Page 8 of Wayward

“How long are we going to be here?” Harris raises his chin at Holloway.

“Until Z says we’re done,” Holloway growls.

I check to make sure Z’s really gone. Haley catches my eye. She sees that I’m on the right rock. I give her a quick wink and cock my head slightly at Holloway as I make my way through the dirt. It’s not as loose as I thought it would be. The rainy season has compacted it down, but it’s still a lot easier digging than the other holes, and I’m almost to the bag when I flash my eyes to Haley.

She gives the tiniest of nods back and sneezes. It’s an adorable sneeze.

“Bless you,” Hughes says.

All three of the guards are looking at her as she holds up her hand.

“Thank you.” Two more high-pitched adorable sneezes come out of her, and then she coughs. But the funny thing is, that’s really what happens to her when she sneezes. Then, through her cough, she says, “Do you have any water?” Right on cue.

“Sure.” Holloway looks down at his belt. I scratch through the last bit of dirt and fight with the knot on the top of the bag. But it comes open, and I slip my hand into the bag and take one of the diamonds out. The real one? The fake one? I have no idea. I just know I’ve got a 100% shot of having something to barterwith later. And those years of practicing magic during middle school swim practice . . . This is far better than impressing people at poker games with my fancy card shuffling abilities. I palm the diamond and slip it into the waistband of my shorts. I’ll have to find a place to hide it. I push dirt over the bag and poke at the side of the hole, waiting for Z to come back. Which is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I’m digging beside the covered bag with Holloway watching me when there’s a crunch of gravel behind me.

“What’s that in the bottom?” Z’s voice bottoms out.

“There it is. I told you.” I pull out the bag, shake the dirt and clay off it again, and hand it to Z.

Z raises his eyebrow and purses his lips. “What’s this?” he asks. And I’m momentarily nervous that he’s a gem expert.

“It’s the Pink Phoenix,” I say with as much conviction as I can.

“Very good, Rockwell. I can see that, but there are other diamonds in here, and a necklace.”

I swallow. The necklace was my mother’s. A sentimental piece that I know Emily would want to have back. Even though she doesn’t like flashy jewelry, it was Mom’s. “The necklace belonged to my mom.” I’d slipped it in at the last minute along with the loose diamonds.

“Oh, Susan.” Z nods, like he’s some long-lost friend.

“She was my stepmother. I'm talking about my real mother. The loose diamonds were Candy’s.”

“Candy. Interesting taste in woman, your father had,” Z says.Hadas in past tense. My shoulders tense, and I want to throw up. He’s referring to Candy, not Dad. Not Emily. I have to believe that.

“He tends to . . . not see the problems in people. Do you know him?”

“Not directly. No.”

“Indirectly, then?” I push.

“On paper. I like to be thorough. I’m not a fan of surprises.”

I’m guessing he doesn’t like playing by other people’s rules. Well, fuck him. He might have the guns behind him, but we’re going to figure out how to get out of this. I might have played by the set of guidelines he gave me back on the beach, but I’m done having fists connect with my eye sockets. I wince as I think about it. It’s tender. There’s an urge in me to touch the side of my face where it’s swelling. But giving him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt me isn’t going to happen. “Surprises can be a lot of fun.”

He walks toward Haley holding the Pink Phoenix up in a spot of dappled light. Did he hear me? His lips part, and he drops it back into the bag. “Surprises are never fun.”

“What about surprise parties?” Haley steps closer to me.

“Hate them,” Z says.

“That’s sad. But I understand.” Haley smiles at him, and I can hear her thinking how sad it is that he doesn’t like spontaneous fun. “What about puppies?”

“No.”

“Gifts, presents?” she asks.

“I can buy whatever it is I need,” he fires back.

“There are some things you can’t buy.”