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  Andthenightmareskeptcoming.Everynightforthenexteightdays,to beexact.Whileeverythingelseseemedtobelookinguparoundme,I couldn'tgettheimageofherfacescrapedoffthebackofmymind.

  IwantedtotalktoCooperaboutit,butweneverseemedtobealone enoughforthattohappen.Heavoidedprivateconversationevenwhenthe boyswereupstairs;withsuperhumanhearing,theywouldbeprivyto whatwassaidanyway.Andifitwasn'ttheboysgettingintheway,itwas Sean;IstillhadnointentionofbringinganythingupwithhimuntilIhad someanswersfromGavin.Ididn'twanttoplaythecardthatGavinhadso graciouslyplacedinmyhand.Somethingaboutthatseemedtoo easy―likehewascountingonmetodothat.Ihadnointentionofbeinga pawninhisgame.

  Bydaynine,I'dstoppedfightingitandjustwentwiththeflow, thoughexhaustedandmentallyfatigued.Ihadn'trealizedjusthowoutof itIreallywasuntilIslammedmyshoulderintothekitchendoorwaylate thatafternoonwhilecarryingpopcorntothelivingroomfortheguys.It fleweverywhere,creatingaruckuswhenthestainlessbowlcrashedtothe hardwood.Thefourofthemsnappedtheirattentiontome instantaneously,lookingfordanger.Theonlydangertobefoundwas me―adangertomyself.

  “Whatthehellwasthat,Ruby?”Cooperaskedwithalookof confusion.“Wedidn'tjustthrowthatwalluptoday.”

  “I'msotired,”Iwhined,tryingtopickupthemess.Beckettmoved tojoinmeuntilonelookfromCoopersathimbackdownquick.Cooper mayhavebeenwarminguptotheboysenoughtonotwanttokillthemon adailybasis,andheevenletthemcomedownandjoinusintheliving roomfromtimetotime,buttheywerestillontightleashes,andthose leasheshadnogivewhereverIwasconcerned.

  Instead,Coopercametojoinmewhiletheotherslookedon, bewilderedexpressionsonallfourfaces.

  “Rubes,thiscan'tbegood.You'rewalkingintowalls,forChrist's sake.You'relikeazombiemostdays.Mindtellingmewhat'sgoingon?”

  “I'vetriedto,”Isnappedundermybreath,“butIcan'tfindan appropriatetime.”

  Helookedoverhisshoulderattheothersthennoddedatmein acknowledgment.

  “MaybeSeancansendoveracouplemoreboystobabysitoneday soyouandIcangetoutofhereandtalk?”heofferedupasasolution.

  “Weneedtodoitsoonerratherthanlater,Coop.IfeellikeI'm fallingapart.”

  “Tellingyouthatyoulooklikeittooisn'tlikelytohelp,isit?”he askedwithatinysmirk.

  IchuckedwhateverpopcornI'dpickedoffthefloorathishead.

  “No.It'snot,thankyouverymuch.IsitweirdthatIdon'tlove hearingthatIlooklikeshit?”Imocked,gettinguptoleavehimwiththe mess.“IthinkIneedtojustrestforabit.De-stressorsomethinglike that.”

  “Yougodothatthen.I'mtakingtheseguysoutinabittofollowup onahouseforrentoutoftown.Nearthewoods.Awayfrompeople.I thinkit'sgoingtoworkoutbeautifully.”

  “Havefun,”Iyelled,givingawaveinthegeneraldirectionofthe livingroom.

  “Iwill,”herepliedplayfully.Alittle tooplayfully.“I'mtakingyour car.Ineedtoseethattheseidiotscandriveontherightsideoftheroad withoutkillinganyone.”

  “Getsomuchasascratchonherandyoudie.”

  “Mhmm.”

  Thedoorclosingbehindhimsignaledjusthownotfrightenedhe wasbymythreat.WhatwasIgoingtodo,chastisehimtodeath?Ihad nothingandheknewit.Hislackofresponsecalledmybluff.Eventhough hehadtheupperhandwiththecar,hewasstillgettingtheshortendof thestick.Hehadtobabysitonceagain,andIwashappytobemissingout onthat.

