27

The gate into the Joshua Tree National Park was shut and locked. It took Bill about two seconds to remove the lock and open the gate, all from the comfort of his seat upfront. Harvey revved the engine and drove straight in.

The road was rutted, unmade and it was pitch-black out there. The lights from the car dazzled several Joshua trees standing like sentries along the roadside. We rolled along the ruts for ten minutes until we were quite a way into the park. I wondered what on earth had made Demos choose this place in the middle of nowhere.

‘Because it’s the middle of nowhere,’ Suki said.

‘Yeah, OK. Would you please stop doing that?’

‘Sorry.’

Harvey killed the engine. The lights started to fade in the bus. Only small footlights at the sides of the sofas stayed on – like on a plane during a night flight.

Then Demos’s voice came at me out of the gloom. ‘Everyone ready?’

No. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t believe I had agreed to help. But what choice did I have? I wasn’t sure there was such a thing as free will anymore.

‘Bill, Harvey – you know what you’re doing?’ Demos called out.

‘Yes.’ They opened their doors and jumped down into the darkness. I watched them melt into the night and wondered where they were going.

‘OK.’ Demos turned back to the rest of us. ‘I want this to go smoothly. We do the exchange. Lila goes to them. She convinces them to hear us out.’

I hoped Demos believed in the power of visualisation. I glanced around at everyone else to see how they were buying the pep talk. They all seemed pretty focused and positive. Maybe it was just me who was a quivering ball of nerves.

‘Suki, I need you by me. I need you to talk to Alicia, make sure she knows what’s going on. And vice versa. I need you telling me what they’re planning. Alicia’s been in the car with them all this time so she’ll know if they’re planning on doing anything unhelpful.’

He turned to Nate. ‘Nate, stay back please, in the bus, out of harm’s way. You’ve done enough. Get your strength back.’

‘It’s back already,’ he said eagerly.

Demos ignored him and I saw the glower of a sulk cross Nate’s face.

‘Amber, Ryder – you stay with Lila. Here . . .’ he handed a gun to Amber, ‘take this. You have yours right, Ryder?’

‘Yeah,’ Ryder said, reaching around and tapping his back.

Amber pointed the gun at the floor and checked the chamber with a practised one-two movement.

I jumped up. ‘Whoa – why do you need guns?’

‘Just so no one tries any heroics,’ Demos said, looking at me watchfully.

The gun was suddenly in my hand. Amber was standing with her finger pointed at the floor, trying to figure out what had happened. As Ryder looked over at me, I flipped his gun out of his waistband and let it smack into my other hand. I stood there like a cowboy at the OK Corral.

‘No one meaning Jack or Alex?’ I demanded. ‘You are not pointing a gun at my brother again. Or Alex. Or doing your mind-control thing, either. They’ve done what you asked them to. They’ve brought you Alicia and Thomas. And pointing a gun at them isn’t going to help get them onside.’

Everyone had fallen silent and was looking at me. No, not at me, I noticed. Their eyes were tracking the guns which I had started to wave about in time with my anger. I lowered them so they were pointing at the floor and pushed the safety on Amber’s, glad all of a sudden that Alex had shown me how to do that – before I blew my foot or someone’s head off.

Demos kept his voice soft and calm. ‘Lila, they still think we killed your mother. They think I kidnapped you.’

‘You did,’ I pointed out.

Demos hesitated a fraction. ‘What I’m saying is that they might not be so willing to let things slide once they have you back. They aren’t going to be coming into this unarmed. I just want to be prepared. Can I have the guns back? Please?’

‘No.’

‘Lila.’ His scowl was back. I squared my shoulders and gripped the guns more tightly. I was glad Bill and Harvey weren’t there. I’d have stood no chance against them.

He tipped his head at me and raised his eyebrows. ‘I can make you.’

I raised mine back at him. ‘Not if you want my help you won’t.’

I saw his scowl deepen then vanish. He nodded once curtly and turned away from me.

