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  “Hey.” Marco grasped my elbows. “You don’t know that. Maybe Sean’s not hiding because he’s already been on the news, because he knows he’s wanted. Maybe if they find what they want, they’ll just drive away in the car and let us find our way home on foot. We have to stay positive.”

  I stepped back suddenly so my arms were released from his hold. “Positive?” I stepped back again. “I’m sick and tired of being positive. Of waiting. Of not knowing. Ten years, Marco—ten freaking years!” I ran my fingers through my hair; they caught in a knot, and I yanked my hand away with a grunt. “I’m sick of waiting.” I paced the room. “I’m sick of living life in fear.” I rubbed my wrist where the bracelet sat. “I’m sick of feeling too much, of sensing things, of knowing things I don’t want to know and not knowing things I do want to know! Life is so unfair! And now it’s all going to be over. All for nothing. I’m just so… argh!”

  “I’m scared too,” Marco took my wrists in his hands. “More scared than I’ve ever been. I won’t lie. And yeah, we’re not in the best situation right now. Our chances are slim. I wish I could do something, but I don’t know what. I wish I knew more, but I don’t.” Now he was the one pacing the room. “I wish this wasn’t happening and that we had driven home from art class and that I had asked you out, or something. It seems stupid now, but if I could do anything right now, it would be something stupid like go lie under the stars and eat pizza, or watch a really cheesy comedy movie and share a box of popcorn with you, or just drive and drive and drive and sing along to the songs from the seventies on my parents’ car’s radio.”

  A smile unexpectedly tickled my lips.

  He brushed his thumb against my lips. “I wish I could do something more to make you smile. Make you laugh. Make you forget that all this is happening.”

  I held onto his forearm gently as his hand trailed across my cheek. “You already did. Even if it was just for one moment.”

  Our eyes connected, and if his were the only good things I could hold onto right now, then I would. I would burn the memory into my mind and look at his eyes whenever I needed to. They would be my reminder to keep hoping. Keep fighting. I wanted those things he wished for too. I wanted to lie under the stars with him, eat pizza, go to the movies, drive and sing and be silly. I wanted it all. And more.

  And then as his hand fell from my face I moved close to his body and wrapped my arms around him, placing my cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around my back, and we stood there embracing like it was a goodbye hug.

  “C’mon,” he said. “We should try to get some rest while we can. It’s getting late.” He unwrapped himself from me and took the shirts from the closet.

  “I don’t want to put that over me.” I shivered.

  “Not going to,” he said. “We can sit on them.” He lay one down on the floor. They wouldn’t exactly provide much cushioning, but at least I wouldn’t have to sit or lay on the cold, dirty, concrete floor.

  Marco sat with his legs outstretched, and folded the other shirt on top of his lap. “Here you go.”

  I curled up next to him and rested my head on his thighs. I noticed scratches and marks on the floor, as though heavy furniture had been moved around, though there was nothing in here now. What had they used this place for? I fiddled with the bracelet as Marco stroked my hair.

  “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Marco asked.

  That was a strange question, considering the fact that I might not get a chance to grow up. But I knew he was just trying to distract me, and himself, from reality.

  “Safe,” I said. “Just safe.”

  He moved his hand down my arm until it rested against my wrist on top of the bracelet. And in that moment, I did feel safe. Cared for. And also sleepy. My eyelids were stinging and drooping, and though I was scared to close my eyes, I let them close.

  When I opened them again after fragmented dreams, for a split second I thought I was at home. I sat up, turning toward Marco.

  He tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Bonita,” he whispered.

  I furrowed my brow.

  “It means ‘beautiful.’” He smiled.

  I couldn’t help but smile too, and soon our faces were closer than they’d ever been. I could feel his breath on my cheeks, see the golden brown glow of his skin. His lips looked like a welcoming haven I wanted to escape to, to feel their softness and warmth. His face came closer, and our lips were almost touching when the door to the basement flung open.