  ButIwasn'thappyforlong.

  Notfiveminutesaftertheydisappeareddownthestreet,myphone startedtoring.WhenIansweredit,IimmediatelywishedIhadn't.It wasn'taconversationIwasreadytohavejustyet.

  “Ruby,”Gavindrawled.“Ihaven'theardfromyousinceourlast meeting.Iassumethatmeansyouhavenotyetshownthedark-eyedone thephoto.”

  “Hello,Gavin,”Ilamentedinreturn.“Youassumecorrectly,though youprobablyknewthatforafactgivenyourpenchantforfollowingme aroundandknowingeveryintimatedetailofmylife.”

  “Fairenough,”hereplied,denyingnothing.“ButI'mnotcalling aboutthatspecifically.IthinkyouandIneedtomeet.”

  Icouldn'thelpbutrollmyeyes.

  “Becausethosetendtogooh-sowell...”

  “Yoursarcasmisbothnotedandunappreciated,younglady.Iwas tryingtobecivilandrequestaget-together,butI'msureIcouldjust ambushyouinstead,ifthat'smoretoyourliking.”

  “It'snot.Thanks.”

  “JustasIthought.”Hiscondescendingtoneseepedthroughthe receiver,irritatingmetonoend.Ididn'tlikethathepresumedtoknow mesowell―evenifhedid.“I'mgoingtobeoutoftownforaboutaweek orso.We'llhavetoschedulesomethingforwhenIreturn.”

  “TakingGingeronvacation?”Iquipped,smilingatmyselfformy efforts.

  “Asifonewouldpossiblyhavetimeforthatwhiletryingtokeep youfrombeingamenacetoyourself,”hesneered,soundingeverybitas put-uponashebelievedhimselftobe.“Ihavesomebusinesstoattendto.

  Gingerwillbeintownduringmyabsence.Ireturnedthehouseboattoits usualdockafewdaysago,incaseyoumightneedtofindrefugethere.”

  “AndwhywouldIneedthat?”Iaskednervously.

  “Becauseyourlifeisaboilingpotthatincessantlythreatensto bubbleover.Evenyoucan'tdenythatyouneedtoescapeitonoccasion.”

  Hewasright.Icouldn't.

  “Sowhat'sthispressingbusinessyouhavetoattendto?”Iaskedin anattempttochangethesubject.

  “Ineedtogathersomeinformation...”

  “Onwhat?Whatcouldpossiblypullyouawayfromtormentingme foranentireweek?”

  Hewasquietforamoment,thoughIcouldhearhimbreathinghard ontheotherend.Iwasgettingunderhisskin,andIrelishedthethought ofbeingabletogeteventheslightestbitevenwithhimonthatfront.

  Thenheblindsidedme.

  “Somethingwickedthiswaycomes,Ruby.Anditcomesforyou.”

  Hisvoicewasasdarkandforebodingashismessage.Achillshotdown myspineinresponse.“Iamgoingtoseehowthisevilcanbeavoided.”

  “What?”Iwhispered,barelyabletoforcethewordsout.“What evil?What'scoming?”

  “Allingoodtime,mydear,”hereplied,soundingtheteensiestbit pleasedwithhimself.“Itisnotuponyouyet.IwillcallyouwhenIreturn andwewillpickatimetomeet.Untilthen...”Hehungupthephone, leavingmeutterlyshell-shocked.

  Althoughhehadmadeapointtosaythattheevilwasnotyetupon me,Ifoundpreciouslittlecomfortinthat.Gavinwascalculating, manipulative,andterriblysmart.Hewouldnothavelefthiswifealonein adangerzone,soIknewthatIwasinlessdangerthanmyimagination wasleadingmetobelieve.Butstill,he'ddroppedonehellofabombon mebeforebuggeringofftogoplaysupernaturalspy.Ididn'tappreciate thejolttomynervoussystem.

  HeseemedunimpressedbythetextIsenthimtellinghimso.

  Hisresponsewaspoetic,yetnotespeciallyhelpful: ThedangerI speakofwillnotbefallyoubeforemyreturn.Findpeaceinthatfornow.

