Free Endgame by Kristine Smith Page B

up and eyed her expectantly. “Your turn.”
    Jani considered a display of innocence, but decided confusion more believable. “My turn for what?”
    â€œI’m not the only one laying bare my soul here, am I? Be fair.”
    â€œWhat do you want to know?”
    â€œThe story behind that pearl. He showed it to me on the way here. Told me he bought it, but we both know that’s a joke. He never paid for anything in his life.” Val straightened his legs and examined his dust-covered shoes. “I read his MedRec once, remember? I know he keeps souvenirs of events in his life he considers memorable.”
    Crap . Now it was her turn to shudder, to hem and haw. “What makes you think the pearl’s mine?”
    â€œI have my reasons, which I will explain after you tell me the story behind it.”
    Jani felt the heat creep up her neck. “It’s from my dowry.”She fielded Val’s surprised look. “My parents turned over my dowry to me when they first came to Chicago, and one of the pieces was a pearl necklace.” She paused. “One…night, I wore it during…”
    â€œDuring…?” Val leaned toward her. “During a fire drill? During charades? What?”
    Jani tried closing her eyes, but images flashed that she didn’t want to see at that moment. Instead, she concentrated on a scatter of stones at her feet. “I wore it to bed. I had worn it that evening, and didn’t take it off. During a particularly active moment, Lucien…yanked on it, and the string broke. Pearls everywhere. If I’d known they hadn’t been tied properly, I never would have worn them. Those damned things turned up under the furniture for months.” She shrugged, forced herself to look Val in the face. “See? No big revelatory episode. Just something I’m sure he saved to embarrass me.”
    â€œProbably.” Val sighed. His mood seemed lighter, as though her confession had bought him some degree of dispensation. “Why did we let him get under our skin? We’re grown-ups. We should have known better.”
    â€œThey tell you everything you want to hear, and they know how to show you the face you want to see. Even when you know in your bones that you can’t trust them, you still try, because you can’t accept the fact that they can’t feel and that there’s nothing they won’t do to ensure their survival.” Jani rocked to the side until she bumped against him. “Guess who told me that?”
    â€œDirty pool, Jan.”
    â€œI’d just let him into my home when I knew he had set me up to be killed. You tried to warn me.”
    â€œBut I was wrong. You figured out later that he had blocked the attempt. He pushed you out of the way, took the shot himself. He saved your life.” Val frowned. “Granted, he was the one who got you into trouble in the first place.” He raked a hand through his hair, then sat forward and buried his face in his hands. “Oh, crap .”
    â€œHe leaves behind wreckage wherever he goes—compared to some, you got off easy. You’re here, in one piece. No one shot at you. You’re a bit chastened, but you’ll get over it.” Jani held out her hand. “You survived. Congratulations and welcome to the club.”
    â€œHip, hip, hooray.” Val sat up. “Remember when I said that I knew the pearl had to have belonged to you?” He took her hand and squeezed it, then continued to hold it. “About four days out, he started pulling away. Moved his things out of my cabin. He said that he needed to prepare for Niall, but I knew that was bullshit. As if any amount of prep in that regard would do him any good.”
    Jani tried to reclaim her hand, but Val had it locked up tight. “I wonder how Mako was able to shove him down Niall’s throat considering—”
    â€œDon’t change the subject.” Val glowered a