recorder. If we were going to leave, I wanted Hannah to hear it from me, not a rumor from her kid.”
This had to be bullshit.
Right?
“Fine. If you didn’t care whether I knew you were leaving, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because that’s as far as the conversation went. The movies make it sound like it’s easy to pick up and change your identity, but it’s not—especially not for four people, two of whom are identical twins. They’re all underage, easily identifiable—hell, I’d probably get in a shit ton of trouble with the state if they knew I’d even considered it. But no, Hunter, our plan was not to pack up the house and leave you here, with no warning at all. Is that what you’ve thought? All this time?”
Hunter stared out the window at the trees whipping by, and felt about six years old. His eyes were raw and his throat swollen. “Yeah,” he finally said.
“God, you’re as bad as my brothers.”
It loosened something in Hunter’s chest, this revelation. He didn’t feel quite so alone. “You really weren’t going to leave?”
“No. We were going to do exactly what we discussed, together : let the Guide deal with the middle schoolers and wait to see if that would lead to more trouble.”
Hunter scowled. If he’d known that then, he probably wouldn’t have talked to Silver on the quad on Friday. He wouldn’t have attacked Noah Dean, and he and Kate wouldn’t have been on the run.
And she might still be alive.
Sacrifice.
“But now,” said Michael, “we’re hiding in a hotel.”
“Hiding?”
“Yeah. The Guide obviously went after that kid, and we didn’t know if we were next.”
Probably smart, considering that Silver did show up at the Merricks’ house. “You didn’t answer my calls,” said Hunter.
“We didn’t bring our phones because they’re easy to trace. We’ve got two prepaid ones right now.”
His voice was a bit hollow, and Hunter ran his finger along the edge of Kate’s phone in his pocket. He really wanted to turn it on and read through their texts, but if it was sending out a homing beacon to Silver’s phone or whatever, that was the last thing he could do.
“How did you know where I was?” he finally asked.
“Bill called Becca and told her what happened.”
“Bill.” Hunter snorted. “He wouldn’t even let me in his house. I didn’t know he cared.”
“He wouldn’t let you in his house? Jesus, that guy is an asshole.”
“Tell me about it.”
Hunter almost laughed.
Then his world came crashing back down.
He folded his arms across his stomach, trying to hold in the pain.
“Hey,” said Michael.
Hunter glanced over.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” Michael said quietly. “But you’re not a disappointment.”
Hunter took a breath, and his voice broke. “I let her die.”
“Hunter, that guy was not messing around. She was dead before I even grabbed you.”
That didn’t make it better. Hunter choked on another breath.
“Did you know she was a Guide? All this time?”
Hunter nodded.
Michael didn’t say anything, but Hunter knew what it sounded like—that he would have turned on the Merricks.
“I didn’t rat you out—I thought you were leaving. I thought I’d have to fix everything by myself.”
“I let you into our home, Hunter. I said you could stay as long as you needed to.”
Hunter was having a hard time hanging on to his emotions, and despair poured out of his mouth with alarming force. “I know, okay? I know.” His voice almost broke again, but he saved it. “I’m sorry. I fucked up everything. This is my fault. I’m sorry.”
Michael put a hand up. “Stop. I’m not—I don’t want to chastise you. I’m just saying you can trust me. Us. All of us. You always could.”
Hunter stared at him. He’d never trusted anyone, and his whole world had been turned upside down.
And now he probably didn’t have any options. “That was then,” he said. “What about now?”
Michael glanced over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Even now, kid. Even now.”
CHAPTER 32
Michael had a hotel room in a little Residence Inn by the airport. It was more of an apartment, with a kitchenette and two bedrooms. Hunter was ready for the younger Merricks to glare at him as he came through the door.
He wasn’t ready for his mother to be sitting at the table.
This was too much. He couldn’t take it.
He could have handled a fight. He could have handled planning. Details. Distraction.
Something about seeing his mother there just stole all the fight from him.
He was crying before he knew it. And when her slender arms came around