Tom nodded. Yeah, he said. I can do that.
* * *
She didnt throw up and didnt cry, but she didnt say anything in what had to be the longest car ride of her life. Nor did Tom, though that wasnt exactly surprising.
The house was quiet when she got home; the lights were off, and both Jonah and her dad were sound asleep. From the hallway, she could hear her father breathing; it was deep and heavy, as though hed had a long, hard day. But all she could think as she crawled into bed and began to cry was that no day could have been longer and harder than the one shed just endured.
Her eyes were still puffy and sore as she felt someone shaking her awake. Squinting up, she saw Jonah sitting on the bed beside her.
Youve got to get up.
The images from the night before and the things Susan had said came surging back, making her suddenly feel nauseated.
I dont want to get up.
You dont have a choice. Theres someone here.
Will?
No, he said. Someone else.
Ask Dad if he can handle it, she said, pulling the covers over her head.
I would, except that hes still sleeping. And besides, she asked for you.
Who?
I dont know, but shes waiting for you outside. And shes hot.
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt, Ronnie stepped cautiously onto the porch. She hadnt known what to expect, but this certainly wasnt it.
You look terrible, Megan said without preamble.
She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, but Jonah was right: Up close, she was even prettier than shed been at the wedding yesterday. She also radiated a self-confidence that made Ronnie instantly feel years younger.
Im really sorry about ruining your wedding, Ronnie began.
Megan held up a hand. You didnt ruin the wedding, she said with a wry smile. You made the reception memorable
At Megans comment, Ronnie felt tears beginning to form.
Dont cry, Megan said gently. I dont blame you. If it was anyones fault, it was Marcuss.
Ronnie blinked.
Yeah, I know what happened. Will and I talked after my mom was finally finished with him. I think Im pretty clear on everything. So like I said, I dont blame you. Marcus is insane.
He always has been.
Ronnie swallowed. Though Megan was being ridiculously forgiving about the whole thingor maybe because she was being so understandingher feelings of mortification only intensified.
Umm if youre not here to yell at me, then why did you come? Ronnie asked.
Partly because I talked to Will. But the main reason I came is because I want to know something. And I want you to tell me the truth.
Ronnie felt her stomach roiling. What do you want to know?
I want to know if you love my brother.
Ronnie wasnt sure shed heard right, but Megans gaze was unwavering. Yet what did she have to lose? Their relationship was over. Distance would make sure of that, if Susan didnt do it first.
Megan had asked for the truth, and in light of the kindness shed shown, Ronnie knew she had no choice.
Yes, I do.
Its not a summer fling?
Ronnie shook her head fiercely. Will and I She trailed off, not trusting herself to speak, knowing that words were inadequate to describe it.
Studying her face, Megan slowly began to smile. Okay, she said. I believe you.
Ronnie frowned in consternation, and Megan laughed. Ive been around. Ive seen that look before. Like this morning when I looked in the mirror. I feel the same way about Daniel, but I have to say its a little odd to see that look on you. When I was seventeen, I dont think I even knew what love was. But when its right, its right, and you just know it.
As Ronnie registered her words, she decided that Will hadnt been fair when hed described his sister. She wasnt great, she was way, way better than that. She was the kind of person Ronnie wanted to be in a few years, in practically every way. In a matter of minutes, Megan had become her hero.
Thank you, she murmured, unable to think of a better response.
Dont thank me. This isnt about you. This is about my brother, and hes still crazy about you, she said with a knowing smile. Anyway, my point is that since youre in love with him, then you shouldnt worry about what happened at the reception. All you did was give my mom a story shes going to tell for the rest of her life. Believe me, shell get a lot of mileage out of it. In time, shell get over this. She always does.
I dont know
Thats because you dont know her. Oh, shes tough, dont get me wrong. And protective.
But once you get to know her, theres no one better in the world. Shell do anything for anyone she cares about.
Her words echoed Wills description, but so far, Ronnie hadnt seen that side of Susan.
You should talk to Will, Megan said, lowering her sunglasses into place as she prepared to leave. Dont worry. Im not suggesting you go to the house. And besides, hes not there.
Where is he?
She motioned over her shoulder, toward the pier in the distance. Hes at the tournament.
Their first game starts in forty minutes.
The tournament. In the wild rush of all that had happened, shed forgotten about it.
I was just there, but when I left him, he was really out of it. He was so upset, I dont think he slept at all. Especially after what you told my dad. You need to make things right. Her voice was firm.
Megan was about to step off the porch when she turned to face Ronnie again. And just so you know? Daniel and I postponed our honeymoon for a day so we could watch my little brother play in the tournament. It would be great if his head was in the game. He might have downplayed it, but doing well in the tournament is important to him.