  “You lied,” Sean blurted. “And you’ve wasted our time.”

  I clung to Marco as Sean’s footsteps pounded down the staircase, my heart pounding harder with each of his steps.

  Chapter 18

  “I just did my best,” I said. “It’s hard to give accurate information when I’m under pressure.”

  Sean gripped my wrist, the one with the bracelet. “I don’t buy it,” he growled. “Now, tell me, do you know where the money might be or should I give that mother of yours a call and place her in a difficult situation?”

  “No, leave her out of it! I’m sure it’ll come to me. I thought it was at the storage place, but maybe that’s only one clue. Maybe it’s someplace near a storage facility.”

  “Not good enough.” He yanked on my arm.

  “Hey, let her go, man.” Marco stood by my side, arm firmly around me.

  “Do you want another slap, kid? Or worse?”

  Marco gulped, and I narrowed my eyes at Sean. “Look, I do have an ability, but it’s different to how other psychics work. I can’t just see into the future. It’s not complete. It’s like, I need other input, and…” I didn’t want to reveal any more, and he didn’t seem to want to hear it anyway.

  “I’m over it,” he said. “It’s better to go to proven strategies, like ransom.”

  He let go of my arm and turned away.

  “But wait, you need to tell me more about my father.”

  “Deal’s off.”

  “No. Please! Tell me more.” I couldn’t leave that unraveling thread hanging.

  “I don’t trust these clues of yours. You’re just going to lead us on a scavenger hunt to nowhere.” He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

  I touched my dad’s bracelet and was met with its sadness. Its lonely, withering threads were too weak and frail. “Please.” I lowered my voice, my strength wavering, almost ready to give up. “I just want to know, I’ll do anything to find out.”

  Sean walked back toward me and blew a puff of smoke in my face. “Anything, huh?” His eyes ran down the length of my body, and my stomach churned. “Maybe you’d like to give me something else in exchange for the truth.”

  Marco charged forward. “You leave her alone!” He pushed him backward, and Sean stumbled. He regained his balance, the cigarette hanging loosely from the corner of his mouth.

  Sean’s eyes went sharp. He rested his hand against the pistol tucked into his jeans to remind us of his authority in this situation.

  I moved back to the wall, as far away from Sean as I could get. His smoky breath was making me cough. But he followed, a smug smile creeping onto his lips. “You want to know what happened after we brought your father here, don’t you? Was he in this very room? What did he do that sealed his fate? Huh? I know the answers. All of them. I know where he is. And you know nothing.” He lifted his hand and trailed his fingers down the length of my hair. I flinched. “But you could find out.”

  I shook his hand away from my face and avoided his gaze.

  Marco stepped in front of me. “Don’t you touch her.” With his chin raised, he was prepared for a hit. “I’ll help you,” he said. “I’ll help you find the money.”

  Sean laughed. “And just how do you propose to do that?” Sean took a step back and crossed his arms.

  Marco inhaled sharply. “With my psychic abilities.”

  What? What is he trying to do?

  Sean laughed again, then shook his head, smoke wafting from his mouth around his
face in an ominous haze. “Yeah we tried that with your girlfriend, kid.”

  “This is different. I’m different. I’ve been doing readings under the radar for the last three years.”

  Sean’s eyebrows rose. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Believe what you want. I’m telling the truth.”

  “Marco,” I whispered toward his ear. “You don’t have to lie to protect me.”

  He turned to look at me, his eyes unblinking. “I’m not lying.”

  My brow furrowed.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.” He touched my arm. “It just makes things complicated, as you well know. And people expect too much, so I’m used to keeping it a secret unless I get enough insight about something to actually make a difference.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’re actually serious?”

  He nodded. “I swear.”

  “Hang on, hang on.” Sean came closer to us. “You’re telling me you’ve both got the gift of the woo-woos, except yours is different,” he said, gesturing to me, “and you,” he said, gesturing to Marco, “think you can help us find our money?” Sean’s expression was amused.

