Charlie's hand tightened around her spoon. "He was my boss."
"So, where is he?" Kayden asked.
"He's dead," I said.
The table went quieter.
"Christ, Mitch." Cassidy paused with the spoon near her mouth. "What happened?"
"It's a long story." I huffed.
"So, start talking," Kayden said, reaching for the whiskey bottle. He poured a measure into his glass and held the bottle toward me.
"I'm good." I needed to keep my head straight. Charlie and I had so much ground to cover, I wasn't sure I could remember it all without scrambling the details.
I thought back to finding Charlie in that dinosaur pit, mud up to her knees, desperately trying to cover the bones with a silver tarp. God, that felt like it had happened weeks ago. Her discovery mattered. I needed to make sure it didn't get buried under all the other shit that had happened.
Under the table, I rested my hand on Charlie's thigh and gave her leg a squeeze. When she still didn’t open the conversation, I started with the flash flood, but as I talked, Charlie joined in, and between us, we traded details back and forth, filling in the gaps until we got to the cave.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out the pouch, and spilled the jewels onto the table. They glittered under the overhead lights.
Kayden snatched up the biggest diamond. "Holy shit. Are these real? This must be worth a fortune."
Cassidy picked up the necklace, turning the golden shield over in her fingers. "You found these in the cave?"
"In the hands of a skeleton," I said.
"What the hell?" Cassidy blinked at me. "Who was it?"
"Don't know. Guy didn't have any ID on him."
"He'd been there a couple of decades, though," Charlie said, "based on the condition of the skeleton."
"What are you, a bone expert now?" Kayden snarled at her.
"Yes, actually. I am." Charlie met his glare head-on. "A paleontologist, as a matter of fact."
That's my girl.
"Ha, she’s got you there, bro," Cassidy said with a grin.
"Shut up." Kayden reached for a ring with a large rectangular sapphire.
Cassidy winked at Charlie, and Charlie's shoulders finally relaxed. She was holding her own. Good. She'd need that strength if she was going to survive my family.
Declan stared at the jewels, his expression troubled. "The money from these could cover the next fuel order."
I frowned. "We’re not selling them. I need them to find out who the skeleton was. His family deserves closure."
"Fuck that," Kayden said. "You said the body's been there for decades, right?" He looked at Charlie.
"That's my assumption." She nodded.
"Then he’s probably long forgotten. These were found on our land.” Kayden grabbed the golden bracelet and closed it in his hand. “They're ours now."
"Unless they were stolen," I said.
"You don't know that." Kayden scowled at me.