Chapter 22

“No. Gideon hasn’t changed much. Well, I’m assuming so, since that was all a bit before my day.”

“Sometimes I wish it was before mine. Those were interesting times. Gideon, Mary, and Hal certainly set that city on fire.”

Hal? Hal?Who the hell was Hal?

“Not literally, I hope,” Jesse joked, trying to disguise his eagerness. But his wariness was dissipating with each word Marcus spoke.

“Well, there was that one time…” Marcus laughed and waved it off. “Nah, I’m just kidding. Gideon liked a lot of things, but it would take a pretty damn big fire to distract him from those two.”

Jesse blinked. He didn’t know what to think, and he didn’t know what to make of the silvery thread of jealousy winding through him. He opened his mouth, but before he made a sound, Emma’s hand came down on his shoulder.

“Jess?”

He looked up quickly. “Oh, Emma. All finished?”