‘So like your mother,’ he muttered. I grabbed for one of the guns as it fell from my hand, stopping it in mid-air just before it hit the floor.

‘Let’s go,’ he barked. I looked up and around at everyone else. Suki and Nate were watching me wide-eyed, Amber looked mildly irritated but Ryder was laughing.

‘You’ve got balls, that’s for sure.’

I took it as a compliment. He threw his arm around Amber. ‘So, we’re supposed to be making sure you don’t go bounding off in Alex’s direction when they come. But you’ve got the guns. Not sure how we’re going to manage that one now.’

‘Can we just rely on you, Lila?’ Amber said.

‘Yes. I promise.’

I took the clip out of Ryder’s gun and pocketed it. Two guns seemed excessive. We waited in the dark envelopes of shadow on either side of the headlight beams. Bill had parked the bus so it was off the road but facing it at an angle, the headlights illuminating the route they would be coming down. I was hedged in behind Amber and Ryder. Suki was standing next to Demos to my left a few metres away and I had no clue where Harvey and Bill had disappeared to. Nate was sulking in the bus.

I looked around. The ground was pockmarked with little round holes. I stared at them, trying to figure out what they were, then did a little hopping dance when I realised they were rattlesnake holes. Suki giggled from the darkness.

‘You’ll hear them coming first – they rattle.’

She couldn’t see the face I pulled at her.

‘But I can hear you thinking it, Lila. Same difference.’

I focused instead on the blackness ahead, punctured by the arthritic shapes of the Joshua trees and the spray of stars lighting up the sky like someone had needled holes in a blackout curtain. Two were getting bigger. They weren’t stars, they were headlights. Everyone went quiet as they came towards us. I took a step forward automatically and felt myself brush up against someone.

‘Lila,’ Ryder said in a sing-song voice. It carried a hint of a warning.

I stepped back. ‘Sorry.’ I stood on tiptoe instead and peered over his shoulder to watch as the car came nearer. I could hear the engine now and the wheels tearing over rutted ground.

‘It’s them,’ Suki and Amber said, almost at the same time.

‘What are they thinking?’ I whispered into the darkness where Suki was standing.

‘Um, hang on, they’re too far away. OK. They’re just wondering why the hell Demos chose here. Alex is thinking about what he’ll do if we’ve hurt you. Jack, well Jack’s just thinking about how he can kill us. Lila, I really hope you can convince him not to try that . . .’

I felt the angry, blunt press of the gun down the back of my jeans. I hoped that I’d put the safety on properly. ‘I’ll try.’

The road ahead of us suddenly shone as the car they were in rounded the bend. It stopped just on the periphery of the light cast by the bus headlights. The engine cut, leaving the silence to roll back in. The lights from their car bathed the road ahead.

I tried to make out the shapes in the car but, wedged behind the wall of Amber and Ryder’s backs, my view wasn’t great. The doors clicked open and the internal lights turned on in the car. I couldn’t see either of them though as they climbed out and stood in the shadows. On the back seat I could make out Alicia. She was smiling calmly and nodding to herself. Next to her was a slumped shape leaning against the door. I caught sight of a face, the grey, milky colour of a corpse, and heard Amber draw in a tight breath. Ryder’s grip on her arm tightened.

‘Alicia’s fine,’ Suki whispered to Demos. ‘She says they’re focused only on getting Lila back. No other plans. They’re both armed. But she says we need to watch Jack. He’s volatile. His thoughts – I can read them too. They’ve been jumping around a lot. He’s focused now, but Alicia says he’s only just keeping a grip.’

I peered like a blind person into the darkness towards where the taller of the two figures stood. My whole body was screaming with one instinct – to run towards Alex. It was like trying to force myself to stand next to a fire that was about to engulf me, rather than running to safety.

‘Give me Lila,’ Jack shouted across the space. My heart flew into my mouth at the familiarity of his voice.

There was a pregnant silence. ‘Give us Amber and Thomas, then we will,’ Demos called back across the void.

