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“Dude. Eli. Why?”

“We’re running out of time. Greer’s running out of time. We can’t keep pissing around playing games. I thought maybe Cyrus might know more than we do.”

He was shaking, limbs vibrating like a chihuahua in the cold.

“And did he?”

“Yeah,” Eli said again.

As much as Jack wanted to know more, there was a more pressing question on his lips. “What did he ask for in return?”

“Not important,” said Eli.

Jack gave him a hard look, but Eli didn’t waver. Instead, he dropped his head into his hands. “Someone contacted him about the list. Saying they had it and wanted to sell.”

“Who?” Jack almost leapt to his feet.

“He didn’t say. But the handoff is happening tomorrow night. Midnight. Cyrus wants the list before the auction next week so he has enough time to authenticate it. It took some work, but I got the coordinates. He doesn’t care who he buys the list off of as long as he gets it, so I guess he doesn’t mind if we show up and confront the guy. Hell, if things get real hairy, it would mean Cyrus wouldn’t have to pay anyone at all.”

“Eli, what did you have to do for this?”

Eli shook his head. “Greer’s getting her money.”

This was a losing battle, Jack was sure of that. Eli was a reckless man, and the depth to which he cared about others only made that recklessness worse. Jack had always known Eli loved his sister fiercely and would move heaven and earth for her, and tonight he might have literally done just that. There would be no arguing the point or trying to right whatever wrongs he’d endured. It was all a worthwhile means to an end for Eli, and if his information was accurate, that end was only twenty-four hours away.

“Okay,” said Jack. And then, in a sentence that had left his lips more times than he could count: “Give me the details and I’ll come up with a plan.”

40

As far as clandestine meeting locations went, Jack had made use of everything from playgrounds to cemeteries to the occasional back alley when he was feeling less creative. What he had never thought to use, for what he figured were pretty obvious reasons, was the sewer. But the original sewer system that ran in archways of abandoned brick beneath the town corresponded with the coordinates from Cyrus that Eli had scribbled on the back of his hand the night before. In fact, until Eli relayed the information, Jack hadn’t even been aware that there was an old, disused sewer system down there. He’d always kind of figured there was just the one with all the poop.

Sure enough, when Carter matched up old Victorian city blueprints to the current layout of the town, he found that while the coordinates didn’t lead to anything notable aboveground, they happened to land directly over a passage of the old sewers. It was only the first job Jack had assigned Carter that day. Everyone had their roles. Except, of course, for Dale, who seemed perfectly content to stay home and watch the game while the others were busy crawling around underground.

When plotting something, Jack typically liked to identify as many variables as possible in advance, but because Cyrus had withheld any information about the seller of the list, Jack had to plan something a bit more general than he’d have preferred. He called off work that day, ostensibly so he’d have more time to ready himself and the You Agains for what was to come, but also in large part so he could spend the afternoon napping in preparation for a late night.

Eli had stayed over the night before, too shaken to go home alone after his encounter with Cyrus even if he wouldn’t admit as much. Instead he said he was too tired to drive, and Jack pretended he believed him. The three of them, Jack, Dale, and Eli, didn’t leave the couch until just before the first shreds of light streaked the sky beyond the living room window. Their conversation rattled the still night air, ranging in topic from mindless small talk to the memories that stitched them together like the yarn of a sweater. Despite the bleakness of the circumstances, Jack couldn’t help but be warmed by the familiarity of the scene. How many nights had he spent just like this? Too many to count. The way Eli’s knee bounced restlessly as he listened, jokes falling flat and eliciting a bigger laugh than if they’d actually landed, the dizziness of exhaustion giving way to disjointed sentences and bubbling giggles. Every hard time that befell a You Again was solved this way. And despite the years between those nights and this one, despite the evolution from teenaged heartbreak to mortal fear, Jack couldn’t help but believe this would be enough to solve everything again.

Greer arrived at Margaret’s around three, and Carter joined them after his workday was done. The air around the kitchen island was abuzz with anticipation and anxiety, as though a million hornets hid in the walls, keeping everyone just a little on edge. Midnight still dangled just out of reach above them. Dinnertime rolled around and Jack ordered pizza for the group, laying boxes out across the island. He felt like a medieval king providing a banquet for his knights before they all rode into battle. Like the night before, this was another ritual for Jack and the You Agains, the pizza order delivered from the same place between the 7-Eleven and the old barber shop. But unlike last night, the conversations felt too slippery for Jack to grasp, and the memories he held out to the others went unnoticed. Instead everyone seemed only too eager to focus on aspects of their lives Jack hadn’t been part of.

“Did I tell you we’re designing the branding for a new brewery?” Carter said through a slice. “They’re going for a family-friendly vibe, apparently. I’ve got a gift card. Greer, you should take the kids.”

“How the hell do they make a brewery family friendly?” Eli jumped in. “Put the beer in a sippy cup?”

“They have a children’s area with a ball pit,” said Carter.

“Great, so the kids can play while mom and dad get hammered.” Greer shook her head. “We’re more of a museum family, but thanks anyway, Carter.”

“Since when?” Jack said.

“Since my oldest went through her dinosaur phase,” said Greer.

“God, I forgot about that,” Eli said on a laugh. “She used to ask if I found any bones every time I was out digging the foundations for a new build site.”

“Well, you did, that one time.”

“Oh yeah,” said Carter. “They had to get forensics out there for that, didn’t they?”

“Held up construction for weeks,” said Eli. “Turned out to be the family dog of whoever lived in that old farmhouse before we tore it down for the condos.”