Page 31 of Five

I agree. But… “I don’t know where he is. I came here looking for him. We spent the night together last night on your porch, but he was gone when I woke up. He wasn’t at home, I checked. Where could he be?”

She throws her hands up and shrugs. “You know him better than I do.”

“Yeah, but he moved away so long ago. And I haven’t been home in two years. I have no idea what he does or where he goes.”

She chews on her lip. Then her fingernail. Sparrow is flighty. And sometimes I wonder if she gets that from her name, or she’s just naturally that way. But she’s also very smart. Her talent all growing up was lying to the parents every time we wanted to get away with stupid shit. And now that I know what her father’s role was in their little criminal escapades when they were our age… am I surprised?

“What should we do?” I ask.

She chews a little more, then holds up a finger. “Ask Oliver. That little fuck knows something.”

“Yeah,” I say, sorting through all the events that have happened over the last twenty-four hours. “You’re right.”

“I’d go threaten the little monster myself, but I have to work. So you do it. Go shake that little shit until he spills.”

I laugh at her characterization of my little brother. “Where the hell would he be?”

“He’s across the street at Shrike working on some stupid dirt bike. I gotta get back downstairs, so make sure you call me with an update as soon as you find him, OK? Thanks for the help!”

And with that, she opens the door and disappears.

I make my way back downstairs and wave goodbye to her as I leave. Shrike Bikes is half a block up College Avenue, on the opposite side of the street. So I walk over there—have to anyway, that’s where I parked—and make my way in through the front door.

It’s Saturday, which is a busy day for Shrike. And there’s tons of people milling about looking at the display bikes in the showroom. Usually all us kids help out working the counter in the summers, but Belle is the only one here now and she’s busy with a bunch of customers. So I just head towards the shop and find Oliver in the back where my dad made space for him when he was a kid so he could work on his trikes.

“Hey,” I say, walking up to him. He’s so consumed with what he’s doing, he startles. “Jumpy today, or what?” I ask.

“Sorry,” Ollie says, getting up from his crouched position on the floor next to the dirt bike. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“Or,” I say, leaning casually on a nearby counter, “you’re thinking hard about something and you were distracted.”

He grins at me, a grin I think he learned from Five, because it makes my heart jump in recognition. “Nah. Everything’s cool.”

“Of course everything’s cool. Why wouldn’t everything be cool?”

His smile falters. He’s only twelve, right? No way can my kid brother bullshit me better than I can bullshit him.

“What’s going on, Oliver? If you know something, you need to tell us.”

“Who’s us?” he asks, buying time. I know that move.

“All of us. Me, Belle, Kate, Sparrow. If you know why Five’s here, you’d better spill. Because nothing seems… normal right now. And just why the hell did you send me a plane ticket, anyway? Five didn’t come here for me and you know it.”

“Yeah, but it worked, right?” He winks. Like he’s some kind of charmer. Well, he is. Will be, anyway. Once he grows up. But then—

“Did you spy on me last night?”

“No! Don’t be sick. You’re my fucking sister.”

“Stop saying fuck. Dad will kick your ass if he heard the way you swear.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“But I’m a grown-up and you’re not. And stop evading the subject. Why is Five really here?”

“Did I hear my name?” Oliver and I both turn around to see Five walking towards us. He comes up close to me, leans in, and kisses me right on the lips. I might faint, that’s how unexpected that little move was. “I saw your rental outside. Figured I’d find you back here. Have you eaten yet?”

And just like that… my world is right again. “Um, no, actually.” I laugh. “I helped Sparrow out over at the theatre making sandwiches, but didn’t make one for myself. I could eat.”