The only light came from the lamps now.The one on the floor was still rolling, sending a yellow glow washing along the far wall, shadows chasing it.
“Now,” Jem said.“I’m going to ask some questions, and you’re going to answer them.”
Once again, Mckell was the first to respond.She got to her feet, one hand still rubbing Nora’s shoulder, and met Jem’s gaze.
“Where are the kids?”Jem asked.
“What kids?”Mckell asked.
“Maeve and Milo,” Dean mumbled.When Mckell looked at him, he said more loudly, “He means Maeve and Milo.”
“Where are they?”Jem asked.
“I don’t know,” Dean said.When nobody said anything, he repeated, “I don’t know.I just figured that’s who he meant—”
“See, here’s my problem,” Jem said.“You’re all a bunch of world-class liars.You lie to everybody else.You lie to yourselves.And most of the time, I wouldn’t give a shithouse fuck because it’s your life, and if that’s what you want, great, have a blast.But now you’re fucking upmylife, and that’s a problem.”
“What happened to Maeve and Milo?”Mckell asked.“Are they okay?”
“Where are they?”
“Are they missing?Did something happen to them?”
“I’m going to ask nicely one more time,” Jem said, “and then shit’s going to get real.”
“That’s a threat!”Aiden squeaked.“You can’t do that!”
“Where,” Jem said slowly, “are they?”
“We don’t know!”Nora screamed.She was on her feet so suddenly that Tean fought the urge to step back.“Nobody knows!Nobody cares!What about me?Tafton isdead!Doesn’t anybody care about that?”
“Okay,” Jem said.He cracked his knuckles, gaze fixed on Dean.“Let’s step into the back room.Have a chat.”
“But I don’t—” Dean said.“I only said—”
For an instant, contempt flashed across Mckell’s face.
And at the corner of Tean’s vision, Aiden smiled.
“Here we go,” Jem said and took a step.
“Jem,” Tean said.
Jem kept moving.
“That’s enough,” Tean said.
Jem didn’t look over at him.Didn’t slow.
Tean stepped into his path.Jem swerved.Tean moved with him.Red made spots in Jem’s cheeks.Finally, he cut his eyes to Tean.
“That’s enough,” Tean said again more quietly.
In the silence that followed, the only sound was Sawyer’s wheezing.
“If they know something—” Jem said.
Tean nodded.