‘Where is she?’ Jack shouted, his anger shearing the words, making Amber reel backwards into me.

‘Lila, let them see you,’ Demos said, turning his head towards me, but not taking his eyes off the two of them.

‘I’m here,’ I called out, and stepped into the beam of the headlight so they could see me. I felt Ryder’s hand on my arm, just a gentle pressure, warning me not to run. I held my other arm up to shield my eyes from the glare. There was a crunch of gravel as someone, maybe both of them, took a step towards me.

‘Uh-uh,’ Demos’s voice called out.

I blinked in the glare of the light and looked over towards the dark shape I knew was Alex. I could see his outline, could see his hands cradling what looked like a gun.

‘I’m fine,’ I called out, plastering a smile onto my face to try to convince them that they could both relax and not try to kill everybody.

‘Give us Alicia and Thomas. Then you can have Lila.’

‘No. Alicia first. Then Lila. Then you can have Thomas.’

There was a huge sigh from Demos. ‘You know, I could have them both before you could do anything about it. I’m playing fair because I promised Lila I would. So, OK, we’ll do it your way. But no messing. I want us all to get what we want.’

He shouldn’t have phrased it like that. I heard a snort coming from Jack’s direction. We all knew what Jack wanted. How on earth was I going to stop him from doing something crazy? Was that what Harvey and Bill were doing? Were they out there in the darkness watching and waiting, ready to act if Jack or Alex tried something? I sure as hell hoped so. I wasn’t sure I would be quick enough to stop a finger on a trigger. Especially in the dark.

A few seconds passed and then Jack walked to the rear door and opened it. I saw him bathed in the light from the car, saw the creases across his brow, the tension in his neck making his jaw jut out. He was furious. Damn. This was not going to be easy.

‘Suki, tell Alicia not to do anything. Tell her what’s happening.’

‘I have already. She’s fine.’

Jack helped Alicia out of the car. A little rougher than was necessary. He gave her a little shove and she started to edge towards us then, when she realised she was free, she started to run, but awkwardly. Her hands were tied behind her back. I felt the tension coming off the people around me in little waves.

Alicia stumbled the last few steps and Demos stepped forward into the light and caught her by the tops of her arms as she fell. She looked up at him and for a short second we all watched as Demos bent and kissed her on her lip, where it was split. She grinned back up at him. ‘I knew you’d do it,’ she said, laughing softly.

He pushed her behind him, and Amber took a step towards her, putting her hand on Alicia’s shoulder and squeezing gently. I saw a sudden flash of metal and then heard the plastic snap of a tie breaking apart. Alicia’s hands, now free, slid into the palm that Demos held out to her. She leant forward and whispered something in his ear.

‘Now Lila.’ It was Alex. The sound of his voice was all it took for the last licks of pain to disappear from inside me with a whoosh. Ryder’s hand dropped from my arm and I was off, racing towards him.

I wasn’t sure how I covered the ground between us but suddenly I was slamming against Alex’s chest and his arms were around me. My feet were off the ground and his lips were hard against mine and there was nothing but him and me in a wide-open and empty space. Until I felt my feet make contact with the ground and opened my eyes to see dark shapes shuffling awkwardly and heard someone clearing their throat.

I stood unsteadily with my hands locked around Alex’s waist, smiling up at him. His face was darkened by shadows but lit by the cobalt-blue of his eyes. His hands ran up my arms, as though checking I was all there, in one piece, then up my throat until they came to rest on either side of my face.

‘Are you OK? Did they hurt you?’

I shook my head and clutched at his hands. ‘No, no, I’m fine. Alex, I need to—’

I couldn’t say another word because his mouth was on mine again and lights were dancing in my head.

He pulled away gently, just an inch, and when I opened my eyes he was staring right at me. ‘I love you,’ he whispered.

My stomach lurched into my mouth, my heart following swiftly behind.

‘I take it my sister’s OK?’ Jack shouted from the other side of the car. He didn’t sound too happy. Though no one could be as happy as I was right then in that moment.

