Page 113 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

I shove my hands in my jeans pockets. “We’re looking into the symbols to figure out how all the different parts fit together.” He nods, deep in thought. “We can’t just keep stumbling around in the dark, hoping the answers will fall into our laps.”

He leans against his car, parked next to mine. “What do you need?”

“Zee, Aaden, and Duncan, for now. Apart from you, they’re the only ones who know about my powers, the Jar, and Pan. Until we figure out what is happening, it needs to stay that way. If the government catches wind of my abilities, they’ll confine and test me.”

He folds his arms across his chest. “Agreed. Use the mission to look into Archan, as your cover. Where’s your base?”

“My house.”

“You have the penthouse if you need to go to the city,” he reminds me.

I bob my head. “Aaden is researching the Jar and Pan. Zee, Duncan, and I will be looking into the symbols. Archan can decipher them, but I’d rather he didn’t know about our continued investigation. I don’t know how he’ll react.”

“Do you think he would hurt you after spending so much time saving you?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, his face falls. “He, uh… he was the one who rescued you last week?” It’s almost as if he can’t bear to meet my eyes. I put my hand in his.

“No, I don’t. But whatever this is, it’s big, and honestly, I’m not convinced he’s on the right side. The lines are blurred.”

“Don’t ask him for help unless it’s urgent and desperate. Do you understand?” he orders, arching an eyebrow when I don’t answer immediately.

“I understand.”

***

Entering my house, I find Duncan hunched over the photos of the symbols spread on the dining table. Zee has leaned a whiteboard against the wall and listed ‘the five’ and, in a separate section, my abilities. Aaden is lying on the sofa, a picture of the Jar on his laptop screen.

I make myself useful by preparing lunch. The cupboards and refrigerator are fully stocked with the shopping Uncle Charlie must have left.

“Hey, guys, what do you want to eat?” I shout.

Zee is the first to answer. “A sandwich would be good.”

“What kind?”

“Surprise me!”

“Duncan? Aaden?” I enquire.

“Same,” they reply in unison. Now I can’t cook, but I make a mean sandwich—it’s a food done in layers, after all. Deciding on a double ham and cheese piled with lettuce, I brew a pot of coffee and hand the sandwiches out before moving Aaden’s legs on the sofa so I can sit next to him. I manage half my sandwich before my stomach clenches, as it continues to recover from my hunger strike.

I tap on the screen. “Is that the Jar I gave to Jed?”

Aaden uses his sleeve to rub the barely visible finger mark I left behind. “No, it’s a replica of a jar from ancient Rome.”

“What happened to the original?”

“It was lost in the Ancient Roman Era.”

“So the original is the one I gave to Jed?”

“I think so.”

“Where is the replica now?”

“On display in the Vatican. Duncan is keen to get a look, as the pictures we took of the symbols aren’t clear.”

“I don’t suppose they would loan it to us?”

Aaden misses my sarcastic tone, shaking his head. “Unlikely. We may have to sneak in and hope we can avoid security.”

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