JACQUARIOUS

Miles stepped forward, icy features reflecting darkness back at me—flesh as deeply brown, eyes of dappled shadow, hair in taut and evened curls. "Don't see why not," he finally answered. "

Grey was about as close to shaking like a leaf as a guy could get without actually moving. He matched every last bit of nervous energy flowing through me, and he matched it pound for ounce.

I strolled inside with my head tilted upward, felt the sunglasses slide from my forehead to rest once again on the bridge of my nose. When I reached the painting, I reached out both palms to stroke its edges brushed in gold. "It's even more beautiful up close," I whispered loud enough for Miles to hear me before I turned to him. "Quite the specimen."

Miles chuckled. "It's an American piece, but something about it just feels so real—so ancestral." He strode closer to me, grinning as I clocked the subtle flexing of his cocoa-smooth arms against the blushed apricot of the painted walls.

"I get it," I managed. "Feels like home, doesn't it?" I tapped my shades once, then flicked my head toward the door. "So how much was it?"

Miles peaked an eyebrow.

"The house—how much did they ask for?"

He chuckled. "Oh, house isn't mine. It's Casey's. Her parents're moving into a new one, so we snagged this place off 'em. Figured Aldrige Lane's as good a place as any for our forever home."

Perfect. I nodded. "Savvy, man." I turned to the door, feigning the best cocky grin I could muster as I fired back a knowing look over my shoulder. "Well, I should probably get goin'—me and the boys need to head home. But it was nice meeting you, man. Good to have another brother on this side of the tracks."

Miles leaned his head back, both eyes peering down his nose in an almost predatory stance. "Same to you, kid. You ever need anything, just reach out. We may live in the City of Gold, but it's brutal out there."

I stepped back onto the front porch, pulling up the door behind me as a shivering Casey retreated into the arms of her boyfriend—into the shadows of fair-skinned walls overpainted with sabled, otherworldly strokes.

****

The moment we made it inside my car, I gripped the steering wheel, my entire body shivering as I stared through the windshield. "Th-thanks for the help, guys," I managed.

Brayden swallowed hard. "You're welcome, man, but...mind telling us what just happened?"

"Yeah," Grey piped up. "That was really weird, dude."

I let out a low exhale. "He was preening. Trying to show off. I knew I could get him to let his guard down if I could just get him talking." I shook my head. "Looks like it worked."

"What worked?" Brayden asked. "All you did was walk inside, stare at that painting, and bolt."

"No," I mused, lifting my phone into the air. "That's not all I did."

Grey slid on his seat, leather squirming beneath him. "I don't get it. Can someone explain what just happened? I'm so lost here."

"Don't worry," I tried. "I'll explain everything. But right now, we need to find Cody."

"Cody?" Brayden leaned forward. "Why? What's he got to do with all this?"

I sighed. "I was honestly hoping he'd be there with Miles and Casey, just to make sure she's safe—but we can still get this to work if we find him in time."

"He might still be with the cops," Dash offered.

I shook my head. "Officer Longchamp told me they finished questioning him yesterday. I guessed he'd be staying home from school, but—"

"The quarry," Grey said.

"The what?"

"It's just past Marigold Crest Park. When we were in elementary school, Cody would always go there if...if he ever got ticked at us or something." Grey rubbed his knees, eyes fallen to the floor. "He even had a birthday party there one year. Theme was rocks and miners."

Dash nodded once. "He's right—I remember that party. If Cody's not at home, there's a good chance he's at the quarry." He sighed. "Especially if he's trying to avoid us."

"Makes sense," I said, tapping my car's GPS screen. "What's the address?"