Stone takes a deep breath, letting it out between us like an exorcism. An expulsion of what? I don’t know. Eventually, he says, “Fine.”
“No,” Lucas blurts.
I turn my head to face him. I guess I wasn’t seeing through all his exterior bullshit. He is his exterior bullshit.
“Stone…” he says in warning, panicked eyes meeting his.
There’s so much going on here that I don’t understand, but I’m still getting my thoughts in check. I just agreed to partner up with our rivals. The fucking Jacobs. “Your father backs off of me. He leaves my college status alone. And if he sent that letter, I’ll kick his fucking ass.”
Stone shrugs. “We’ll start tom—”
“We’ll start when I say,” I demand, cutting him right the fuck off. “You’re not running the show. No one knows more about the treasure and those mountains than me, so we work on my schedule and my timeline. You understand?”
It’s Stone’s turn to look pissy. “Maybe you don’t understand what a partnership means.”
“Listen here,” Wyatt says, jamming his hands into his pockets. “There’s something you don’t know.”
I glance over only to find the brim of his cowboy hat. I swear he wears that thing on purpose. Not that it doesn’t look sexy on him, but he also gets to keep his expressions guarded.
“Shut up,” Stone growls.
“She has a right to know.” Lucas chucks my beer bottle wherever he threw his. For the first time, I hear the slur in his voice. “And you know it.”
Stone’s eyes shutter closed for a moment. In the light of the moon, they appear way darker than they do in the sun. I guess that’s only fitting since we’re not having the happiest of conversations right now. Stone straightens his shoulders, his hard gaze on mine. “There’s someone else looking for the treasure,” he says simply.
I scoff. “There are always people looking for the treasure.”
“Yeah, well, we have reason to believe that these people might be a tad bit dangerous,” Wyatt says, speaking up.
I smirk. What? Do these guys think I’m new? “Do you know how many skeletons are populating the Superstitions right now? There are always people searching for the treasure and about half of them you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. The other half are split between worse than that, and families who want to take home pictures of their adventurous vacation.” I make finger quotes in the air. “First rule of treasure hunting with me, boys, is that you realize I’m not the girl everyone at Saint Clary’s thinks I am. I don’t roll over. I don’t play dead. And I’m sure as fuck not scared of a little competition.”
I walk to the edge of the truck and jump down. I smile into the moonlit landscape, my limbs afire. I’m closer to my dad. I’m closer to feeling more me than I have in a long time. Just talking about the treasure reminds me of who I really am.
“I told you I liked her spunky,” Wyatt says, his voice pitched low.
I smirk at his words. Not only did commanding those assholes feel awesome, but I also can’t ignore the excitement threading through me at the idea of heading up into the mountains to search for treasure again. The treasure runs in my blood. There’s no use fighting it.
11
I make my way back to the bonfire and go straight for the cooler again. Despite the feeling like I might have lost a little bit of my soul, I’m at peace with this decision. I didn’t just crumble at their feet, I gave them a win-win scenario. They had to strong arm me into it, but maybe it will all turn out for the best. A mutually beneficial arrangement where we all get what we want.
I have the cooler in my sights when a body blocks my view. Let’s see, ample cleavage even though she claims to be all innocent and a pair of pouty lips. Yep, it’s the devil incarnate. Meghan tosses her hair over her shoulder as she eyes me up and down. “What was that all about?”
I peek at her, laugh, and attempt to move around her. She’s so desperate it’s funny. At least I never threw myself at people. I knew where I stood. Maybe I should give her a heads up that sometimes it’s better to sit back and keep your mouth shut.
“What’s so funny?”
I bend over to grab a beer out of the cooler. The same guy who popped the cap for me before does it again, and I take a long swig before I turn toward her. “You,” I say simply.
Her glare turns murderous.
I don’t know what it is about today. Maybe it’s striking the deal with the three devils or the fact that we’re outside in my territory, but her very existence is pissing me off. “Why do you care, Meghan? I’m no one, right? You’ve treated me that way my whole life. If you want to know what that was about, ask them.”
A hand drops on my shoulder, and I nearly come out of my skin. I turn to find Stone standing beside me, a cocky grin on his face. “Ask us what?”
Meghan’s eyes round, and mine almost do the same. Why does he keep touching me now? Heat radiates from the spot where we connect. I may be a social outsider, but I do know I shouldn’t be having that kind of reaction when my stepbrother touches me.
I slip out from under his arm, and Meghan looks justified. She moves forward, slipping in next to Stone in the spot I just vacated. “I was
