“Harrison, are you home?” Arch Tantalus’s voice echoes through the thick, paneled door.

Without a sound, I tiptoe to the kitchen and slip into the pantry.

I hear the knob turn . . . the front door clicks open . . . the tap-tap-tap of a cane on the hardwood floor . . . Tantalus and his sidekick enter the Rhea’s home uninvited. My heart thuds in my chest, pounding so loud I’m certain the men will hear and come investigate.

“I bet he’s on a date with that Everhart woman,” The guys voice sounds like its been burned by a million cigarettes. “She’s a looker, I tell you.”

My body shakes all over. And I want to hurl.

“A distraction is what she is,” Tantalus replies.

My heart’s pounding in my throat, and I’m panting like an overheated dog. These are Moloch’s men! If only I could open the pantry door to see what this other guy looks like.

“What about those tests? Wasn’t this the final one to verify the detonator could be activated from Earth?” Cadmus asks.

A chair shifts. “Yes,” Mr. Tantalus answers. “I don’t know what happened. My instructions to Harrison were explicit. The boy was to leave the box and return. If all went as planned, a pit the size of this house should have been created.”

If I could just get the door opened for a quick peak. I turn to look, my shoulder bumps something hard on the shelf, and it crashes to the floor.

“What was that?” Cadmus’s voice carries over his rushing footsteps.

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