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Nevin takes his white cloth that isn’t so white anymore and polishes the area he’s focusing on. “It certainly seems like there might be something here.” He bites his lower lip as he throws out the Q-tip and grabs a fresh one, dabbing it in the clear liquid that’s closest to the lantern. Flecks of oxidation come off as he scrubs it harder than I think he should. My heart leaps into my throat, and Stone and I tighten our grips on one another. It’s so tense in the room that the clicking on and off of the A/C system sounds like a bomb. Outside, students’ voices waft up to the third floor where we wait to see if what we surmise is actually true.
I’m so excited I could pee. And actually, I don’t think it’sallfrom excitement because we’ve been here for hours. Hunger gnaws at me, too, but I block out everything except the brushes Nevin makes on the lantern. “N, I think,” he murmurs, surprising us all.
I drop Stone’s hand and join the archaeologist on the other side of the table. He points with his pinky, marking the strokes of the N just over the surface. “Holy shit....” I grip the metal edge for support.
Nevin chuckles. “I guess. Yes.” He starts on the next section. “L? I’m not sure yet.” His eyes are sharp, laser focused as he works.
I grin up at the guys who are too busy staring at the archaeologist’s hands to notice. Honestly, we could probably stop right here. We have the proof, right? He said N. An L could definitely be the start of an E.
On the other hand, we need to be sure. We need to see the proof with our own eyes.
Twenty minutes later, Nevin has that area as clean as he’s going to get it. His guess is that it says NCL because the middle stroke inside the E is worn, and the C of the third letter is very square, but we know exactly what it says: NEC.
I’m teeming with pride as I stare at the lantern. He sprays it with a chemical that will help keep it preserved, then, gives us plastic to wrap it in before placing it back in the box.
My knees weaken as he and Stone move to the corner to conduct business. I don’t trust myself to hold onto the box, so when Lucas tries to hand it to me, I take a step back and shake my head. I’m too jittery, and my legs feel like butter. I’ll hate myself if I drop it. Wyatt grabs it instead, hooking it under his arm like a football, which gives me greater anxiety. But I trust him to hold on to it. I mean, I think I do.
Stone throws his arm around me when he’s finished, and we walk out of the college lab, a breath held in my chest. I expel it as soon as we’re in the hallway, but almost immediately suck another one in when Stone lifts me in the air and spins me around. He holds me to him, grasping me so tightly I can’t breathe. His sunshine and paper scent that’s so uniquely him fills my nostrils.
“You were right,” I tell him, almost not believing it myself. All those years my father and I had the map, and we believed something completely different. If I hadn’t teamed up with them, I don’t know where I would be right now.
“I’m just glad I could prove to you that it was worth taking us on.”
I chuckle, then pull away and stare him down. “I knew that before we saw the inscription.”
“Well?” Ninja queries as Stone and I enjoy our little celebration.
“Dude, we got it,” Lucas informs him. The pure joy in his voice pulls at my heartstrings.
The unmistakable sound of a high five echoes through the corridor, and I turn in time to see Ninja’s cheeks flaming as he returns to the stoic guard he’s supposed to be.
Lucas lifts his eyebrows as he turns to me, then holds his arms out. I run into them, and he bear hugs me, his chest rumbling. “I think we make a great team.”
“The best.”
“I’d hug you,” Wyatt interrupts, “but I’m holding something pretty damn important. By the way, does anyone have to pee as badly as I do?”
Lucas squeezes me one last time before letting me go. “Thanks for ruining the moment, Longhorn.”
Ninja and the newcomer wait for us outside the bathrooms at the end of the hall. I hurry because I can’t wait to get back home. I can’t wait to get back in the mountains. We have to put together a new plan, decide where we’re going next, what we’re searching for. All of the treasure information in my head is a tangle of knots that I need to weed through and make sense of.
I wash my hands and am about to exit when Wyatt and Stone’s raised voices filter through the huge wooden door. “You should’ve fucking told us.”
“I was handling it,” Stone growls.
“You don’t need to do everything your-fucking-self. Jesus, dude. How long have we been friends?”
“I didn’t want her to know,” Stone seethes.
Oh, well, I can’t let that go, can I? What other ‘her’ could he be talking about?
I push the door open and place my hands on my hips. “You didn’t want me to know what?”
Several female students walk past the guys, and I can’t help but notice their lingering gazes. Lucas is leaning against the wall with his head propped up by the cream-painted cement blocks, glaring skyward. Tension slithers around us, and Ninja and his new partner are definitely avoiding the situation.
“Thanks,” Stone deadpans, glaring at Wyatt. “She already has enough to worry about.”
I dart my gaze around them. “If it’s about you, then I need to be involved.”