Indiana was back in the restaurant.

His body was tired, but his mind was in torment.

How could he be growing more sure that Nikki was his intended bride, even as he was becoming less sure about whether what she was doing was right?

Wade Travers, Mr. Travers’s son, was clearly a horrible man. But that did not necessarily mean that his father had done anything wrong.

And even if he had, Indiana was not certain that made it okay for Nikki to lie about her purpose here.

To make matters worse, she had drawn him into her secret. Or more truthfully, he had pushed his way in.

Indiana had tossed and turned all night, finally going walking in the cool, dark woods, trying to shake the pervasive sense of dread he had from hiding something important from his brothers.

When he returned, finally tired enough to sleep, Jonah had awoken. He must have assumed that Indiana was just waking up, rather than getting into bed. Jonah had immediately began asking him endless questions about Aerie, and his experience as an alien on Earth, so that he might be better prepared to step into the role if anyone came snooping around on the trail of aliens.

Though he knew that Jonah was trying to help, there was something increasingly obnoxious about the endless questions. Especially since the video didn’t seem to be getting them the kind of unwanted attention they’d feared. At last, Indiana had fended him off by telling him he had to get ready for work.

So here he was, having arrived an hour before his start time, pouring ceaseless cups of hot coffee for the early golfers, and trying to avoid sultry looks and conversation from the female staff.

At last Remington and Kitt emerged from the kitchen entrance, looking fit and refreshed, to begin their shifts.

It was hard not to resent the spring in their respective steps after a night spent in the company of their chosen mates.

“Hello, brother,” Remington cried from across the room.

Indiana smiled in spite of himself and waved back at the both of them. It was not Remington’s fault that he had won Addy’s affections, nor Kitt’s that he had won Honey’s.

It was best to concentrate on the guests.

Soon the dining room was full, and Indiana had entered a mental state where the rhythm of his tasks consumed him. Greetings, drinks, orders, check, and on and on and on.

He was refilling some glasses when suddenly there was a commotion. Indiana nearly dropped the pitcher of water he was holding when he saw who was shouting.

At the head of the best table by one of the palladium windows, stood Mr. Travers, his face red with fury.

“I had it, I set it down, and now it’s gone,” he yelled. “This man took it.”

Travers gestured to Remington, who looked like he wanted to disappear into the center of the Earth.

“Please, Mr. Travers,” Malik said in a calming voice, “I’m sure we’ll find your notebook.”

“You’ll find it when you search him,” Travers yelled.

“Where did you have it last?” Malik asked.

“I had it out at the tennis courts,” Travers said immediately.

That made sense. Indiana knew that the schedule for lessons had changed since there were two pros on staff this week. Travers would have gotten it out in the changing room to write down his new lesson times.

“Is there a chance it might have been left there?” Malik asked politely.

“Of course not, you idiot,” Travers spat, although he didn’t look quite as certain as he sounded. “No, I left it right here on the table here when I went to the bathroom just now. And this thief must have taken it.”

“Mr. Travers, it’s an appointment book,” Malik said softly. “Why would your waiter want to steal it?”

But Travers’s face only turned purple and he looked as if he might explode.

Something clicked into place for Indiana.

It was 2:44 PM.

Each week while standing at the bulletin board and pretending to note his own simple set of work hours, Indiana glanced over the schedules for all of Maxwell’s to pass the time.

The schedules laid themselves out neatly in his mind.

At 2:30pm Housekeeping gathered the towels from the tennis court changing room.

They went from the tennis court to the swimming pool at 2:35pm, and then on to the boathouse at 2:45pm.

Which meant that they were heading to the staff cabins next.

Chances were excellent that Mr. Travers had left his book on the bench in the changing room after noting his new lessons.

Then it would have been picked up by Housekeeping before anyone noticed, since the next set of lessons hadn’t started yet.

Right now, it was probably in the Housekeeping cart under the day’s towels.

In another ten minutes that cart would be back in the main lodge where its contents would be dumped into the industrial washing machine.

Indiana gestured to Kitt, who dashed to his side.

“What should we do?” Kitt asked.

“Go find Ethan from Housekeeping, he’s on laundry duty today,” Indiana said. “He should be in the men’s staff cabin. I’m betting the book is in the laundry cart.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Kitt stared at him.

“No time,” Indy said. “Just go get it. Don’t let Ethan or anyone else see you. Bring it back, put it under the table.”

Kitt nodded and headed for the back door. Indiana knew his brother could use his gift to get there and back before more than a few seconds had passed for everyone else. But he couldn’t risk seeming to disappear in view of the crowded dining hall.

“I’ll have your job, and I’ll ruin you forever,” Travers was shouting at Remington. “You will have no future, you’ll be lucky to get a job digging ditches. When I’m through with you, you’ll wish you were dead!”

Indiana’s brother looked at his feet. The big man was more than capable of smashing Travers straight out the window if he desired to do so.

Somehow Remington’s humility made Indiana even angrier with Travers. Surely he could see that Remington hadn’t stolen anything from him. He was drunk on his own power, delighting in this abusive behavior.

The man really was a monster.

Just then, a slight breeze alerted him to Kitt’s return.

He waited until he saw Kitt reappear in the doorway at the back of the dining room before approaching the table.

“Excuse me, sir,” Indiana said softly. “I believe I see something under your chair.”

Travers suddenly got silent.

He pulled back his chair and the whole room went silent.

“What-what the hell?” he spluttered. “That wasn’t there before.”

“How could you be so careless?” Indiana shouted at his poor brother. “You must have knocked over Mr. Travers’s book when you were clearing the table.”

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Remington sounded as if he were about to cry.

Malik had bent to retrieve the book and handed it smoothly to Travers.

“Our apologies, sir,” Malik said. “I’m terribly embarrassed at the clumsiness of our staff. Please accept our apologies.”

Travers cleared his throat, obviously placated.

“I’ll let it go this time,” he said loudly. “See that you’re more careful in future.”

Travers slipped the little book into his inside jacket pocket, closed the jacket, and patted the spot where it rested, as if to be sure of it. Then he marched out of the room, followed by his two companions.

“Good eye, kid,” one of them muttered to Indiana, patting him on the shoulder as they left.

Indiana watched after them until they disappeared into the lobby.

Then he turned to his brother.

Malik was patting Remington on the back.

“Why don’t you take a break, my boy?” Malik suggested.

“I’m so sorry,” Indiana said to his brother. “I only yelled at you so that Mr. Travers wouldn’t become more angry. It wasn’t your fault.”

When Remington looked up at him, Indiana gave him a cheerful pirate-style wink.

Remington still looked downcast, but he smiled back.

“Come,” Malik said, leading Remington back toward the kitchen. “I need someone’s opinion on the honey ginger cakes for the tea party on the lawn this afternoon.”

Indiana knew there was no tea party this afternoon. He had seen the kitchen schedule too.

But he was grateful to their employer for cheering his brother up.

On the other hand, he was still seething about Travers.

“Someone needs to take that guy down at notch or two,” Kitt whispered to Indy his way back to his tables.

Indiana couldn’t agree more.

And for the first time, his secret gave him joy.

Nikki wanted to take Travers down all the notches.

And seeing this side of the man made it hard not to see Nikki’s mission in a more honorable light.