“Oh. Right. You’re right. We can talk about all that later,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

We finished eating and left. A minute later, we waited at the light—the same light Jared had honked at me nearly scaring me to death right after we first met. Beth had resorted to not talking at all, instead of risking saying something she wasn’t supposed to. Chad tried distracting her with other questions, but she only offered nods or head shakes.

Just as the light turned green, an arm reached across me, grabbing Jared’s elbow.

“Long time no see,” Kim said.

Beth smiled, but Kim was obviously not in an amiable mood.

“I said I would call you,” Jared said.

Kim raised an eyebrow. “I know you did. Three days ago. I’m not waiting any longer, Jared.”

If I didn’t know of her struggle with exhaustion, I would have thought she’d broken her nose. The purplish skin under her eyes looked like twin bruises. The whites of her eyes were bloodshot, and her shoulders sagged. I knew that look all too well, and I understood her desperation.

“I’m sorry. You’re just going to have to.”

Kim took a step toward him. “I don’t think you heard me. I’m. Not. Waiting. Any longer.”

Jared sighed, but he didn’t flinch from her glare. “We’ve discussed this.”

“Yes, we have. A lot.”

A nervous giggle emanated from Beth’s throat, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Waiting for what?”

Jared and Kim looked at Beth, and Kim shot an amused glare back at Jared. “Tell her.”

Jared frowned. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“What are we waiting for? Again?” Beth said, her voice still unsure.

Kim crossed her arms. “My ancestors are Crusade Knights, and I inherited the duty of watching over a book my great-great-times-a-thousand grandfather took from a church in Jerusalem.”

“Is it worth a lot of money?” Chad asked.

Beth jabbed her elbow in his ribs.

“Kim,” I warned.

“So Jerry over here is half-angel, and he’s the only one strong enough to help me get it back without getting myself killed. Only he’s being selfish, and even though I helped him save Nina’s life, he’s not going to help me take it back, now, because he got what he wanted and isn’t going to hold up his end of the deal.”

“Kim!” I yelled.

Beth began laughing hysterically. “Oh, wow! That’s a whopper!” Her Oklahoma accent came back with a vengeance. “Where do you get this stuff, Kim?”

Kim looked to Jared, desperation in her voice and tears in her eyes. “You need me on your side. Don’t forget that.” She walked away, leaving Beth and the rest of us quiet and unnerved.

Jared watched her trudge back to the Sentra. “We’re running out of time.”

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Breakthrough