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Seth stares into the wall, his face set into a hard glare. I’m not sure if it’s from trying to see through the wall or from what he sees on the other side. I hope Miles is hiding, even if his car is outside. He doesn’t need another black eye.

“He looks pissed,” Seth whispers. “He’s trying to search the house, but Brady’s blocking him.”

“Is Miles okay?”

“He’s under my bed.”

I gulp. If Graham really did save us, maybe he can be reasoned with. “I should talk to him.”

“No.” Seth’s grip on me tightens. “It’s too dangerous.”

“But—”

His eyes stop me, practically burn my retinas with their intensity. “You didn’t see the bruises, the ones on your neck when we were at Taco Bell. Like someone had choked you. That was Graham, wasn’t it?”

I nod.

“Your skin was purple where his fingers had been. And the ones on your arms and wrist after his pool visit? It killed me not to ask if your wrist was broken. It was that bad.” He puts his head on my shoulder. “I … I can’t see you beat up like that again. Please.”

My lungs won’t take in air. I remember my neck being sore after Graham threatened me that day, but I’d never thought of how it looked. And that was nothing compared to what I’d been through working for Dad, but no one cared because they couldn’t see it. Even I didn’t care as much as I should have. “Okay. I won’t.”

“Thank you,” he whispers.

It’s not like I know Graham’s good anyway. He
might
be, but considering his track record I’d prefer to have solid proof before I approach him. And there’s only one way to know for sure he’s on our side. “We need to—”

“Shh,” Seth hisses. “They’re coming out here.”

Brady’s voice cuts through the silence. “It looks like they went for a walk in the park or something. Guess you’re out of luck.”

Graham floats over the lawn, searching the dark. He spots something that almost makes me swear. My hoodie. He picks it up. “A walk, huh? Why didn’t she take this? I won’t find more of her clothing strewn around, will I?”

I gulp, positive he thinks I stripped down to hide. It wouldn’t be the first time. He’d assume that, since he doesn’t know Seth can see me.

Brady folds his arms. “They are together; it’s not my business.”

“Maybe I’ll look around a second.” Graham flies to the bushes along the fence farthest away from us.

“Or you could be considerate. You don’t have to talk to her right now.”

Graham jets back to Brady and hovers in his face. “Actually, I do. And I’d love to leave her alone, but she’s in deep trouble.”

I wish I knew what for. Either he’s pissed about the hack, or Mom told him I wanted to leave Madison and he’s mad about that. I can’t quite tell, but either way I’d probably get hit.

“You might wanna back up,” Brady growls. He seems bigger, stronger, than usual. With all that rage building, he could probably take out the house with one punch.

“Or what?” Graham comes closer.

In one swift motion, Brady reaches out to grab my brother. Graham tries to dodge, but he isn’t fast enough. Brady has him by the ankle, gripping him tight enough that Graham winces. A smile creeps onto my lips—seeing him bullied will never get old. My brother tries to wiggle out of Brady’s iron hold, but it doesn’t work.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Brady gives one tug, and Graham slams into the ground with a loud thud. He coughs, trying to get air back in his lungs. They stare at each other for a few seconds. “You’re not the only one who can do threats.”

That cunning grin plasters Graham’s face. “You can beat me—so what? You have no clue what you’re up against. The O’Connell Syndicate has plenty of other tools.”

He shoots up in another attempt to get away. Brady lunges, grabbing him by the arm. Graham’s legs fling forward like he got swept up in a gust of wind, but he doesn’t go anywhere.

“Whoa, hold on there.” Brady plucks him out of the air and forces him to stand on the ground. “Again with the threats. What ever happened to brotherly love?”

“I tried to protect her!” Graham looks at the ground, visibly shaken. “If you won’t help me find her, let me go.”

Brady releases him. “I hear anything about you hurting her again, and I’ll rip you right out of the sky. Now, I’m going back inside. You have one minute to get off my property—and for you Flyers that means at least one hundred feet in the sky, right?”

“Right.” Graham picks himself up off the ground. He watches Brady go into the house as he hovers.

“Brady’s still watching.” Seth’s lips almost touch my ear as he whispers, and it makes my skin prickle.

Graham sweeps the yard once, flying right over us. I’m glad his vision isn’t the greatest. He might have the speed, but he’s never been good at finding me once I’m hiding. He stops in the middle of the lawn.