After showering and dressing, Ronnie raced down the beach. The area around the pier was thronged, much as it had been on her first night in town.
Temporary bleachers that sandwiched two courts had been set up on the far side of the pier, jammed with at least a thousand spectators. Even more were massed along the pier, which provided a birds-eye view of the game. The beach itself was so packed, she could barely make her way through the crowd. There was no way shed be able to find Will in time, she fretted.
No wonder winning the tournament was so important.
She searched the crowd, catching sight of some of the other teams, which only made her feel more frantic. As far as she could tell, there wasnt a special area reserved for the players, and she despaired of ever locating him with so many people around.
With only ten minutes until the game began, she was about to give up when she suddenly spotted him walking with Scott near some paramedics who were leaning against their truck. As Will pulled off his shirt, he vanished behind the truck.
She plunged through the crowd, calling out hurried apologies to the people she pushed. It took her less than a minute to reach the spot where shed last seen him, but he was nowhere in
sight. She moved forward again, and this time she thought she saw Scotthe was hard to make out in the ocean of blondes. Just as she let out a frustrated sigh, she saw Will standing by himself in the shade of the bleachers, taking a long drink from a bottle of Gatorade.
Megan had been right. She could tell by the slump of his shoulders that he was exhausted, and she couldnt see evidence of any pre-game adrenaline.
She scooted around some bystanders, breaking into a jog as she got closer. For an instant, she thought she saw surprise in his face, but he quickly turned away and she knew his dad had given him her message.
She read the pain and confusion in his reaction. She would have talked it all through with him, but with the game only minutes away, she didnt have time. As soon as she was close, she threw her arms around him and kissed him as passionately as she could. If he was surprised, he recovered quickly and began to kiss her back.
When they finally separated, he spoke. About what happened yesterday
Ronnie shook her head, placing a gentle finger over his lips. Well talk about that later, but just so you know, I didnt mean what I said to your dad. I love you. And I need you to do something for me.
When he cocked his head questioningly, she went on.
Play today like youve never played before.
27Marcus
Kicking at the sand at Bowers Point, Marcus knew he should be enjoying the havoc hed wreaked the previous evening. Everything had turned out exactly the way hed planned it. The house had been decorated precisely as the endless newspaper articles had detailed, and loosening the tent pegsnot all the way, just enough to ensure theyd pull free when he slammed into the ropeshad been easy to do when everyone was eating dinner. Hed been thrilled to see Ronnie wander down to the dock, Will in tow; they hadnt let him down. And good old reliable Will had played his part perfectly; if there was a guy more predictable in the entire world, Marcus would be shocked. Push button X and Will would do one thing; push button Y and Will would do another. If it hadnt been so much fun, it would have been boring.
Marcus wasnt like other people; hed known that for a long time. Growing up, he never felt guilty about anything, and he liked that about himself. There was power in the ability to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to do it, but the pleasure was usually short-lived.
Last night, hed felt more alive than he had in months; the rush had been incredible. Usually after he pulled off one of his projects, as he liked to think of them, he would be satisfied for weeks. A good thing, too, since his urges, left unchecked, would eventually get him caught. He wasnt dumb. He knew how things worked, which was why he was always very, very careful.
Now, however, he was plagued by the feeling that hed made a mistake. Perhaps hed pushed his luck too far in making the Blakelees the target of his latest project. They were the closest thing to royalty in Wilmington, after allthey had power, they had connections, and they had money. And he knew that if they discovered he was involved, theyd stop at nothing to put him away for as long as possible. So he was left with a nagging doubt: Will had covered for Scott in the past, but would he do so even at the expense of his sisters wedding?
He didnt like this feeling. It felt almost like fear. He didnt want to go to prison, no matter how short the sentence. He couldnt go to prison. He didnt belong there. He was better than that. He was smarter than that, and he couldnt imagine being locked in a cage and being ordered around by a bunch of prison guard flunkies or becoming the love interest of a three-hundred-pound neo-Nazi or eating food sprinkled with roach crap or any of the other horrors he could easily imagine.
The buildings hed burned and the people hed hurt meant absolutely nothing to him, but the thought of prison made him sick. And never once had the fear felt closer than it had since last night.
So far, things were calm, he reminded himself. Obviously Will hadnt identified him, because if he had, Bowers Point would be crawling with cops. Still, he needed to lay low for a while. Real low. No parties at beach houses, no fires in warehouses, and he wouldnt go anywhere near either Will or Ronnie. It went without saying that he wouldnt utter a single word to Teddy or Lance or even Blaze. It was better to let peoples memories fade.
