“Yes.I mean, obviously no.But physically, I’m fine.”
Jem was still watching him.
“I think that was a panic attack,” Tean said.He put his head in his hands, fingers digging into his hair.“Oh my gosh, I can’t have a panic attack.”
For some reason, that made Jem laugh.
“I can’t, Jem.I already have too many other weird things.”
Jem pulled Tean against him and kissed his temple.He settled onto the floor next to Tean and stretched out his legs.He held out Tean’s glasses.
Tean put them on.
Jem draped one arm across Tean’s shoulders.
The sound of women’s voices echoed down the hall, the words indistinct.
“Thanks,” Tean said.
“That stuff in the garage freaked the fuck out of me,” Jem said matter-of-factly.
Tean shook his head.Tears stung the corners of his eyes, and he fought to push them back.“I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have to ask: you didn’t do that, did you?”
“What?Fuck up her Tahoe?”
“I know you didn’t.You didn’t have an opportunity; we’ve been together the whole time.But you didn’t pay someone to do it, or trick someone into doing it?That wasn’t part of your plan for how to track her down?”
“Tean, I didn’t even know what she was driving.A dark SUV.That was pretty much all I knew.There had to be fifty dark SUVs down there.I made that up about her car, and—and it’s a seriously fucked-up coincidence.”
Tean exhaled slowly, counting.He drew in another deep breath.“Then they’re here.”
Jem scratched his beard.
“They’re here, Jem.Kai and Zeb and the rest of them.They’re here.”It still didn’t feel real, though, saying it out loud.“How?How is that even possible?”
Jem’s silence had an unexpectedly tense quality.Then he said, “Don’t get mad.”
What followed was…a lot.Jem’s story about Ammon approaching him outside of BoomTawk, about Ammon asking for help for Daniel, about the man in the truck and the woman in the SUV.
When Jem finished, he said, “Are you mad?”
Tean rubbed his eyes.“Yes.No.I don’t know, Jem.I’m too freaked out to be mad right now, so maybe later.”He was silent for a long moment.“She followed us.And they followed her.”
“Slow down,” Jem said.“That stuff down in the garage, that was freaky.But—and I want you to hear me out—but it doesn’t mean anything.Not necessarily, you know?I just told you because I thought you should know.”
“Jem, we didn’t do that to her car.Someone did.Who else is going to write that stuff and mess up her engine?”
“Well, her.For one.”
Tean opened his mouth.Then he shut it again.
With a shrug, Jem said, “I’m saying it’s a possibility.She hasn’t been straight with us.Following us around?That’s weird.Following us all the way here?Coming inside to watch you at the bar?That’s fucking bananas.If all she wanted was an interview, why play stalker first?”
Tean tried to think his way through that question, but as exhaustion swept in behind the panic attack, his brain was pure static.Finally, he said, “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either, but I don’t like it.”
“She might be hoping we’ll lead her to something,” Tean said.“Or we’ll reveal something that we might not admit to in an interview.”