  “What’s the device?” Marco asked, crossing his arms.

  “The what?” I asked, but Marco kept his gaze on Sean.

  Sean’s expression changed from amused to curious. “Device?”

  “Yeah.” Marco nodded. “I’ve been seeing this device, like something electrical. It has to do with the money. And Talia’s dad.”

  My eyebrows rose, and I felt like a bridge had been erected between Marco and myself. There was a flowing river of energy between us, and it rippled and buzzed with a sensation I hadn’t felt before. It tingled with truth. I knew, somehow, that he was for real. “My dad was good with electrical stuff. And computers,” I said.

  “That’s obvious,” Sean said, “considering his occupation.”

  “You needed his expertise, didn’t you,” Marco said to Sean. “Hired his services, first for something legit, and then managed to weave your way into his psyche to get him to help you out with something off the books. The cash incentive was too enticing.”

  Oh my God. If this was all true, then could Marco help me find out what happened to Dad? Could it be that I didn’t even need Sean to tell me the truth?

  My mind flitted back to the car trip in the trunk and how Marco had held my hands to his heart when I was overloaded with sensory stimuli. It had felt like he was taking some of the energy himself to dilute the effect it was having on me.

  And when he’d seemed uncomfortable at the end of the art class and suggested we go back upstairs, right before Sean took us hostage. Had he sensed something bad was going to happen?

  Footsteps sounded above, and Brent, the bald guy, came down the stairs. “What’s all the chatting about down here?”

  “The kid thinks he’s got superpowers,” Sean said. “More so than the girl.”

  “The device,” Marco repeated. “What was it for?”

  “How do you know about the device?” Brent asked.

  Marco grinned.

  Sean whacked Brent on the arm. “Don’t give him clues,” he said.

  “So there is, or was, a device?” I asked.

  Marco nodded. “Clearly.”

  “You could have found that out some other way,” said Sean. “And one piece of information does not prove your special powers.”

  Marco took on a whole other presence; he walked slowly, purposefully, up and down the room. “Was it for a bomb?”

  Sean shifted his weight to his other foot, then dropped his cigarette and stubbed it out.

  Brent shook his head, not to say no, but as though dumbfounded.

  My dad had helped them make a bomb?

  “The device wasn’t a bomb though,” Marco said. “It was a remote. I’m seeing one remote but multiple bombs, like it was something that could control bombs in different locations. I’m right, aren’t I?” He stepped close to Sean, as though trying to intimidate him. Sean kept quiet.

  “If you’re so psychic,” said Brent, sidling up next to him. “Then where the hell is my ex-girlfriend hiding out? She stole my most prized possession and won’t give it back.”

  Marco turned to face him. “I can see why she left you.” He smirked. “And not only because you were bad in bed.”

  I held back a laugh.

  “I didn’t ask why she left, I asked where she is, smartass.” Brent jabbed Marco’s chest with his finger.

  “Not saying,” Marco said.

  “Or you just don’t know.”

  “I know that you’re never going to get your motorbike back. It’s long gone. New license plate, new paint job, everything. You wouldn’t like it now anyway,” Marco chuckled. “She put a bright pink stripe down the side.”

  Brent’s mouth gaped. He turned to Sean. “Did you say anything to him earlier about my bike?”

  Sean looked irritated. “And why would I do that? Idiot. There are more important things going down than your precious ride.”

  Oh wow. Marco was messing with their heads, big time. Mine too, but in a good way. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t sensed Marco’s ability. Had I been blinded by my attraction to him?

  “That bitch and her obsession with pink,” Brent muttered. He looked up at Marco. “Not that I believe all this crap.”

  “Well then I guess I won’t tell you where the money might be.” Marco shrugged, stepping back to me, his hands in his pockets. “If you don’t believe all this crap, I don’t want to waste your time.”

  “I’ll give you one chance,” said Sean, holding up his finger. “One. Lead us to the money, and we’ll let you go. Lead us to a dead end, and you two will be the dead ends. Got it?”

