Hearts Out of Time by Chris Lange

exchange for his life. We must strike a deal.”
    “What painting?” she asked.
    Her question didn’t get an answer. Thanks, guys, am I invisible to you? She’d remember if they had discussed art earlier, and she didn’t recall providing any kind of intelligence either. Yet his words seemed crystal clear to everyone in the room, and the tacit complicity uniting its members began to get on her nerves.
    Jake Cooper traced a faint straight line on the tablecloth with his knife, a grave expression tainting his features, and shook his head. “That’s impossible. The painting’s disappeared.”
    “Not disappeared. Stored in a safe place.” Garrett seemed so sure of his facts that the gunslinger’s expression turned even darker.
    Jake shifted in his seat. “That’s all very good but it doesn’t change a damn thing as long as William isn’t around to tell us where it is.”
    “He told me.”
    This supported the theory that her dad trusted Garrett more than anyone else. Still, it didn’t answer her question.
    “What painting?” Tracy asked.
    What did a girl have to do to be heard around here? Throw a chair against the table? Scream at the top of her lungs?
    Jake’s attention remained fixed on Garrett as everyone continued to ignore her. “Do you mean to say you’re aware of its location?”
    “I most certainly am.” Garrett seemed sure as hell.
    Beside her, Weedon fidgeted in his chair, cheeks colored with excitement. “Tell us, man. Where is it?”
    Enough was enough. If none of them took three seconds to indulge her, she just might bang her fist on the table like Garrett did.
    “What painting?” Tracy asked again. Third time better be the charm because she also had the option of storming out of the dining room and letting them debate the question of the mysterious artwork without her. Not that any of them would care. They really didn’t seem to need her, nor the mysterious means she supposedly had.
    Finally, the master of the mansion noticed her pursed lips, irritated stare, and maybe the scowl on her face.
    “My apologies, Miss Richardson,” Garrett said. “Perhaps I should explain.”
    “Perhaps you should,” she retorted, “though you’ve done a fine job up to now.”
    Although peeved, her heart beat faster as soon as Garrett rested his gaze on her. She waved her hand and sighed. “Please, continue.” She wriggled her fingers.
    Garrett cleared his throat before resuming his elucidation. “The Everett program was originally designed to grant access to the telepods solely to your father, your mother, and yourself. Ultimately, William also wished to enable the members of The Circle to use his invention safely.”
    Her dad’s idea made sense. These people were his friends so why wouldn’t he let them play with his toys? Unaware of her train of thought, Garrett continued.
    “However, sensing his work was on the verge of being discovered and misused, William created a safety catch to lock down the Everett program. Without it, no one can cross over between our worlds. Unfortunately, he was abducted before he could disclose the nature of the safety catch.”
    Her own trip this very morning springing to mind, she swallowed and dropped her nervous hands on her lap. “Assuming someone tried to employ the telepods without this . . . thing, what do you think would happen?”
    Garrett faced her. “I can only speculate that person would either fail in the attempt or die.”
    She cringed, one of her hands dropping to her thigh to scratch the dress. Good thing she’d been unaware of the existence of this safety catch or she might not have entered the telepod so readily. Relying on a computer felt too tricky for her taste, even a program designed by her genius of a father.
    “Okay,” she said, “I don’t want to be the one to ruin your extraordinary theory, but I used the telepod today. I don’t have a clue about the safety catch, yet, hey there”—she waved her hands—”I’m still very much