He searched through them and rifled through the dresser drawers. Nothing but clothes. A few personal items sat on top of the dresser. A wallet, a digital frame, and a worn black book. Odd that a harvester would take the space to lug paper books around.
He knelt on the floor and peered under the bed. Score. A long flat safe lay there. He pulled it out. This one had a fingerprint lock on it. No way for him to bypass that. But since the safewasn’t big, he ought to be able to break into it with a pry bar. The shed should have the necessary tool, and it wasn’t far away.
A glance out the door showed a clear path. He raced to the shed, counting off the seconds. Would Ben come straight to his bunkhouse or go to the fields?
Enzo flipped the shed light on. A series of tools hung from hooks on the wall. Shovels. Post-hole diggers, cutters, hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, and there was a pry bar.
He grabbed it, hurried back to Ben’s quarters, and tipped the safe on its side. It made a noise like gravel clunking inside. No, not gravel. Those were bullets. The guns must be there too.
He tried to force the end of the prybar into the space between the lid and the bottom. The crack was too small. The motion only scratched the metal. He swore and tried again. Still no luck.
Behind him, the door swung open.
Blight.He’d run out of time. He spun, gripping the pry bar.
Milo and Ben stood in the doorway. Milo’s expression grew so dark, Enzo almost expected the dresser to lift off the ground and fling itself at him.
Ben’s countenance was one of astonished disappointment. “What are you doing?”
Enzo held up the pry bar, brandishing it like a weapon. “Don’t come any closer.”
Milo’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t believe this. He’s nothing but a common thief.”
“Not a common thief,” Ben said with too much calmness. “He didn’t take my wallet.” Ben tilted his head at Enzo. “What do you think is in that safe?”
Milo didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Maybe he just wants a bigger haul than what’s in your wallet. Can’t say I blame him.”
Ben shook his head. “If he wanted a big haul, he’d have broken into the Carper’s house. They’ve got better stuff.”
Were these two mocking him? All the more proof that Milo was a telekinetic and knew he could disarm him. “I’m looking for the controls to the slave collar I saw on one of your workers. The thing is, I’ve never been a fan of slavery.”
Ben visibly relaxed, and a smile grew on his lips. To Milo, he said, “See, I told you he was trustworthy.”
Milo waved a hand in Enzo’s direction. “I don’t think you’ve actually proved your point. Seems a trustworthy person would, oh, I don’t know, check with the kid in question before breaking into your stuff.”
“Callum isn’t our slave,” Ben said. “We’ve already disabled his collar, but he’ll have to go to a specialized clinic to have it removed. Since he’s underage, the authorities are looking for his parents so they can oversee his care and take custody of him after the procedure. Unfortunately, the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly. He’s staying with us until his procedure is scheduled.”
Enzo was used to criminals making excuses. He didn’t see the nervousness of a liar in Ben’s expression or the hard sell of a person trying to be convincing. Had he been wrong about all of this?
Ben stepped into the room. “The safe contains guns, and I would thank you not to break it as having unsecured weapons could prove dangerous.”
Milo ran his thumb along the lock on the front door, examining it. “How did you get in here?”
Enzo lowered the pry bar but still kept a firm grip on it. “The door was unlocked.”
Milo frowned, and at first, Enzo thought he didn’t believe the story. Then Milo said, “Dad, you really have to remember to lock your door, even when you’re only leaving for a few minutes.”
Ben took a step toward Enzo. “Hand me that pry bar, son, and you can go speak to Callum about his situation. He’ll confirm everything we’ve said.”
Enzo hesitated. As soon as he put down the weapon, he’d be outnumbered. But their expressions and relaxed postures gave no indication they were gearing up for a fight. Ben had even seemed pleased that Enzo was trying to free a slave.
So perhaps he had blown the mission for no reason. He handed the pry bar to Ben. “If what you say is true, I apologize profusely.”
Milo pressed his lips together. “Are you sure your boss fired you for a data entry mistake? There weren’t any random slavery accusations or break-ins involved?”
Milo was downright smug, another sign they were telling the truth. He moved away from the door and made an overexaggerated sweep of his hand, inviting Enzo to go out.
Enzo sighed and trudged outside. The good news was he probably wouldn’t have to single-handedly save a slave or fight off a telekinetic anytime soon. The bad news was he’d have to tell headquarters he’d put a slave’s freedom in front of the mission and had been fired on the first day of work.