Unless Will changed his mind.
The possibility hit him like a physical blow. Where hed once had complete power over Will, their roles had suddenly been reversed or at least equalized.
Maybe, he thought, it would be best if he just left town for a while. Head south to Myrtle Beach or Fort Lauderdale or Miami until the little wedding brouhaha faded away completely.
It felt like the right decision, but for that, he needed money. A lot of money. And soon.
Which meant he needed to do some shows in front of some very large crowds. Luckily, the beach volleyball tournament was starting today. Will would be competing, no doubt, but there was no reason he had to go anywhere near the courts. Hed do his show on the pier a big show.
Behind him, Blaze was sitting in the sun, wearing only jeans and her bra; her shirt lay balled up near the campfire.
Blaze, he called out, were going to need nine fireballs today. Theres going to be a big crowd and we need to make some money.
She didnt answer him, but her audible sigh set his teeth on edge. He was sick and tired of her. Since her mom had kicked her out, shed been nothing but glum day in and day out. He watched her rise from her spot and grab the bottle of lighter fluid. Good. At least she was working a little to earn her keep.
Nine fireballs. Not all at the same time, of course; they normally used six in the course of a show. But adding one more here and there, something unexpected, might be enough to raise the cash he needed. In a couple of days, hed be in Florida. Just him. Teddy and Lance and Blaze would be on their own for a while, which was fine with him. He was sick of all of them.
Already planning his trip, he barely noticed as Blaze soaked several cloth balls in lighter fluid, directly above the shirt she would later wear in the show.
28Will
Winning their first-round game was remarkably easy; Will and Scott barely broke a sweat. In round two, their game was even easier, their opponents scoring only a single point. In the third round, both he and Scott had to work hard. Though the score appeared lopsided, Will walked off the court thinking that the team they had just beaten was a lot better than the score indicated.
They started the quarterfinals at two p.m.; the final was scheduled for six. As Will rested his hands on his knees, waiting for the opposing teams service, he knew his game was on today.
They were down five to two, but he wasnt worried. He felt good, he felt quick, and every shot he placed sent the ball flying to exactly the spot he wanted. Even as his opponent tossed the ball in the air to begin his serve, Will felt unassailable.
The ball came arcing over the net with a heavy topspin; anticipating its drop, he scrambled forward and set up the ball perfectly. With flawless timing, Scott rushed up and leapt before spiking the ball crosscourt, returning the serve to their side. They won the next six points in a row before the other team got the serve back, and as he settled into position, he quickly scanned the stands for Ronnie. She was sitting in the bleachers opposite his parents and Meganprobably a good idea.
Hed hated that he couldnt tell his mom the truth about Marcus, but what could he do? If his mom knew whod done it, she would go for blood which could only lead to retribution. He was certain the first thing Marcus would do if arrested would be to get his sentence reduced in exchange for useful information about another, more serious crimeScotts. It would cause problems for Scott at a critical time in his scholarship search, not to mention hurt Scotts parentswho also happened to be close friends of his own parents. So hed lied, and unfortunately his mom had chosen to blame the whole thing on Ronnie.
But shed shown up this morning and told him that she loved him nonetheless. Theyd talk later, shed promised. And shed told him that more than anything, she wanted him to play his best in the tournament, which was exactly what he was going to do.
As the opponents served again, Will raced across court to make the shot; Scott followed with a perfect set, and Will spiked it home. From that point on, their opponents scored only one more point before the game ended; in the next game, they scored only twice.
He and Scott advanced to the semifinals, and in the stands, he could see Ronnie cheering for him.
The semifinal match was their toughest yet; theyd won the first game easily, only to lose the second game in a tiebreaker.
Will was standing on the service line, waiting for the official to signal the beginning of the third game, when his gaze wandered first to the bleachers and then to the pier, noting that the crowd was three times larger than it had been the year before. Here and there, he saw clusters of people hed known in high school and others hed known growing up. There wasnt an open seat in the stands.
At the referees signal, Will tossed the ball high in the air and took a series of quick steps.
Launching himself into the air, he sent a driving serve down the baseline, aiming for a spot about three-quarters of the way back. He landed, ready to scramble into position, but he already knew it wasnt necessary. By splitting the court, both of his opponents had frozen for an instant too long; the hard-driving ball sent up a plume of sand before skating off the court.
One to zero.
Will served seven times in a row, putting Scott and him comfortably ahead, and they ended up alternating points from then on, leading to a relatively easy victory.
