“The knife on a wine opener,” he said. His voice was quiet, sullen. A wine opener. He must have snagged that from the plane with the other things he’d collected. We were lucky he had. Because of him we’d had water to drink and a bag of crackers each for dinner. Not exactly a feast, but better than the nothing we’d have had if we’d simply sat and watched the plane be incinerated.

“You didn’t happen to snag any wine with that opener, did you?”

“The liquor was locked up. I didn’t think it was worth breaking the glass.”

I’d put a teasing note into my tone, but Tuck had responded with flat coolness. He was obviously still angry that I’d fired him. But what choice did I have? And he was the one who had not only engaged in something criminal but had flung hurtful words at me because of my completely justified reaction. I wasn’t going to think about those words, however, because frankly, I had enough on my plate at the moment without also dwelling on Tuck’s unfair opinion. Also… I knew his words had been spoken out of anger, a reaction to being exposed. And I would give him some leeway—and try to put myself in his shoes as much as possible—because he was helping us find our way back to civilization.

I bit at my lip for a second. “Tuck…listen. I… I understand why you might have done what you did. It must be hard, not having any money. No direction…” Was that how he felt? I didn’t want to put words in his mouth, but I also wanted to let him know that despite what I had learned about him, I appreciated that he was helping us now. “But you understand why I can’t have you working for me anymore, right?”

His expression didn’t shift, but I felt the weight of his stare, and for some reason, I felt guilty. I dismissed the feeling. How many chances did one person get? I wasn’t the one who’d messed up. “Sure, Emily.”

I stared, a heavy sinking feeling in my stomach. He didn’t care at all. Who had he become?

I suddenly wondered if he’d taken a moment to hunt for those little baggies among the mess inside the plane. Were they in his duffel bag now? He’d need the money they’d bring in more than ever now, wouldn’t he? Well. That was no longer my business.