“I’m not stupid. I know you’re here. We have a lot to talk about before you make more mistakes.” He rubs his hands over his face. “Fiona, if you don’t stop this crap, I’ll make sure you don’t jeopardize Mom’s safety anymore. This is your last warning.”

He rockets off, but I still can’t breathe. Whether he has good intentions or not doesn’t matter. He’s still Graham, and he’ll sell me out the second I don’t do exactly what he says. Maybe I’m not living under Dad’s roof, but it’s only a slightly nicer prison with my brother in charge.

Seth’s hands are on my face. He moves my head so he can look into my eyes. “He has to be lying. He’s trying to get to you.”

“He’s not lying.” My voice sounds stronger than I expect. I feel stronger. I know what I want, and for once I’m not afraid.

He looks up. “I don’t see him anymore. Let’s go inside, okay? You’re getting cold.”

I nod, and he pulls me out of the bushes. After grabbing my hoodie, Seth keeps an arm around my waist as we rush to the porch. I half expect Graham to dive-bomb us, but he doesn’t. Seth sits on the leather couch they must have just bought, but I can’t stop pacing. An idea clicks into place with each step, along with the determination to do it.

I won’t live here under Graham’s terms. I won’t leave, and I’m certainly not going back to Dad’s. This is my life, and I should be free to live it however I want. With whoever I want. No more threats or fear or indecision.

Miles appears from the hall and leans on the kitchen table. “What’s the plan?”

Seth starts to speak, but I talk over him. “We’re going to the factory. Get The Pack.”

If Graham thinks I’ll lie down and trust him, he’s dead wrong.

When Brady comes back with The Pack, part of me feels like hiding. Their voices fill the house, bouncing off the walls and warming the place up. Seth squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry. They miss you. I told them you needed a little space.”

“Fiona!” Bea’s voice booms through the house. When she rounds the corner, glaring daggers, I’m fairly sure I
should
be worrying. I cower into Seth’s shoulder when she points at me. “You are so dea—wait, are you guys …
together?
”

Seth glances at me, like he wants to make sure we are. I smile and give him the nod. He laughs. “I guess you could say that.”

Bea lets out a sigh. “Well, finally! I was getting so sick of not telling you!”

“Seriously,” Hector chimes in. “I was this close to ratting him out.”

“Gee, thanks, guys,” Seth says.

I groan. “You all knew?”

They laugh, and I try not to feel stupid.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Carlos plops on the love seat, frowning. “So what’s with Brady calling us all over here? Please don’t tell me it was just to announce
that.
” He glares at our clasped hands, though it looks more like Seth is pretending to hold something. I wish I could see what it looks like to him.

“Fiona’s brother paid us a visit tonight,” Seth says.

“Duh, he’s right here.” Joey taps knuckles with Miles. “Nice shiner, by the way.”

Bea slaps Joey’s arm. “Obviously he means the jackass, dumbass.”

“What’d he want?” Hector asks.

I take a deep breath and give them the whole story, everything from what I really did for my dad, to what Graham’s done to me, to Miles’s hack and what he found. “Sorry I didn’t tell you what I really was. I didn’t want you to hate me.”

“Psh. Not your fault,” Joey says. “Not like we’re saints.”

“We’re banned from the mall in Tucson,” Hector says.

“And the bowling alley in town,” Carlos says.

“Don’t forget the Saguro theater,” Bea says.

They all laugh.

I smile, deciding not to tell them that doesn’t really count, all things considered. Can’t burst their bubble. “So what do you think: trust Graham or not?”

“Hell no,” Carlos says.

“Who’s to say he’ll stop threatening you?” Hector folds his arms, thinking. “Sure, he could be separating you from your dad, but what if he plans on starting his own syndicate?”

Miles raises an eyebrow. “Interesting theory, but I doubt it.”

Bea frowns. “Don’t kill me for saying this, but I don’t know … he’s your brother. There’s something about that blood connection. You can’t throw out the possibility that he’s trying to do a good thing.”

I sigh. “I know, but I need proof. I hate asking you guys—you shouldn’t be this involved—but I need backup.”

“Anything,” Bea says, and they all agree.

The eagerness in their eyes hits me. I still don’t get why they’d jump to put their lives on the line. Maybe they don’t fully understand. Maybe they really are crazy. “Why do you always say that?”