Walking off the court, Scott slapped his back.
Its over, he said. Were on fire today, so let Tyson and Landry bring it on!
Tyson and Landry, a pair of eighteen-year-olds from Hermosa Beach, California, were the dominant junior team in the world. A year ago, theyd ranked eleventh in the world overall, which would have been good enough to represent virtually every other country in the Olympic Games. Theyd been playing together since they were twelve years old and hadnt lost so much as a game in two years. Scott and Will had met them only once before in last years semifinal of the same tournament, and theyd walked off the court with their tails between their legs. They hadnt even made a game of it.
But today was a different story: They won the first game by three points; Tyson and Landry won the next game by exactly the same margin; and in the final game, they found themselves tied at seven.
Will had been outside in the sun for nine hours. Despite the liters of water and Gatorade hed consumed, the sun and heat should have worn him down at least a little, and maybe it had.
But he didnt feel it. Not now. Not when he realized they actually had a chance to win the whole thing.
They had the servealways a disadvantage in beach volleyball, since points were scored with every volley and the team returning the serve had the chance to set and spike the ballbut Scott sent a knuckleball serve over the net that forced Tyson out of position. Tyson was able to reach the ball in time, but he sent it flying in the wrong direction. Landry charged and somehow got his hand on the ball, but that only made matters worse; it soared into the crowd, and Will knew it would be at least another minute until the ball was back in play. When that happened, he and Scott would be leading by a point.
As usual, he turned first toward Ronnie and saw her wave at him; then, facing the other set of bleachers, he smiled and nodded at his family. Beyond them on the pier, he could see the crowd packed in the area closest to the courts, but it was clear just a little farther away. He wondered about that until he saw a fireball arc through the air.
The score was tied at twelve when it happened.
The ball had soared into the crowd again, this time because of Scott, and as Will returned to his spot on the court, he found himself gazing up at the pier, because he knew Marcus was there.
The fact that Marcus was so close made him tense with the same anger hed felt the night before.
He knew he should let it go, just as Megan had advised him. He knew he shouldnt have troubled her with the whole story last night; it was her wedding, after all, and his parents had booked a suite at the historic Wilmingtonian Hotel for her and Daniel. But shed insisted, and hed unburdened himself. Though she didnt criticize his decision, he knew shed been disappointed that hed remained silent about Scotts crime. Shed been unequivocally supportive this morning nonetheless, and as he waited for the referee to blow his whistle, he knew he was playing as much for his sister as for himself.
On the pier, he caught sight of fireballs dancing in the air; the crowd had cleared near the railing, and he could just make out Teddy and Lance break-dancing as usual. What surprised him was the sight of Blaze juggling the fireballs with Marcus. She would catch one, then send it flying back toward Marcus. To Wills eye, the fireballs were moving back and forth faster than usual. Blaze was retreating slowly, probably trying to slow things down, until her back finally hit the railing of the pier.
The jolt probably made her lose concentration, even as the fireballs continued to fly her way, because she misjudged the trajectory of one of them and ended up catching it against her shirt. With another fireball following quickly, she reached for that one while pinning the former to her body. Within seconds, the front of her shirt became a sheet of fire, fueled by excess lighter fluid.
Panicking, she tried to bat out the flames, obviously forgetting that she still held the fireball
A moment later, her hands were on fire as well, and her screams drowned out all other noise in the stadium. The crowd surrounding the fire show must have been in shock, because no one made a move toward her. Even from a distance, Will could see the flames consuming her like a cyclone.
Instinctively, he sprinted off the court, racing through the sand toward the pier. Feeling his feet slip, he lifted his knees to increase his speed, Blazes screams splitting the air.
He barreled through the crowd, zigzagging from one opening to the next and quickly reaching the steps; he took them three at a time, grabbing hold of one of the pilings so he wouldnt slow down, then whipped around as soon as hed reached the pier.
He shoved through the crowd, unable to see Blaze until he reached the clearing. By then, a man was squatting beside her writhing, screaming figure; there was no sign of Marcus or Teddy or Lance
Will stopped short at the sight of Blazes shirt, melted into her raw, blistered skin. She was sobbing and screaming incoherently now, yet no one around her seemed to have the slightest idea what to do next.
Will knew he had to do something. An ambulance would take at least fifteen minutes to get across the bridge and over to the beach, even without the massive crowd. When Blaze cried out in agony once more, he bent over and scooped her gently into his arms. His truck was close by; hed been one of the first to arrive in the morning, and he began carrying her in that direction.
Stunned at what theyd just witnessed, no one tried to stop him.
