And on the other long side, completely alone, sat Becca’s father.
The Guide.
“Call me Bill,” he’d said.
Yeah, Gabriel had a few ideas of what to call him.
He looked completely nondescript: just an average guy in his late thirties. Sandy brown hair, a goatee, gray eyes that matched Becca’s. He hadn’t changed after work, either. He was still wearing a beige button-down with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, patches on each shoulder reading Department of Natural Re-sources and Wildlife Control Division.
Not exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to find trying to slaughter a bunch of teenagers.
The tension in the air seemed to be forming a barrier around the table. No other patrons had even come close to sitting nearby.
“So, Bill, ” said Becca, her eyes hard, “why don’t you start with the reason behind this one-eighty.”
Her father’s expression didn’t flicker. “One-eighty?”
“You were trying to kill us all last week. Now you want to help?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“Funny how you blew up my car ”
“When you weren’t in it.” While his voice was mild, there was a glint of wicked humor in his eye, something not entirely pleasant. “I even offered to replace it.”
Becca leaned in against the table. “You could have killed innocent people,” she hissed.
“Could have. Didn’t.” He looked across the table to meet Gabriel’s eyes. “I didn’t kill anyone, innocent or not. Right?”
Gabriel let the lid of his lighter fall open, flicking the igniter while it rolled.
Nick reached out and snapped it closed before a flame could fully form. He held fast, and Gabriel could almost read his thoughts. Don’t. You’ll start a fight we can’t win.
And that . . . that made Gabriel look away.
He jerked free of his twin, shoved the lighter into his pocket, and scowled.
“Why didn’t you kill us?” said Chris. “Why go to all that trouble with the walk-in freezer, and setting Nick’s leg ”
“Ever go fishing?” said Bill.
“Sure.”
“I only had two of you. In my experience, live bait works better.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” said Becca. Her voice was full of challenge, but her fingers looked like they had a death grip on Chris’s. “Why do you want to help us now? ”
“I’m not avoiding the question.” Bill leaned back in the chair and shrugged. “I don’t necessarily want to help, but the stakes have changed.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Meaning what? ”
Her father hesitated.
Michael jumped on it. “Meaning, Becca, ” he said. “We’re not the only ones hiding anymore. I’m willing to bet that the only people who know Becca’s a Fifth are sitting at this very table.”
He turned dark eyes to Bill. “Am I right?”
A nod. “Yes.”
Michael leaned in against the table. “And I’m guessing the other Guides wouldn’t be too happy to find out you kept her a secret.”
“Probably not.”
“So you’re protecting yourself,” said Becca. She snorted.
“Typical.”
Her father turned to look at her. “Just what do you think they’d do, Becca? Slap me on the wrist and forget you exist?”
She stared back at him, and Gabriel could see the battle in her expression, that she wanted to know what they’d do but she was afraid of the answer.
“They’d make you kill her,” said Hunter, his voice low. “To prove your loyalty.” He was watching Bill, too, his expression shadowed.
Becca’s father didn’t say anything and that was obviously answer enough. Her face paled a shade, and she glanced at Hunter. “How did you know that?”
He shrugged a little. “My father used to tell me stories. Of how the Guides wouldn’t allow their goals to be compromised.
One death is nothing compared to the greater good, right?”
“Yeah?” said Chris, his tone unfriendly. “And where do you fit into that?”
Hunter met his eyes and didn’t back down. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”
“Stop,” said Becca. “Don’t fight.”
Michael cleared his throat. “So what are you proposing?”
“I’m proposing that you lie low. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. They’ll send another Guide if I don’t check in with progress but I can hold them off for a while. Let them know I’m still investigating. If there aren’t continued reports of problems in this area, they’ll stay away.”
“What about Seth and Tyler?” said Nick. “You know it’s not usually us causing the problems.”
“I don’t think we need to worry too much about them for the time being,” said Chris, and for the first time, his voice carried a little satisfaction.
“Yeah,” said Becca. “We just came from the police station.
Turns out assault and attempted rape are pretty serious charges.”
Now Bill looked at her. “Attempted rape?”
Becca’s eyes were hard. “Don’t even look at me like that. I don’t want your concern. You don’t get to care. Do you understand me? As far as I’m concerned, you’re ”
“Easy,” said Chris, his voice soft. “Take it easy.”