‘I’m fine, Jack,’ I called back, trying to get my voice to work properly.

More than fine. I was flying. Alex stroked my cheekbone and then pulled me to his side, his arm binding me tight.

‘Now Thomas,’ Demos called.

I heard the car door crack open again and some scuffling noises as Jack reached in and pulled someone out. We watched as a thin pile of rags began to shuffle forwards. There was a collective intake of air, then Ryder stepped forward into the beam cast by the headlights and gathered up the toppling man. I watched from behind my hands as he half carried Thomas towards the bus and helped him inside.

‘What did they do to him?’ I said, looking up at Alex.

‘I don’t know,’ Alex said through gritted teeth. ‘Come on, we’re out of here.’ He opened the back door and started to push me inside the car.

I grabbed hold of the door frame and faced him. ‘No, Alex, wait.’

‘Lila!’

We all froze at the sound of Demos’s voice. Alex turned, shielding me with his body.

‘No, it’s fine, Alex.’ I tried to edge around him. ‘I need to talk to you. You need to listen to what they’ve got to say.’

‘Did he hurt you?’ Jack yelled from the other side of the car.

‘No. No. He didn’t hurt me.’ I pushed with both my hands against Alex, then skipped around him and ran to stand in front of the car. I wanted to step between Jack and Demos if I needed to. ‘Nobody hurt me. Don’t – just listen. I need to talk to you both.’

They both stepped towards me. I could see the furrows and fury in Jack’s face, the fear in Alex’s. I held up both hands like a traffic policeman, to try to stop them.

‘We can talk in the car, Lila.’ Alex’s voice was subdued, and he was fixing me with one of his hypnotic gazes.

I shook my head at him. ‘No. I’m not going.’

They both stopped mid-step and stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

‘Listen to me,’ I said. ‘You’ve got it all wrong. They didn’t kill Mum. Demos didn’t do it. They lied to you. It was the Unit. It’s been them all along. They killed her.’

‘Get in the car now.’ Jack’s voice was like lightning. He stepped forwards, reaching out a hand to grab me.

I danced back a few steps, out of his way. ‘No. I’m staying.’

‘Lila, what are you saying?’ It was Alex. I turned to look at him.

‘I know it sounds crazy and trust me, I didn’t want to believe him. But I do. I do believe him.’ I took a step towards him, my voice dropping. ‘Demos didn’t kill her, Alex.’

Our eyes were locked. I reached my hand out and took hold of his, clasping his fingers.

‘They want to talk to you. They want you to fight with them.’

‘Fight the Unit?’

‘Yes. We need your help.’

I watched as Alex’s eyes narrowed at me. ‘We?’

‘What the hell did you do to her?’ Jack shouted at Demos. He grabbed me by the top of my arm and yanked me out of Alex’s grasp. ‘Lila, they’ve messed with your mind. Come on, we’re leaving.’

He started dragging me towards the car. I fought against him, trying to prise his fingers off me. ‘No, they haven’t. I know it’s true.’

Jack stopped pulling and I realised that Alex was blocking his way. His hand was resting on Jack’s shoulder. They faced off, staring each other down.

‘Listen to her,’ Alex said.

I stepped between them, pushing them apart.

‘Please, Jack – why won’t you just listen to me?’

‘Because they’re lying to you, Lila. Come on, let’s go.’ He turned and started walking towards the car.

‘We’re not lying, Jack. I knew your mother.’

Demos was suddenly there, standing next to me. I felt Alex’s body tense, his hand moving to his gun, holstered on his hip. I squeezed his other hand to stop him and he froze. Demos was being as good as his word. He could have stopped them both from moving another muscle, but he didn’t. Jack turned slowly back towards us, his eyes blazing.

‘He did, Jack. It’s true. He didn’t kill her. You’ve got to believe us.’

‘I understand why you wouldn’t trust a word I say, Jack,’ Demos said, ‘but at least ask Rachel – just ask her. If you still don’t believe me after that, well, then you can shoot me.’