Page 85 of Truthfinder’s Promise

“Put my wife and my kid down!”

“Not a chance,” Random called back. “Valkyrie is solid muscle. I have to dramatically sweep someone into my arms to feel manly and your wife is a more manageable size.”

They disappeared outside, Jace shaking his head as he looked after them. “One day I’m going to have to remember why I thought it was a good idea to let my sister marry him.”

Jensen laughed. “I get the feeling no one lets Valkyrie do anything.”

“You’re not wrong.” Jace rubbed at the back of his neck and looked at Jensen warily. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah. You’re the research person in this group, right?”

“Uh, I guess? You want me to research something?” It was the surprise—and the relief—on his face that made Jensen realize the guy had probably thought Jensen wanted to talk to him about Meredith.

“Any chance you recognize this?” Jensen showed him the picture he’d snapped of the crown before he’d hauled Meredith away from it.

Jace studied it, finally shaking his head. “Some reason you think I should?”

“More hoping you might. It drove Meredith ballistic.”

“Define ballistic.”

“She had no response to outside stimuli and was trying to claw the case open to get to it. I had to physically pull her off it, but she didn’t come back to herself until we were out of the repository. None of the other objects did that to her. It seemed…specific to her. I want to know if it’s going to be a problem at the auction.”

“Text me the picture and I’ll see what I can find.” He hesitated. “She didn’t mention this.”

“Uh-huh. Because she’s a woman who likes to broadcast what she would view as a personal failing.”

Jace let out a tired sigh. “Right. That reminds me, Random tasked me with inviting you to the—hell, I forget what he called it.” He scrolled through his phone. “Oh, right, the Support Group for Men with Brilliant but Exasperatingly Independent Wives. Geez, the guy’s a lawyer, couldn’t he come up with something that would acronym? Anyway, I think it’s his excuse to make us throw darts and drink beer once a week. You in?”

“You do know Meredith’s divorcing me, right? Pretty much as soon as it’s politically feasible.”

“Yeah, but she likes you, and you obviously like her. You’d be an idiot not to stick around. I’m sure we can adjust the membership rules to include ex-husbands.”

Jensen blew out a breath. None of this was logical. Even if they got an agreement signed and Meredith decided she didn’t mind putting up with a single parent who came with his metric ton of baggage, it was unlikely their lives would magically fit together. But he’d be a dick to turn down the offer. He liked Jace and Random.

“I can’t do Wednesdays,” he said finally.