“No,” Tech says, his voice filled with frustration. “Look, you know I love you, Mom, but I can’t listen anymore. Not this time. Are we just supposed to pretend that they didn’t almost kill Noa right now?”
I lower my eyes, my hands still shaking from the shock. Creed has escalated things well past graffiti on a garage door at this point.
“Or maybe we should pretend that they didn’t steal your business,” Tech continues, practically begging his mother to listen. Hepauses, tilting his head. “Pretend they didn’t frame Uncle Gabriel for murder.”
Angela flinches at the mention of her older brother. The comment pulls the oxygen straight out of the air, and I wince slightly. We never say it so plainly—at least, not where anyone can hear. Sometimes… it’s easier to stop remembering so much, as fucked up as that sounds. Which is why I almost never think about my brother. Or even my mother, when I can help it. And that’s how we’ve always treated the story about Gabriel. Some wounds never stop weeping.
“They ruined his life, Mom,” Tech says, sounding hurt. “He was innocent.”
“Of course he was,” she shoots back immediately. She readjusts her shirt, as if trying to readjust her composure. “Gabriel wouldn’t have hurt a soul,” she adds, tears gathering in her eyes. “I can promise you that.”
We’ve only heard it in whispers, and broken ones at that. But according to the rumors, there was a fire in the 1980s at the Starline Hotel—a resort out on Rum Runner Island. A young socialite was killed, and Tech’s uncle was accused of starting the fire. He’d been one of the shift workers from Cape Hope at the time. There was no one to dispute it because Gabriel disappeared that night too. No body, no trace. In fact, most don’t believe he ever made it off Rum Runner Island at all. It’s absolutely tragic—he was nineteen years old.
So yeah, not exactly a story to share at family gatherings, especially when the Collective and the entire police department still scapegoat him, despite zero evidence.
Angela sniffles back the start of tears, and Tech nearly falls over himself apologizing. “Mom,” he says, and then softer, “Mama, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say all that, but… we have to do something.”
She shakes her head, dotting under her eyes. “No,” she says like she’s in denial. “You won’t. I won’t let you. I’m not losing anyone else.”
Despite her fighting them back, several tears spill onto her cheeks. Angela excuses herself and heads back inside, leaving us standing here a bit shattered—her grief palpable. It’s not easy to watch an adult cry; it’s not easy at all.
Tech walks over to kick a roof tile across the lawn, cursing under his breath. I’m sure he feels awful for bringing the pain to the surface, but at the same time, I’m kind of upset with him.
“You should have told me,” I say to his back. “About them coming here.”
He sighs, dropping his head back to look up at the sky. “For what?” he asks. “So Shawn can go apeshit and you crash out? So you both end up in jail?” He looks back at us, nearly lost in his frustration. “I’m not going to make you a target.”
I’m a little offended. “For what?” I repeat. “Okay. So we should all bottle up our feelings from now on. You got that memo, Shawn?”
“Sorry, I missed it,” she replies, matching my tone. “I was too busy going apeshit.”
We stand there a moment, and then Tech sniffs a laugh at Shawn’s comment, releasing the tension that has built around us. He holds up his hands in surrender. “You’re right,” he says. “I’m sorry. I should have told you, but now you both know. Which is why you understand why I can’t let this go anymore.”
“Uh…” I furrow my brow. “I’m not sure I said all that.” Considering I just watched Tech chase after a Jeep in a fit of rage, I’m not exactly on board with confronting the Collective at this point. Shawn, on the other hand, is nodding along emphatically.
“What do you have in mind?” she asks, and I bump her with my elbow as if telling her not to encourage him.
But Tech has already made his decision, despite his mother’svery clearwarning. “It’s time we put them in their place,” he says. “We need to destroy their empire.”
I snort, but then realize he’s being serious. “Meaning?” I ask. When he betrays a small smile—something a little bitter, a little vengeful—I realize that he’s probably been thinking up a plan for a while. His eyes sparkle with it.
“We’re going to find out what really happened at the Starline Hotel,” he says, confidently. “We’re going to find the truth and expose their lies.”
“Find…” I start to repeat, trying to grasp his idea. “Find the Starline? That’s impossible.”
Even if it hadn’t been burned to the ground forty years ago, fact is, no one actually knowswherethe Starline Hotel is located anymore. Rum Runner Island has been lost to the marshes since long before we were born. Not to mention… the remains of that hotel are equivalent to a grave, not meant to be disturbed. Other locals are convinced that it’s rotten with bad luck… and even bad spirits. I’m not superstitious, not really, but I’m also not trying to accidently get haunted.
“I wouldn’t say impossible,” Tech leads. He casts a glance toward his house, checking to see if his mother is listening, before taking me by the arm to pull me closer. Shawn leans in to listen. “I need to tell you guys something,” he confesses. His eyes are earnest, magnified behind his glasses. “But, Noa, I need to know if you really have my back.”
I straighten. Not sure why he’s singling me out. I glance at Shawn, who gives me a subtle nod. She’s saying yes, no matter what. There’s never any doubt on where she stands—she’s always ride or die. Which is also contagious.
“You’re going to make me say yes, aren’t you?” I ask Shawn, fighting back my smile.
“Would it be any fun if you said no?” she replies. I watch her a moment, loving the shit out of her, but knowing this will probably go horribly wrong anyway.
When I turn back to Tech, I shrug helplessly. “Yes, I have yourback,” I tell him. Which is true. I was never really going to say no, not to either of them.
“Good,” Tech says, fresh excitement painting his features. “Because I need you to help me steal a boat.”