The Guide.
“Call me Bill,” he’d said.
Yeah, Gabriel had a few ideas of what to call him.
He looked completely nondescript: just an average guy in his late thirties. Sandy brown hair, a goatee, gray eyes that matched Becca’s. He hadn’t changed after work, either. He was still wearing a beige button-down with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, patches on each shoulder reading Department of Natural Re-sources and Wildlife Control Division.
Not exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to find trying to slaughter a bunch of teenagers.
The tension in the air seemed to be forming a barrier around the table. No other patrons had even come close to sitting nearby.
“So, Bill, ” said Becca, her eyes hard, “why don’t you start with the reason behind this one-eighty.”
Her father’s expression didn’t flicker. “One-eighty?”
“You were trying to kill us all last week. Now you want to help?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“Funny how you blew up my car ”
“When you weren’t in it.” While his voice was mild, there was a glint of wicked humor in his eye, something not entirely pleasant. “I even offered to replace it.”
Becca leaned in against the table. “You could have killed innocent people,” she hissed.
“Could have. Didn’t.” He looked across the table to meet Gabriel’s eyes. “I didn’t kill anyone, innocent or not. Right?”
Gabriel let the lid of his lighter fall open, flicking the igniter while it rolled.
Nick reached out and snapped it closed before a flame could fully form. He held fast, and Gabriel could almost read his thoughts. Don’t. You’ll start a fight we can’t win.
And that . . . that made Gabriel look away.
He jerked free of his twin, shoved the lighter into his pocket, and scowled.
“Why didn’t you kill us?” said Chris. “Why go to all that trouble with the walk-in freezer, and setting Nick’s leg ”
“Ever go fishing?” said Bill.
“Sure.”
“I only had two of you. In my experience, live bait works better.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” said Becca. Her voice was full of challenge, but her fingers looked like they had a death grip on Chris’s. “Why do you want to help us now? ”
“I’m not avoiding the question.” Bill leaned back in the chair and shrugged. “I don’t necessarily want to help, but the stakes have changed.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Meaning what? ”
Her father hesitated.
Michael jumped on it. “Meaning, Becca, ” he said. “We’re not the only ones hiding anymore. I’m willing to bet that the only people who know Becca’s a Fifth are sitting at this very table.”
He turned dark eyes to Bill. “Am I right?”
A nod. “Yes.”
Michael leaned in against the table. “And I’m guessing the other Guides wouldn’t be too happy to find out you kept her a secret.”
“Probably not.”
“So you’re protecting yourself,” said Becca. She snorted.
“Typical.”
Her father turned to look at her. “Just what do you think they’d do, Becca? Slap me on the wrist and forget you exist?”
She stared back at him, and Gabriel could see the battle in her expression, that she wanted to know what they’d do but she was afraid of the answer.
“They’d make you kill her,” said Hunter, his voice low. “To prove your loyalty.” He was watching Bill, too, his expression shadowed.
Becca’s father didn’t say anything and that was obviously answer enough. Her face paled a shade, and she glanced at Hunter. “How did you know that?”
He shrugged a little. “My father used to tell me stories. Of how the Guides wouldn’t allow their goals to be compromised.
One death is nothing compared to the greater good, right?”
“Yeah?” said Chris, his tone unfriendly. “And where do you fit into that?”
Hunter met his eyes and didn’t back down. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”
“Stop,” said Becca. “Don’t fight.”
Michael cleared his throat. “So what are you proposing?”
“I’m proposing that you lie low. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. They’ll send another Guide if I don’t check in with progress but I can hold them off for a while. Let them know I’m still investigating. If there aren’t continued reports of problems in this area, they’ll stay away.”
“What about Seth and Tyler?” said Nick. “You know it’s not usually us causing the problems.”
“I don’t think we need to worry too much about them for the time being,” said Chris, and for the first time, his voice carried a little satisfaction.
“Yeah,” said Becca. “We just came from the police station.
Turns out assault and attempted rape are pretty serious charges.”
Now Bill looked at her. “Attempted rape?”
Becca’s eyes were hard. “Don’t even look at me like that. I don’t want your concern. You don’t get to care. Do you understand me? As far as I’m concerned, you’re ”
“Easy,” said Chris, his voice soft. “Take it easy.”