And then, for the first time, Tony speaks. “Because we like you. Isn’t that enough?”

I smile, wishing they could see it. “Yeah, it is.”

After some preparation, we pile into Seth’s truck and Sexy Blue. The plan is simple: Drive out to the factory and find the Radiasure. If it’s there, then we know Graham’s telling the truth. If not, well, we’ll have to get him to leave by force. He can’t even handle Brady, let alone the rest of The Pack.

“If Graham happens to show up,” I say as we bounce and bump over the desert, “jump him. He flies by emitting hydrogen, and he can only handle so much weight.”

Seth puts his hand on my leg. “It’ll be okay. There’s no way he can take all of us.”

“I’ll pound him if I have to,” Brady says.

“Right.” I take in a deep breath, focus on the desert around us. It’s been a while since I’ve been on this side, and it brings up strange memories. When the broken strip mall comes into view, I realize how much I’ve changed since hiding there.

I’m finally learning how to fight for myself. I’ve learned that I’m worth fighting for.

The headlights make it hard to see anything not directly in front of us, but the sky still shimmers with stars. I can’t help but smile at them. I’m small, but not alone. I’m surrounded by people who care about me. And strangely, they make me feel more important than anything ever has.

We park in front of the factory and hop out. “Spread out. Go in twos.”

“Right.” Brady grabs Bea, and I’m glad, since she’s the smallest and most vulnerable. “You’re coming with me.”

Bea smiles wide, happily holding on to Brady’s arm. I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner how much they care about each other. “No complaints here.”

Seth takes my hand, and Miles follows closely behind. The Pack pairs up evenly. I have no idea what to look for, but we start with the biggest tumbleweeds and pieces of scrap metal. Not surprisingly, there’s nothing there.

“How much is supposed to be here?” Seth asks.

“At least a whole crate.” Miles pulls up a piece of metal.

Seth whistles. “That’s a lot, isn’t it?”

“A good three million bucks’ worth, at least—maybe up to five,” Miles says.

“Sick, huh,” I say. Radiasure … Dad still takes a pill every day. He’d never say it out loud, but sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t think he’s strong enough, even with a power like his. One time, I overheard him saying to Graham, “I’m not all-powerful. I’m only half-powerful. My ability doesn’t even work on males.”

Some people never have enough control, I suppose.

“There’s nowhere to hide anything here!” Seth says after searching for fifteen minutes. I must admit I expected him to find it easily. But it is night, and I don’t think he can see through darkness very well. “It’s bare—”

“Hey! Over here!” Brady calls from the opposite side.

We rush over, my heart racing more from hope than from the jog. I can barely make it out in the dim light, but it looks like Brady is in some kind of hole.

“Underground, of course,” Seth says, as if he actually feels stupid for not thinking of it sooner.

I nudge him. “You can’t get ’em all right.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“I only noticed because I’m so heavy,” Brady says as he steps down deeper. “It sounded hollow when I walked over it. Looks like there’s a smaller hole. There’s no way I can fit.”

“My turn!” Bea climbs into the hole and disappears under the dirt wall closest to me. After a lot of cursing, she emerges with a box.

Relief fills me as I take it from her. I lift the lid, and the blue glow shines from the glass bottles. So Graham had a plan, and it was actually a good one, too. “He wasn’t lying. He really did mean to help us.”

“Doesn’t matter now, does it, Fifi?” Graham’s voice sends a shiver down my back, and I whirl around. I drop the box when I see he’s not alone.

He sets another man on the ground, a man I can recognize even in the dark. He saunters into the beam of our flashlights, completely at ease. I wish I could move, but my legs won’t cooperate.

“Well, well, isn’t this a nice surprise.” My dad’s smile is just as I remember, all silk and honey, but never reaching his eyes. “It’s been a long time, sweetheart.”

We stand there, staring at each other. It can’t be real—my dad is not here, not seeing all my friends’ faces, not putting the puzzle together.

But, man, he looks good in that leather jacket.

I shake my head. He’s definitely real if I’m thinking creepy thoughts like that, and it’s only a matter of time before I’m high on his scent and not thinking straight. I take Seth’s hand, hoping that’ll keep me focused. He squeezes too hard, but even that doesn’t get a sound out of me.