  “ Moreriddles,”Iquietlysighed,staringdownatthescreen.

  Withoutmuchchoice,Itriedtodoasheorderedandfindcomfortin thefactthatdeathwouldn'tbeonmydoorstepforatleastaweek.

  Somuchformyde-stressingplan.

  *

  “Coming!”IyelledatCooper,whowasbangingontheapartment door.“Whyyoucan'tjustuseyourfriggin'keyisbeyondme.”

  Iunlatchedthedeadboltandswungthedoorwideopentoseeallthe boys,sansCooper.

  “Sorry,”Jannersaidsoftly,lookingatouchsheepish
about thumpingonthedoor.“Iwasn'tsureyouheardtheknockthefirsttime.

  Canwecomein?”

  “Uh,yeah...sure,”Ihesitated.“Where'sCoop?Ithoughthewaswith youguys.”

  “Hewas,”Beckettsaidwithashrug.“Heisn'tnow.”

  “Maybeyoushouldcheckyourphone,”Aliaddedhelpfully.

  “Perhapshe'sleftyouamessage?”

  Ilookedatthemwithtrepidation.Theyfeltnormalandatease,butI didn'tlikethatCooperwasmissing. Thatdidn'tsitwellatall.

  Withasmileandmybestattempttoappearnormal,Iswallowedmy growingdiscomfortandexcusedmyselftogetmyphoneoutofmyroom.

  Nosenseinlettingonthatafull-blownpanicwasthreateningtoovertake me.IfsomethinghadhappenedtoCooper,itwouldhavebeenentirelymy fault.Ibroughtthosethreeintoourlives.

  Iclosedthedoorlightlybehindmeandsnatchedmycellupoffthe nightstand,mypalmssweatingmakingthetaskharderthanitshouldhave been.Sureenough,therewasatextfromCooper: Fuckingcops.Fender bender.Behomeinafew.DoNOTlettheminuntilthen.IMEANIT!

  Iwasbeyondelatedtoseehismessage.Itwasclassic overprotectiveCooper.Knowingthathewasn'tdead,myfirstthought wasthatI'dalreadyfuckeduphisorders.Hewasn'tgoingtobethrilled aboutthatuponhisreturn,butIsawnopointinkickingthemout.Iwas goingtobeinshitanyway.

  Mysecondthoughtwasthathis'fenderbender'hadtakenplacein mycar.TwoTTsandtwocaraccidents―aperfectscore.

  Isighedandtossedthephonedownbeforeproceedingtotheliving room.Thethreestillstood,notmakingthemselvescomfortable.They lookedstiffandawkward.

  “Ruby,”Alistairstarted.“IseverythingokaywithCooper?”

  “Yes.He'sfine.”

  “Brilliant,”herepliedwithaboyishsmile.“Doyouthinkthereis anychanceyou'dbewillingtoletuswatchalittlefootballonthetelly?

  Atleastuntilhereturns?”

  “Sure.Whateveryouwant,”Iagreed,headingbacktomyroomto retrievemyphone.IthoughtitbesttohaveitnearmejustincaseCooper wasgoingtoannouncehisarrival.Itwouldgivemetimetoclearoutthe troops.

  HesmiledatmeasheploppedonthecouchwithJannernotfar behind.Beckett,ontheotherhand,madehiswaytothekitchen,opening thefridgeforapeek.Hisfrownspokevolumes.

  “You'vegotnothinginhere.Howinthebloodyhellareyou supposedtokeepyourstrengthupwithpicklesandketchup?”

  Ichuckledtomyself.Theydidn'tknowaboutmymagicaldrawerof takeoutmenus.Ihadn'thadtouseitforquiteawhilebecauseofCooper's culinaryprowess,butinlightofallthechangestoourliving arrangements,hehadn'tbeentothestore.Ineverbotheredgoing.

  “Watchandlearn,myBritishfriend,”IsmiledasIdramatically pulledthehandleandunveiledthepilesoffoldedpaper.“Imaybethe solereasonthattakeoutwasinvented.Whatareyouguysupfor?”

