“Well, I look forward to figuring it out, at the very least.” Lara set down her mug. “So. What did you bring to trade?”
“Tools,” Thom said. “Some blankets, clothes, nails, things like that.”
“Didn’t look like you were carrying all that much,” she said, lips pursing. “Though I suppose that since this was mostly just an exploratory expedition, the caution and the small amount of trade goods makes more sense.” She exhaled a sigh, leaning back. “How far are you planning to go?”
Thom glanced at Cameron, arching a brow. Cameron gave Lara a tight smile. “Probably only about another week or so on the road. We don’t want to stay away for too long—lots of stuff going on back home.”
“I can only imagine.” Her smile was a little more real this time, gentler. “Well, finish that and I’ll give you the tour and you can show me what you’ve got to trade. Maybe we’ve got something that you could use in kind.”
She didn’t give them the chance to protest or stop her before she was up and out the door. It clicked quietly closed behind her and the four men were abruptly alone.
“What do you think?” Cameron asked after a long moment of silence. “Can we trust her? Trust them?”
“Well, so far as we know they didn’t put the Hecate on Phelan’s scent,” Thom said quietly, setting down his mug. “And she seemed genuine when she talked about what happened here.” He rubbed at his temple, turning the brief vision he’d had over in his mind. “I think she’s okay. Just…really, really paranoid.”
“Can you blame her, if she’s telling the truth about what happened here?” J.T. shook his head. “I know I can’t.”
Thom glanced toward Seamus. “Anything to add?”
“No,” Seamus said quietly. “I think you’re right. We can trust her—at least for the moment. I don’t think she’s out to harm us or betray us.”
“We can only hope,” Cameron murmured, looking at the door. “But at the end of the day, right now, I don’t think we’ve got anything to lose.”