  Oh God. Had Marco taken things too far? I hoped like hell his talents weren’t limited to the ins and outs of relationship breakups.

  “And,” Marco said. “When you find the money, you’ll tell Talia everything she needs to know and where to find her dad’s body.”

  “I make the rules, kid,” said Sean. “If you two behave, maybe I’ll shed some more light on what happened to your whiny girlfriend’s dad.”

  Marco exchanged a glance with me. I tried to ask him with my eyes, “Are you sure you can do this?” and his eyes seemed to be saying, “I don’t know for sure if I can do this, but I’m up for the challenge.”

  “So, do tell,” said Sean. “What does the psychic see?”

  Instead of responding to Sean, Marco turned to face me. “Does the word Luna—or I think it’s a name—mean anything to you?”

  My mouth gaped.

  Oh yes, it certainly did.

  Chapter 19

  “She was our dog,” I said. “When we were kids.”

  Sean sighed. “What’s this got to do with anything?”

  Marco actually shushed him with an outstretched hand. His eyes kind of closed a little, and he seemed to be concentrating. “White. Fluffy. Some kind of terrier?”

  I nodded.

  “I got a glimpse. But mostly I just see the name, Luna.”

  “We named her after the moon.” My mind went far back, to a time when life was innocent. When Dad was safe. When we were a complete family. “It was a full moon the night we brought her home, and Mom told us that Luna meant ‘moon,’ and Dad suggested we call her that.”

  “Oh, how sweet.” Sean mocked. “Money, kid. Where is it?”

  “Just let me work,” Marco rebutted. “I can’t force anything.”

  “Yeah, but you can delay things by talking about things that aren’t important.”

  “Every detail I get is important. Give me time.”

  Sean checked his watch. It had been dark for hours now.

  “She didn’t live long,” Marco said.

  I didn’t know why, it had been years since Luna’s death, but my bottom lip trembled again. I missed Luna. I missed Dad. And I missed my mom and sisters. “Got hit by a car,” I said.

  “Car.” Marco turned to the side
, then back again. “A car…. Hang on.” He furrowed his brow. “Oh, doesn’t matter. Not relevant to this.” He drew in a deep breath. “So I’m seeing Luna written somewhere, or maybe engraved. A collar? Did you keep her collar?”

  “Can’t remember. Don’t think so.”

  “Photo frame?” Marco paced around. “No, maybe it’s… oh.” He stopped. “Earlier, I saw a garden, but it resembled a cemetery, and the graves were small.”

  Our eyes connected, and we both said it at the same time: “Pet cemetery.”

  “Yes. We buried her in one. Somewhere near Ravensville, I don’t know its name.”

  “And the relevance?” Sean asked, rising up and down on his toes.

  Marco chuckled. “Sometimes you don’t need to be psychic to put two and two together. If Talia’s dad hid your money, and I’m seeing the grave of their beloved family pet, then maybe there’s a chance that the money is somewhere in the vicinity.”

  “He wouldn’t have dug up Luna’s grave though,” I said, shivering.

  Marco went silent, his eyes distant. “When I see the name Luna, it’s like I’m looking through a video camera, and the camera shifts downward and to the right.” He concentrated. “Yep. It’s showing me the ground next to the grave. I think there’s something under there.” Marco looked up at Sean and Brent and crossed his arms. “That’s all I have. Take it or leave it.”

  The men exchanged uncertain glances.

  “Ravensville, eh?” Sean scratched his beard. “Brent, go check the location on the tablet and send it to Dale, get him to check it out.”

  Brent nodded and went upstairs. A few moments later he called down, “On his way. Should know within the hour.” Then the muffled sound of a television filtered downstairs, filling the cabin with a contradictory normality.

  Sean clapped his hands together. “Right then. This could all be resolved very quickly.” He glanced at both of us.

  “And then you’ll let us go, right?” I asked. “If the money is there?”

  “One step at a time, girl,” he replied.