Don’t cry. Whatever you do, don’t cry. “No, you don’t,” she said through gritted teeth. “Don’t you get it? It feels like he’s died all over again. And I can’t stop blaming myself. And blaming you.”
Something flickered in his eyes she couldn’t place. Anger, pain, something else? His mouth dropped open to respond, but whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by a loud crunching sound. Neal approached with a shovel in one hand, gazing in awe at the ceiling.
Xander dropped his hands, and they stepped away from each other.
“Harrison, Soliman is looking for you,” Neal said as he arrived, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder.
Xander eyed him warily for a moment. Then maneuvered around him and strode away without another word.
Relieved, Leila wiped at her cheeks, wishing Neal didn’t have to see her like this. Nobody should see her like this. She waited until Xander’s retreating back was out of sight before speaking.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do what?” Neal grinned then rammed his shovel into the ground and set one foot on its flat edge. “All I could imagine was getting another scene like at the restaurant.”
Leila cringed and glanced away. “Yeah, sorry. That’s not going to happen again. It’s just…” She shrugged, at a loss for words.
“Well.” Neal leaned against the handle of the shovel. “I got that paperwork for you to fill out. We should probably get that done tonight. I also have something important to discuss.”
“Yeah, that should be fine.” Leila shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant, although her mind was racing with possible scenarios. None of which seemed to make any sense.
“All right. I’ll see you later.” He yanked his shovel from the ground and went on his way.
Leila pursed her lips together. She had hoped the restaurant incident had been forgotten. But with Neal bringing it back up and the seriousness of his request, she jolted. He was going to throw her off the team.
• • •
Leila grumbled to herself as she washed her hands. The sand swirled in the basin, a murky mixture like the mess her thoughts had become. For the rest of the day, she had been distracted, becoming increasingly uneasy about her meeting with Neal. She had even planned a lengthy “please give me a second chance” speech. Glancing into the bathroom mirror, she scowled. She was overreacting again, wasn’t she?
But Neal’s father was the one paying her salary, albeit a very small one. That made Neal more or less her boss. If he didn’t like her attitude, if he was tired of all the trouble she was putting him through, he could very well let her go.
She frowned at her reflection. She would like to blame Xander for getting her thrown off the team so easily, but she shouldn’t have let him get under her skin. With a sigh, she gathered her hair back into a ponytail and left the bathroom.
Emma was in their room, putting on her shoes. She had tried multiple times to convince Leila to join everyone to go into downtown Mit Rahina for dinner, but Leila had declined, keeping her reasons to herself. She had agreed to meet Neal in the kitchen when the place was quiet. Afterward, she would probably have to pack her things up, anyway.
“You sure you’re not coming?” Emma asked once again.
“Pretty sure. I need to stay and… get started on my report.”
“Seriously? You said that wasn’t due until April.” Emma wrinkled her nose.
“Nothing wrong with getting a head start.” Leila flopped down on her bed and picked up a book, though she had no intention to read at a time like this. Her career was ruined. How would she be able to help Soliman find Neferkheri’s tomb if she got fired?
“Well, have fun with that. Want me to bring you anything?”
“No thanks.” Even though she couldn’t see the words, she didn’t take her eyes off the book. She flipped a page. Would Soliman fight to keep her on the team? “I’ll find something in the kitchen.”
“Suit yourself. See you later.” Emma started for the door. When she reached it, she stopped and whirled around. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Xander, does it?”
“Um, no. Why do you ask?” Leila widened her eyes and peered over the top of the book.
Emma dropped her purse on the floor and sat down on the bed. “You haven’t been yourself ever since we got here. And you’ve been acting weird around Xander, like he has some sort of contagious disease. Okay, I admit, I thought he was kind of a jerk when we first got here, but he’s actually usually pretty nice. And then you flipped out on him at the restaurant. And I know you were avoiding me that night so you wouldn’t have to talk about it, either. What is going on?”
Leila groaned and hid her face behind the book again. Why did she have to be so obvious?
“What did he say?” Emma persisted, yanking the book from her hands. “What did he do?”
Leila kept silent. She’d never talked to anyone about it before, not even her grandparents. Even though she knew she could trust Emma, she didn’t want to relive everything that happened. Xander’s presence brought back memories whether she wanted them to or not. Now all the pent-up anger was threatening to explode. To go over it all detail by detail would be difficult. But perhaps a necessary step in the right direction.
With a sigh, Leila propped herself up on her elbows. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time,” Emma said, raising her voice over the low growl from her stomach. “I can catch up with the others later.”
Leila closed her eyes. It seemed like it happened yesterday…
Chapter Nine
Eight Years Earlier…
Leila stared out the window, twirling the end of her pigtail between her fingers, a smile on her face. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. And she was about to take part in a youth archaeological seminar and excavation. In England, of all places. And the best part was her dad was the teacher. Finally, he had agreed to let her come along on one of his trips.
It was going to be the best summer ever.
She had been sitting in an empty classroom for half an hour, reading through her textbook. Her dad, Landon Sterling, sat at the front of the room, quietly going over notes, occasionally standing to scratch information on the chalkboard. Dressed in jeans and his usual Abercrombie hoodie, he could easily be overlooked as one of the university’s students, if it weren’t for the touch of gray that lightened the edges of his blond hair.
The other students filed in one by one, each silently taking their place at the table, casting shy smiles at the others. Leila took note of her place in the book, page 243, and flipped it back to the beginning.
She was ready.
