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I unzip the bag, suddenly recalling that I have soe black and white polka dot duffel and produce a small red velvet pouch

“Gahhhhh!” Taylen screams He quite literally screams

Jeffers raises his head and barks deeply Instinctively, I lay one hand between his velvety ears to calm him

I study Taylen, confused at his reaction He’s turned ghostly white, and he’s staring at the red bag into reassure hi in here, I shake out the brooch that is inside It’s quite lovely—a big scarlet stone surrounded by pearls

“Your granny gave this to me yesterday She came to the house just to drop it off, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I couldn’t take it She didn’t know the wedding was a sham”

“I don’t know about that,” Taylen squeaks He sounds like he just inhaled eighteen heliu

I honestly have no idea why he’s acting like this The brooch settles on ers, warm and heavy It’s probably a hundred or so years old It has a unique, enthralling beauty that old things just intrinsically see to another era that we can’t really ever understand—a lost tiet back I think that’s the appeal of old things They connect us to our ancestors, and they’re sothis is like holding a hundred years in my palm

‘I want you to give it back to your granny I obviously couldn’t wear it today as I didn’t want to risk losing it

Taylen shrinks away from it like I really did just pull out a blackand a to thrust the veno to hurt because it’s been hanging in the air for so long When Taylen doesn’t take it, I grab it to put it back in its bag, but the pin pops open on the back and pricks er Hard

“Ouch!” I yelp I leap off the bed, and Jeffers jumps to attention at my feet I set the brooch on the bed and rush to the bathrooer

Even over the water running, I can hear Taylen talking to soive it to her?” I turn off the tap but stay in the bathroom and listen If Tay didn’t want me to hear, he would take the call outside I know heto the brooch “How did you know she wouldn’t have married that bore? Oh, too vibrant, is he? Oh, you knew she’d do so Yes, I kidnapped her No! You don’t get to say you were trying to help things along! We’ve been friends since ere kids The love I feel for Ell is totally different!”

Confused, I wrap a tissue aroundany around the room like a pent-up wild aniry Distressed maybe?

All of a sudden, Taylen drops his phone and then stomps on it with the heel of his canvas shoe, which sorabs the phone, storood case on his phone, so it harmlessly bounces a couple of times and comes to rest face-side up I stare at him, horrified

“For the love of god,” he rabs the phone, and heads around back I slam the door shut and follow him

“What are you doing?” I call, but he’s well ahead of me I watch, shocked, as he approaches the pool with the dubious green water and pitches the phone in there without a second thought “Taylen!”

“It’s so we can’t be tracked,” he says tightly when he turns back around “You dumped yours I should have dumped mine It wasn’t smart”

“Uhhh, you could have just powered it off or taken out your SIM card”

“This was the only way to be sure”

I fist my hands on my hips “Why are you so ranny gave it toto his phone call, so I don’t ask hiive h withHenry? Did she seriously think that, or is she just saying it now that she knohat happened? If she knows, and she wasn’t at the wedding, then everyone must know