29. The Necklace

Antonio’s dark gaze drilled into Valerie with an accusatory intensity. “You have the codes,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. Valerie couldn’t tell whether he was angry or not, as his face remained stoic and unreadable. She didn’t want him to misinterpret her actions. It wasn’t that she was intentionally keeping the codes from him! Her heart raced as she tried to find the right words to explain herself, the tension between them palpable. “I…I can explain,” she said hesitantly. Antonio leaned back against the headboard, his eyes never leaving hers. “Then explain.” “I found it yesterday. I was telling Lucas a story and he was fiddling with my necklace…” “Necklace?” Antonio stopped her. “Yeah. This necklace,” Valerie said, holding up the pendant to show him. “Julian gave this to me a while back.” She had been meaning to get rid of it ever since he died, but for some reason, something held her back. Now she was glad she didn’t. “I see. Continue,” he said. “Well, Landon grabbe