  “Pizza!”thetwoonthecouchshoutedoutinunisonovertopofthe ruckusonthetelevision.Ipokedmyheadaroundthecornertoseewhat kindtheywanted.

  “Idon'tknowhowitworksinEngland,butonthissideofthe Atlantic,youhavetobeaweebitmorespecificaboutwhatyou'dlike on yourpie.”Theydidn'ttaketheireyesoffthescreentoanswer.Witha sigh,Itrudgedinthere,hopingthatifIstoodinfrontofitIwould actuallygetananswer.“So,shouldIjustpicksomething,or―”Icut myselfoffwhenIsawwhattheyweretooengrossedintoanswerme.

  “Wait,Ithoughtyousaidyouwerewatching football?Thisis soccer.”

  “No,love,it'sfootball.FuckingAmericans,”hemutteredunderhis breath.

  “Well,thisfuckingAmericanistryingtofeedyoursuperiorBritish ass,soifyouwouldbesokindastodirectyourattentionthiswayfortwo secondstotellmeexactlywhatitisyou'dlike,itwouldbesuper,or brilliant,ifyouprefer.”

  Hegavemeanimpishgrinbeforeherattledoffwhathewanted.

  Jannerfollowedsuit.Becketthadthegoodsensetowriteitdownas orderswerebeingbarkedoutovertheroaringtelevision.

  “Doweneedanythingelse?”Iasked,grabbingthephonetodial.

  “Beers!”thecouch-dwellingduoyelledinperfectsynchronyyet again.IlookedtoBeckett,andhegavemeanimpassiveshrug.

  Apparentlyhewasonboardwiththeirplan.

  “Well,Ican'texactlyorderthose.Somebody'sgoingtohavetowalk downtothemarketandgetthem.”

  Iwasn'tsurewhatthebestplanofactionwouldbe.ShouldIgoget themmyselfandleavethetriounattended,orshouldIsendoneofthem withtheexplicitinstructionsthatdeathwouldraindownuponthemallif therewaseventheslightestdeviationfrommyorders?Theydidstill thinkthatIwasakillingmachine.Iwouldn'thavepissedmeoffifIwere them.

  WithBeckettnominatedforthetask,Ishelledoutsomemoneyto himforbrews,surprisedbyhowmuchhesaidwouldbenecessary.

  Apparently,theyplannedtogetalittlerowdy.Cooperreallywasn'tgoing tobepleasedwhenhegothome.

  AfterlecturingBeckettadnauseamandorderingthemultiplepizzas tofeedfourwerewolves―Cooperwouldwantsometoo,oncehecalmed down―Iploppedmyselfdowninthearmchairandpretendedtoknow whatwasgoingon.Theannouncerswerevirtuallyimpossibleto understandwiththeirthickScottishaccents,andIhadnocluewhoIwas supposedtoberootingfororhowthegamewasevenplayed.Whenthe blueteamscoredagoal,Icheered,wantingtoseementhusiasticabout watching.Iwasmetwithdeathglaresfromthecouchcommandos.

  “Younever,ever, evercheerforChelsea,Ruby.It'sbloody blasphemy,”Aliscolded.“YoushouldbethankfulthatBeckswasn'there forthatslip-up.He'dhavegonemad.”

  “Right.Sorry,”Ireplied,shrinkingintomyseat.“Redguys.I'll cheerfortheredguys.”

  “Bloodyrightyouwill,”hemutteredunderhisbreath.

  Tenminuteslater,Beckettreturnedwiththeentireimportedbeer selectionfromtheliquorstore.Boxuponboxwasunloadedintothe fridge,makingitserendipitousthattherehadn'tbeenanyfoodinthereto occupythenecessaryspacefortheirbeverages.Beckettpoppedthecaps offoffourbottlesusingsomefancycountertoptrick,thenmadehisway intothelivingroomtodistributethefirstround.Whenhethrustone towardme,Ismiledandaccepted.Ifeltlikeoneoftheboys.

  “RubycheeredforChelsea,”Alistairbaitedfromthefarendofthe couchbeforeturningamischievousgrinmyway.

