“So, what? You’re saying you’re the only one allowed to deal with this? Isaak, we’re all in this together.” With that, she raised her hands to my arms and gave them a gentle squeeze. “You are worrying way too much, okay? I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.”

The breeze picked up then, sending her long brown hair cascading across her face. She moved to brush it away, but I stopped her, lifting one hand from around her to carefully remove the soft strands from her eyes. In that moment, the light from the two moons bathing her face, the cool breeze from the bay billowing around us, and my hand resting on her cheek, I knew I’d found my chance. “Tamara, I...”

Tamara’s cheeks, I swear, reddened under my touch. She turned her chin up, looking me square in the eye.

I sucked in a breath to work up my nerve, and leaned forward, my face centimeters from hers. I closed my eyes. There was no turning back now.

And then my palmtop rang at top volume.

Tamara leapt away at the sudden blare as if she’d been burned. I cursed violently. If it’s Henry, I swear… Swiping my hand across the screen without looking at the caller ID, I snapped, “What?!”

“Isaak, it is now nine-thirty. If you are not home in fifteen minutes, you will be grounded for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?”

I held the palmtop away from my face and cringed. “Tamara, I’m sorry,” I whispered over the top of my mother’s tinny rantings. “I… I gotta go.”

Tamara didn’t look at me. She just nodded, staring silently down at the railing as the wind whipped her hair around. I sighed and turned away.

I really didn’t have any luck, did I?

Chapter 12

My ears were ringing by the time I trudged into my bedroom. What Mom had lacked in coherency by the time I got home, she made up for in volume. I’d tried to tell her that I’d lost track of time, but that wasn’t good enough. I was grounded for the next week.

Whatever. As if it wasn’t punishment enough to have blown it with Tamara again.

I frowned as I switched the light on. Dad’s box was still sitting there on my nightstand, covered in dirt and rust. Well, if I was stuck here, I might as well make myself useful. Tamara may have been convinced that her house was safe from Emil, but I wouldn’t rest easy until I was sure he was out of our hair for good. And the best way to do that was to find him that key.