loud, but I’m not stupid.
“I was careful.” I glance at the coin sitting on the nightstand and decide to pick it up. I wonder if Todd would care what it took to retrieve that small piece of treasure. Or that I almost ran out of oxygen before I resurfaced because my foot got wedged on old wood and nearly trapped me below the surface. The Coast Guard rescue was theleasteventful part of my day.
“You know better than to do a fucking interview, Kylie.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’ve found anything yet.” I don’t know why the lie slips out as easily as it does, but I don’t question it. Maybe it’s punishment. Let Todd sweat a little longer over this treasure. Or maybe it’s a gut instinct warning me it would be the absolute worst thing to let him know what I’ve found.
“Of course you haven’t found anything. I knew it was a mistake to send you up there.”
I grip the gold coin in my hand, squeezing it against my palm, and take a deep breath so I don’t lose my cool.
“You’re so fucking daft sometimes,” he presses on.
Words like that used to hurt my feelings. Hell, I used to be scared of him. Afraid of setting off his terrible temper. It’s only recently that I started giving less and less fucks. Maybe it’s because he sent me all the way to Alaska by myself to dive for an illegal treasure in brutally cold water without backup that I have finally had enough.
I’m numb to him.
