The Rosewood Hunt by Mackenzie Reed

Author:Mackenzie Reed [Reed, Mackenzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-07T00:00:00+00:00

15

Thursday, June 27, 11:58 a.m.

By the time we roll up to DiVincenzi’s Deli, Leo’s personality has gone through a 180-degree shift. He’s barely spoken, and his grip on the wheel is white-knuckled. The few times I’ve glanced over from the passenger seat, it looked like he might be seconds away from cracking his teeth thanks to how tightly his jaw is clenched. He’s completely on edge.

And he’s not the only one.

Caleb is silent in the back seat. It wouldn’t be unusual, but tension radiates from him. Something’s up. And with the two boys down for the count, that leaves Quinn and me to be on our best clue-hunting game.

“Here we are,” Leo says quietly, as if his nonna might hear him all the way out here. He turns off the engine. “Maybe I should stay here.”

“Me too,” Caleb adds.

“No,” Quinn and I say at the same time.

I turn in my seat to look at her, and she flashes me the barest bones of a grin. “We all go together,” I say, feeling emboldened that she’s on my side. “Gram knew you were in a feud with Nonna, right?”

Leo nods.

“Then she chose this location for you in your section of the map for a reason. To give you a chance to reconcile. You have to come. I know that’s what she intended.”

“And are you her liaison from the dead?” Caleb mutters.

I give him a good glare, and he slides open the door. Quinn gets out behind him.

“Leo?” I prompt, noticing the way his fingers are still wrapped around the key, as if he’s thinking about stabbing it back into the ignition and gunning it. I grab his hand before he can, giving his fingers a soft squeeze. “You have a chance to fix it before it’s too late. I—” My throat closes suddenly, thinking of my last words to Dad, to Gram. “I’d give anything for one last shot to say the things I should have when I had the chance.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “I didn’t tell you the real reason I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral.” It comes out all at once, words rushed together. He won’t meet my eyes. “Your dad advised mine to put everything he had into the Ice Plex. And when it all tanked, my dad blamed yours for steering him wrong. He didn’t want us to pay respects. I knew it was messed-up, but I didn’t fight him on it. I didn’t think I could. Besides, the Ice Plex was my fault, too.”

My chest suddenly feels tight. I don’t know what to say. I knew my dad made enemies, but for people to still hate him in death?

His last statement finally hits me. “What do you mean it was your fault?”

“When my dad was considering creating the Ice Plex, he almost didn’t do it. But I begged him to. I thought it’d, like, I don’t know, get me into the NHL. So my dad took the risk.”

Leo looks at me finally, the usual coy amusement in his gaze gone.

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