“You think the Holiday Inn is going to let us check in looking like this? With a dog? At least at Adam’s we can wash our clothes and get something to eat.”
“Nick—” Michael sighed. Those were all good points, and he was too tired to argue. “Fine. Whatever.” He reached out and spun the dial to turn the heat higher. He couldn’t stop shivering.
The roads were deserted at this hour. Rain speckled the windshield, and he clicked on the wipers as he turned onto Ritchie Highway. Beside him, Hunter had his fingers buried in Casper’s fur. His forehead was against the window.
At the first stoplight, Michael glanced in the rearview mirror and took stock of his brothers again. Nick looked weary, his eyes half open. Gabriel looked pissed, his jaw set, his eyes glaring straight ahead. Chris was looking out at the darkness, the streetlights reflecting off the bare spots on his cheeks where the rain had washed the soot away.
“Thanks for stopping the fires,” Michael said. “The rainstorm was smart thinking.”
Chris didn’t look away from the window. “It wasn’t just me.”
“I know. I’m thanking you all.”
Gabriel’s eyes locked on his. “Maybe you could thank us by telling us what the fuck is going on.”
Michael kept his foot on the brake. “What?”
“What do you mean, what? We looked for you, asshole. You weren’t in that house when the fire started. You weren’t in the woods. You weren’t anywhere.” His voice gained volume. “We found Hunter and Chris, but you weren’t—we couldn’t—”
“Easy,” said Nick. “Take it easy.”
“Fuck easy, Nick! Until that earthquake started, we didn’t even know if he was—”
“Wait.” Michael slammed the gearshift back into park and turned in his seat. Gabriel looked primed for a fight, like he was ready for his oldest brother to take a swing at him. He looked like he’d welcome the opportunity.
But Michael looked at Chris. “You didn’t tell them?”
“Tell us what?” said Nick.
“We couldn’t tell them,” said Hunter. His voice was tired. “By the time they found us, we were surrounded by paramedics, and then the earthquakes started—it was all too fast.”
“Tell us what?” Gabriel demanded.
“I thought someone was in the woods,” said Michael. “It woke me up.”
“Me too,” said Hunter.
“What did you guys think?” said Michael. “That I snuck out?”
“We didn’t know what to think,” said Nick. “The fire started fast.”
“I almost couldn’t stop it,” said Gabriel. “I had to keep it to the front of the house. I was worried about it getting into the garage.”
So Gabriel had stopped it. “You probably saved the business.”
“I was more worried about all that shit blowing up. Whoever did this had a plan.” Another pause. “And power. A lot of power.”
“Do you think it was Calla?” said Michael. “I haven’t heard from her in a week. She’s been pissed that I won’t help her start a war.”
“This would be a good way to start one with us,” said Gabriel, his tone dark. “But I have no idea. I didn’t see anyone.”
“Who was in the woods?” said Nick.
No one said anything for a long moment, but the confusion and fury in the car redirected toward Chris.
He didn’t look away from the window. “Sometimes I go for a walk, okay?” he snapped. “It’s not like anyone is sleeping lately.”
“But you ran,” said Hunter.
Now Chris whipped his head around. “I didn’t know it was you! You would have run, too!” Then his gaze darkened. “Or maybe you would have shot someone. Who knows?”
“You’re lucky I’m not shooting you right now.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t drown you—”
“Hey!” said Michael. He knew most of this was misdirected fear and uncertainty. That didn’t mean he wanted to listen to it. “Knock it—”
A horn blared from behind them, and they all jumped. Another car had stopped behind them, and Michael realized they’d been sitting here for a while, just blocking the intersection.
He turned around in his seat and put the car back into gear. He ran a hand through his short hair, feeling dirt and burned particles dislodge. Once they made the turn onto Ritchie Highway, he glanced in the rearview mirror again. Aggression hung so thick in the air that he wanted to open the windows to clear the cab.
“Have you been sneaking out every night?” he said.
Chris didn’t say anything.
“Chris!”
“He’s scared,” said Hunter.
“Fuck you,” said Chris. “If you want to sit around waiting for an attack, fine. I can’t do it anymore.”
They came to a traffic light, and Michael rotated in his seat to face his youngest brother. “Are you out of your mind? What the hell were you thinking, Chris? We could have—those fires—”
Chris wouldn’t look at him. “You think I don’t know?”
Gabriel hit him on the back of the head. “And you thought that was a good idea?”
“I stayed near the water. And who the hell are you to talk about good ideas?”