Blaze was fading in and out of consciousness, and he moved as fast as he could, careful not to jolt her unnecessarily. Ronnie came bounding up the steps as he was carrying Blaze past; he had no idea how shed been able to get down from the bleachers and reach him so fast, but he was relieved to see her.
The keys are on the back tire! he shouted. We need to stretch her out on the backseatand when were driving, call the emergency room and tell them were on our way so they can be expect us!
Ronnie raced ahead to the truck and was able to get the door open before Will arrived. It wasnt easy to maneuver Blaze into the seat, but they managed it, and then Will jumped behind the wheel. Peeling out, he floored it for the hospital, already certain he was going to violate a few dozen traffic laws along the way.
The emergency room at the hospital was packed. Will was seated near the door, staring out into the darkening evening. Ronnie sat beside him. His parents, along with Megan and Daniel, had shown up briefly but had left hours earlier.
In the past four hours, Will had told the story multiple times to countless different people, including Blazes mom, who was in the back with Blaze now. When shed rushed into the waiting room, Will had clearly seen the raw fear written on her face before one of the nurses had led her away.
Aside from learning that shed been rushed into surgery, Will hadnt heard anything yet.
The night stretched out ahead of them, but he couldnt imagine leaving. His memories kept taking him back to how shed looked when they sat beside each other in third grade and then forward to the image of the ravaged creature hed carried in his arms earlier that day. She was a stranger now, but shed been a friend once, and that was enough for him.
He wondered if the police would come back. Theyd arrived with his parents, and hed told them what he knew, but theyd been more interested in why hed brought Blaze to the hospital instead of allowing the paramedics to do so. Will had been truthfulhe hadnt remembered they were on-site, and he could see she needed to get to the hospital immediatelyand thankfully, theyd understood that. He thought hed even seen Officer Johnson nod slightly, and Will had the sense that in the same situation, Officer Johnson would have done the same thing.
Every time the door beyond the nurses station opened, Will searched for one of the nurses whod been there to receive Blaze. In the car, Ronnie had somehow been able to get through to the hospital, and a trauma team was waiting; within a minute, Blaze was on a gurney and being led away. It was almost ten minutes before either he or Ronnie could think of anything to say to each other. Instead they sat motionless, holding hands, trembling at the memory of Blaze screaming in the truck.
The hospital door opened again, and Will recognized Blazes mom as she walked toward them.
Both Will and Ronnie stood. When she was close, Will could see the tension lines around her mouth.
One of the nurses told me you were still out here. I wanted to come down to thank you for what you did.
Her voice cracked, and Will swallowed, realizing his throat had gone dry.
Is she going to be okay? he managed to croak out.
I dont know yet. Shes still in surgery. Blazes mom focused on Ronnie. Im Margaret Conway. I dont know if Galadriel ever mentioned me.
Im really sorry, Mrs. Conway. Ronnie gently reached out to touch her arm.
The woman sniffed, trying and failing to stay composed. I am, too, she began. Her voice became more ragged as she went on. I told her a hundred times to stay away from Marcus, but she just wouldnt listen, and now my little girl
She broke off, unable to contain her sobs. Will watched, paralyzed, as Ronnie stepped forward to hold her, both of them crying in each others arms.
As Will drove the streets of Wrightsville Beach, everything stood out in glittering focus. He was driving fast but knew he could drive even faster. In a split-second glance, he was able to notice details that ordinarily would have escaped him: the soft, misty halo around the streetlamps, an overturned garbage can in the alley beside the Burger King, the small dent near the license plate of a cream-colored Nissan Sentra.
Beside him, Ronnie was watching him anxiously but hadnt said anything. She hadnt asked where they were going, but she didnt have to. As soon as Blazes mom had left the waiting room, Will had stood without a word and stalked furiously back to the truck. Ronnie had followed and climbed into the passenger seat.
Up ahead, the traffic light turned yellow, but instead of slowing the car, Will floored it. The engine revved and the truck shot forward, toward Bowers Point.
He knew the quickest route and navigated the turns easily; leaving the business district, the truck roared past quiet oceanfront homes. The pier was next, and then Ronnies house; he didnt so much as slow down. Instead, he pushed the truck to the limits of safety.
Next to him, Ronnie was holding on to the handgrip as he made the final turn into a gravel parking lot almost hidden by the trees. The truck skidded to a halt on the gravel as Ronnie finally found the nerve to speak.
Please dont do this.
Will heard her and knew what she wanted, but he hopped out of the truck anyway. Bowers Point wasnt far. Accessed only by the beach, it lay just around the corner, a couple of hundred meters past the lifeguard stand.