“Not at five, they don’t. And you’re looking for aperson, not a wild animal.”
“We’re in the presence of bad omens,” he says, sending a chilling look back my way. “Anything can and will happen when two sides of the mirror meet.”
“Enough superstition from you. The children will be fine here.”
Lynx unstraps the machete from his side and taps it against the floor between his feet. Then, he gives a piercing whistle, and before I know what’s happening, the kid has plucked the knifefrom Viv’s hand and adopts a defensive pose. He pats the kid’s head like he’s patting a dog. “Down, boy.”
I lean toward Ziggy. “Where the hell are that kid’s parents?”
“Dead.”
Oh. Well, okay. “Has Lynx adopted him?”
The look I get is pure confusion. He tugs me away from the people closest to us and lowers his voice. “That’s Nixon over there. He’s the oldest brother, just turned twenty, but he’s been here with the kids for three years now.”
“Damn. How many kids?”
“Five younger siblings. Matt’s about to turn eighteen as well, though.”
“And they just … let their little brother hang around with Lynx?”
“You say that like Lynx gives people a choice in anything.” Ziggy shrugs. “He’s good with them. Nixon and Matt spent a lot of time with him as well.”
This town keeps on getting weirder.
“Lynx, we need you in the search,” Wilde says. “You can take Matt, Josie, and JJ, but the others will stay here with Viv.”
“You thinkshecan protect them?” He pushes to his feet and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him start swinging that knife around again. It’s not until Bob climbs out from under the table that I realize he’s here as well.
“I think Leo’s safer here than running around in the woods with a knife.”
“But I’m a big boy!” Leo shouts.
Lynx pats his head again. “What Wilde says goes, little lion. I need you to protect Viv for me.”
That calms him down, and without another word, Lynx leaves, three of the teens trailing after him.
“This is going to be a long day, isn’t it?”
Ziggy smiles softly. “Once it’s over, we can relax again. None of us are safe until we all are.”
“It’s kind of cool how you all look out for each other.”
His fingers twist through mine, and he tugs me toward Wilde. “Welook out for each other. You’re one of us too now.”
It surprises me how much I want that to be true.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
ZIGGY
The forest is gloomy. Foggy. The type of stillness that makes my head too quiet. Kennedy, Booker, and Foley are fanned out ahead of me as we cover the distance between Old End and the hillside I live on.
The last people who passed through here were dangerous. They had guns with them, and somehow, Wilde dealt with it, but he’s always seemed superhuman to me.
If I’m confronted by someone with a gun … I don’t know what I’ll do. IfKennedyis? Yeah, I’ll kill them.
