Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Why would they say that?” Dad asks.
“Because these emeralds are flawless, and flawless emeralds are much harder to come by than flawless diamonds.”
“What else is in there?” Dad says.
“Two more bags,” Doc says.
He pulls another out and hands it to me. Again, I pull a little drawstring on the black velvet bag, open it, and pour three gemstones into my hand.
These are yellow. I don’t know much about gems, but these stones look curiously similar to the yellow diamond in Aunt Marjorie’s engagement ring.
“Dad? These are yellow.”
Dad’s jaw goes rigid, but his stance remains steady, the gun still trained on Doc.
“Yellow diamonds,” Doc says.
“For sure?” Dad says, between gritted teeth.
“Yes. I had them checked out. They’re worth more than clear diamonds, if they’re flawless, like these are.”
“Dad… Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Dad doesn’t reply, which means we’ll talk later.
“This is the last bag.” Doc pulls it out of the safe and hands it to me.
This one feels different. It’s heavier. I open it, pour the contents into my palm, and—
I drop my jaw.
This one is a ring. Not loose gemstones but a ring.
An orange stone in the middle, surrounded by white sparkling stones, and set in some kind of white metal.
I’ve seen it before.
So has Dad.
In Uncle Talon’s safe…and on Callie’s finger.
“All right,” Dad grits out. “Which one of you wants to start explaining how you have a ring that once belonged to my mother?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
RORY
I don’t immediately tell Jesse anything more.
Finally—
“This century, Ror?”
“Apparently the Steels own a lot of property that they don’t use, here and in Wyoming.”
“Not surprising, since they apparently do own the town of Snow Creek. I imagine they own a lot more than that.”
“Jesse, having liens on properties isn’t the same thing as owning them.”
“You sound like Callie.”
“You’re a smart man. You don’t have to be a law student to know that.”
He huffs. “Yes, I know that, Rory, but a lien is still a lien. Whoever owns the property can’t do anything with it until the lien has either been paid or until he gets the lienholder’s approval.”
“Which is another weird thing,” I say. “Property changes hands in Snow Creek all the time, so obviously the Steels don’t hinder that. I mean, Raine just sold her salon to Willow White, and it has a lien.”
“Who holds the lien?” Jesse asks.
“The Steels, Jess. Haven’t you been paying attention?”
“That’s not what I mean. Which Steel?”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s something called the Steel Trust.”
“I don’t know much about trusts,” my brother says.
“I don’t either. But it’s an ownership. Or rather, a lien hold.”
“Maybe we do need Callie,” Jesse says. “I mean, you and I know what a lien is, but how can they hold liens on all the property, yet the property changes hands all the time?”
“There’s one property in town that they don’t hold a lien on. Well, a couple. Ava’s bakery, for one.”
“She owns that outright?”
“Yeah.”
“That makes sense.” He snickers. “Seeing as she’s a Steel and all.”
I clear my throat. I’m not sure how much more I can tell him. I mean, I trust my brother, but the rest of it is just so…
“You going to elaborate?” he says.
“It’s all so…unreal, Jesse.”
“What is, exactly?”
“The Steels. Brock and Donny are innocent.”
“Wait, wait, wait… What the hell is going on, Rory?”
“Pull over,” I say. “I’m going to be sick.”
Jesse jerks the car and stops on the side of the road. I scramble out of the passenger side, doubled over.
I don’t throw up. I don’t even heave.
But my stomach is cramped up.
Jesse rubs my shoulders. “What the hell’s going on, Rory?” he says again.
I collapse into a heap on the ground. Cars whizz by us, and the November breeze tousles my hair.
“Jesse, the band. They’re behind us. They’re going to stop when they see us on the side of the road.”
“You’re right.” Jesse rises and helps me up. “Let’s go.”
We scramble back into the car, and Jesse gets on the road, his gaze fixed ahead of him.
“This stuff going on,” I say. “It’s stuff I don’t understand and stuff I don’t want to understand. I honestly think the Steel family is innocent. They’re good people. But someone has been using their property for…”
“For what?” Jesse says, his jaw tensed.
“For…illegal activities. Really disgusting illegal activities.”
“How much more do you know?”
“Not much. Not anything that can be proved yet, anyway.”
Jesse curls his fists around the steering wheel, his knuckles white. “Rory, I want you to stay away from whatever the hell is going on.”
“But Brock—”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about Brock,” Jesse says. “I give a fuck about you. You and Callie.”
“Callie is engaged to Donny.”
“Engagements can be broken.”
God. Now I really am going to puke.
“They’re in love. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to Callie, and Donny has nothing to do with any of the other stuff.”