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Until Isaacs’ insidious mind devised a plot to get even.
Soniham, the main bully, had simply disappeared. No one knew where. No one knew how. No one could prove who. …But the remaining boys had all known Isaacs was behind it. The Air Phase’s small smile at the memorial service had said it all.
“I’d never want Randa to be like me.” Isaacs said quietly. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
Kahn exhaled heavily and straightened back up. “So, we’ll try this my way.”
“You think you can save her?”
“I think she can save me.” He was sure of it, actually.
For two years, he’d been sliding into oblivion and now he had a foothold on solid ground. Determination filled Kahn, as he saw his path to happiness and warmth and a future. It led away from the dark, twisted nothingness of the jungle.
It led towards Randa.
“She’ll fight you.” Isaacs predicted, also rising to his feet.
“She will.” Who could blame her? “But I’ll win. I’m a persistent bastard.”
“I’ll help her get rid of you, if she asks.”
“Then I’ll win against you, too. You know that I’m not going to stop. What would you do, if you found someone who could save you?”
Isaacs smirked, his expression full of terrible thoughts. “Nothing can save me. I’m already Gone.”
That was probably true. “I believed the same thing, up until a couple of days ago.” Kahn told him anyway and headed back towards the house. “When you’re as lost as we are, you’ve got no choice but to hunker down and wait for rescue. Sometimes it comes.”
“Always make it her choice.” Isaacs called after him.
Kahn stopped and glanced back over his shoulder, surprised by the serious tone.
“Reach out to Randa, but never make contact unless she reaches back. That’s how I do it. She is always in control of touching my hand or offering me food or inviting me into her home. I stay still… and she approaches.”
Kahn slowly nodded.
Isaacs nodded back. “If you fuck this up, I’ll dump your body where I dumped your buddy Soniham. No one will ever find you. And then I’ll go back to enjoying my Sunday pot roasts.” Beneath the grisly threat and the admission of homicide was an offer of peace.
“Fair enough.” Kahn agreed.
With that, the two of them had just struck a tentative accord.
Becoming allies with Isaacs didn’t thrill Kahn. Isaacs didn’t seem particularly overjoyed, either. They were both more comfortable with open hostility. But they valued Randa more than they hated each other.
…And if they were going to be stuck together for the next millennium, they might as well direct their antipathy towards a more deserving target.
“How do you feel about being bait?” Kahn asked, working it all out in his mind.
“Bait?” Isaacs gestured around the Florida landscape. “To lure crocodiles or pythons?”
“To lure someone who really fucking hates you.”
Isaacs slowly smiled.
Chapter Sixteen
Whenever a large sample of chaotic elements are taken in hand…
an unsuspected and most beautiful form of regularity proves to have been latent all along.