  “Turncoat!”Iyelledathim,chuckingapillowathisheadthathe easilyducked.

  “Shedidn't...,”Beckettwhispered,turningdisbelievingeyesmy way.

  “It'strue,”Jannerconcurred.“Shallwevoteherofftheisland?”

  Beckettslowlyshookhisheadinnegation.

  “We'llhavetoteachheralessonlater.”Theclosestthingtoasmile thatI'deverseenonBeckettflashedacrosshisface.“Afewmorebeers firstthough,eh?”

  Atthatsecond,agoalwasscoredona'breakaway'ofsomesort,and theyallshottotheirfeetcheering,thenchuggedtheirbeersinacontest toseewhocouldslamtheirbottledownfirst.Jannerwonthatroundand quicklyrantograbfreshonesbeforethegamekickedoffagain.Whenhe returned,he'dbroughtanopenoneformetoo.

  Muchtomydismay,itwasonlyminutesbeforethered team―ManchesterUnited―scoredagainaftersomemanbouncedthe balloffofhisheadintothegoal. Ithoughttheyweresupposedtouse theirfeet?

  Again,theyallshotupanddownedtheirdrinks,onlythistimethey insistedthatIjoinintherace.I'dnevertriedtoguzzleabeerbefore,and itwasn'tanespeciallysuccessfuleffort,butwithminorspilling,Ichoked itdown,draggingmymouthacrossmysleevetocleanmyfaceafterward.

  IwasmetwithawallofstaresasIslammedmybottledown.Apparently Ineededtoworkonmychuggingskills.

  “You'llgetthehang
ofit,”Alistaircalled,headingtothekitchenfor yetanotherround.Ashedid,thedoorbellrang,signalingthearrivalof thepizza.Isighedinrelief;Iwasgoingtoneeditifweweregoingto keepupdrinkingatthatpace.

  “Hurry,Ruby.They'rebackonthepitch!”

  “What?”Iasked,fumblingwiththepileofboxesstacked precariouslyinmyarms.“Whatdoesthatevenmean?”

  “Hemeansthey'reonthefieldandreadytogo,”Jannercalledfrom thesofa.

  “Whydoyouguyshavetocallthingssuchweirdnames?”I lamentedasIlaidoutthefoodontheisland.

  “Somuchtolearn...,”Beckettpatronized,shakinghishead disapprovingly.Hisdrysenseofhumorwasoddlyrefreshing.Thewhole scenariowas.

  Bythetimethesecondhalfbegan,Iwasfivebeersinandfeelingit.

  Jannerhadgraciouslyofferedtoexplainthebasicsofthegametome,so IjoinedhimonthecouchwiththeotherssoIcouldhearoverthegeneral volumeoftheshenanigans.Thefourofuswerecozilycrammedonthe sofa,drinking,eating,swearing,andshoutinglikecrazypeople.

  ' Hooligans,' Becketthadcalleduswithalookofpride.

  Theytaughtmechantsandevenrandomlittledancesthattheydid aftereveryfavorablecallorgoal,andIsoakedthemuplikeasponge, enjoyingeverysecondofourtomfoolery.ItwasthemostfunI'dhad sinceIreturned.

  I'dforgottenallaboutCooperinhisabsence,butweallsnappedto attentionwhenhestormedthroughthedoor,hislookmurderous.In fairness,wewerequiteasighttobehold.Ourteamhadscoredinthefinal minuteandweweredutifullycelebrating,meproppeduponAlistair's shoulders,beerinhandastheboysalljumpedupanddownchanting betweenswigsofbeer.ThemerrimentquicklydiedasCooper'sanger permeatedtheair.

  “Whatthe fuckdoyouthinkyou'redoing?”hegrowled,standingin thedoorway.

  ItriedtoscrambledownoffofAlistair,butonlymanagedtofall backontothecouchinaheap,spillingmybeerallovermyself.TheUK

  triowassuddenlysilent,whichwasastunningcontrasttomoments earlier.Beckettreachedformetohelpmeup,andCoopergrowled. Truly growled.Ilookeduptoseemygolden-eyedalphadesperatelycloseto Changing.Explanationswereneededandfast.