Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) by Monica O'Brien Page B

last two centuries—would leave so shortly after our victory over the monarchy. If I had been such a useful instrument as you were, I would want to stay, perhaps run for office. You must know that you would have been a shoe-in."
    "My place is behind-the-scenes, not on the platform."
    "Good." He ruffled his soft, blonde curls. "An advisory position is behind-the-scenes, and I'd happily find something for those talented Egyptian twins of yours also."
    "I'm sorry," Thessa said, her nerves dancing. "The answer is no."
    "Pity." He smirked, giving Thessa a once-over. "Perhaps you're right though; cleaning up the situation in Honolulu is probably equally rewarding." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'll have Natassia keep an eye on your little island to make sure your investigation goes smoothly."
    "Thank you, Mateo. It was great to meet you."
    "You as well, Thessa. Hopefully we'll see each other again in Honolulu very soon. I'm not giving up on you. I'm sure I can come up with something to change your mind." He added a playful layer to his voice to give the impression that he was joking, but both of them knew his real meaning—he knew Thessa was hiding something he could use against her.
    And when he figured out the truth about what was going on in Honolulu, he would be faced with a choice—to destroy Thessa and the twins with a trial from the New Order, or to use the ultimate blackmail to bend them to his will.

    *****
"Can we please get this over with?" Brie stuffed her toes into the wet sand, pulling her hooded jacket tighter and zipping it up.
    "We've put this off for nearly a week already." After surfing with Justin and Pilot that morning, Rykken had gotten Brie to meet him at the beach so they could talk about their class project for English.
    They hadn't spoken since their fight though, and Rykken wasn't sure how to smooth things over between them.
    Brie folded her arms across her chest. "I have somewhere to be."
    Rykken winced. "What could you possibly have to do on a Saturday afternoon?"
    "I have cheer practice."
    "Oh, right," Rykken said, exhaling. At least she didn't have plans with Justin. "So when did you become a cheerleader anyway?" He laughed a little. "Isn't being popular a step down from being famous?"
    She looked up sharply, cutting off his laughter. "Shut up. Just shut up about it." She turned her back to him and walked away.
    Rykken moaned. He didn't understand why everything he said offended her. He trailed after her, down Waikiki beach, away from the crowds. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Brie slightly ahead of him. In the distance, there were only a few people sunbathing on this more secluded area of the beach.
    One jet skier, a woman with dark skin and long white hair, streaked across the waves. Rykken was completed distracted by her, when Brie whipped around so fast that he almost walked into her.
    He caught her shoulders with his hands, using his own balance to steady her. Her body tensed at his touch and he dropped his hands. "I'm sorry," she said. Brie ran her fingers through her hair aggressively. "That was really rude. I mean, telling you to shut up."
    He looked at the ground. "I don't get it, honestly. I was trying to lighten the mood."
    "I know." She pulled her long hair into a loose ponytail and tucked it into her hood before finally meeting his eyes. "And to answer your question, I started cheerleading last week."
    Rykken shrugged, looking away. He didn't want to look into her eyes too closely, so he focused instead on her forehead, where a stray bang had escaped from Brie's hood. Rykken resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear.
    The sand was gritty between his toes and the beach smelled like seaweed. He shook his head and twisted his neck, looking for a way to refocus the conversation. "Let's just lighten up. We don't have to be best friends; we just have to get this project done."
    Brie stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. "So where do we start? And why did you want to meet