Page 115 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“Natia, focus,” Zee grinds through his teeth.

Humming theMission: Impossibletheme, I tilt my head toward the Jar and wink, indicating I’m about to lift it and potentially trigger the silent alarms.

“The guard is power walking, he’ll be on you in ten seconds,” Aaden urges.

Duncan grabs Zee and disappears.

I swing to the side. One of the tethers loosens, sending me into a spin. My limbs flail. Upside down, I splay my legs against the intricately-carved center of the domed ceiling, and my hands and feet scramble to find purchase on the curved surface.

I feel like Spiderman, or Spiderwoman. Maybe he needs a feminine sidekick? I’d need my own superhero name…

The shadows should conceal me, but if he uses a flashlight, two things could get me in trouble. One, the glass has disappeared from around the Jar. Two, and probably more noticeable, there’s a woman dangling upside down from the ceiling.

Footsteps stop in the archway, and a flashlight swings through the room like a lighthouse signal. He doesn’t change the angle and misses me completely. He updates his superior in Italian—finally, the moment when my many hours of language tuition pays off other than ordering nice food.

“Sector two, clear. It must have been the breeze again that caused the change in pressure.” I almost sigh in relief, until he follows up with, “Yes, sir. I’ll stay a few minutes to make sure.”

I stifle a groan as the light swings through the room again, still missing me. For the next two minutes, the guard’s relaxed breathing becomes a ticking clock, as sweat forms on my face and my hands become slick.

“All clear, sir. Moving on,” the deep voice reports. He keeps talking, but it soon becomes distant. Duncan and Zee appear. It takes a few seconds for them to spot me. Zee tilts his head, looking at my ridiculous position, and smirks. He mouths, “One, nil.” I roll my eyes and peel myself from the ceiling.

Using only one tether requires balance and coordination. Luckily, I have both.

Lowering myself to the Jar, I take the disc weight from my pocket that we hope will keep the same pressure on the mat’s sensor. Lifting the Jar, I replace it with the weight almost simultaneously and wait a few seconds.

“Triggered. Plan B. You have company in thirty seconds,” Aaden utters. Releasing the tether, I drop to the floor and follow Zee and Duncan, who are already running toward the panic room Duncan opened earlier. Piling in, we shut the door. The last place they would look is the Pope’s panic room.

“Can you teleport us out?” I ask Duncan.

“No. As expected, the wards went up the moment you triggered the sensor.”

“Who wants top bunk?” Zee asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me as he leans on the bunkbeds.

“You take it,” I offer.

“Hmm, I suppose I’ve always wanted you underneath me,” he jokes. A look of unease crosses his features seconds later.

I walk over and hug him. “Stay as you are, Zee. I need normal. I need the teasing and the games.” I stare up at him as his arms wrap around me.

“So, you want to sleep in the top bunk, too? It’ll be a snug fit, but I’m okay with spooning.”

Planting a kiss on his cheek, he rewards me with a grumble about him not kidding.

I retrieve the Jar from the table and twist it around, staring at the tiny symbols. “It certainly looks the same.” I pass it to Duncan. “Can you decipher them?”

Duncan pulls a pair of glasses out of his inside pocket and perches them on his nose. I blink, as Zee cracks up. Hopefully, this room is soundproof. “Since when do you wear glasses?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“Since I need to read symbols written in size three font,” he mutters, turning the Jar around.

“Hogwarts called, you got the job,” Zee sniggers.

Duncan ignores us, engrossed in his symbols. After a few minutes, he releases a heavy sigh. “They aren’t the same as the original. I need my books.”

“Harry wouldn’t need his books—you have Ron and Hermione, you should be able to figure this out,” Zee chuckles, trying and failing to keep his face straight.

Duncan frowns and glances up at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Harry Potter,” I explain.

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