“Start with, ‘I’m sorry,’ and go from there.”

Nic rolled his eyes. Carter laid a hand on his shoulder and said, “Nic, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in life is thinking that you can ever understand the thoughts and feelings of another person. And one of mankind’s greatest sins is thinking that everyone should think, feel, and act like they do. The truth is that we all have a unique view of the world around us. You’ll never understand the pain and difficult lessons that have shaped Burke into who he is. Just like he’ll never fully understand your pain or your perspective.”

“So what do I tell him? I don’t think sorry is going to cut it.”

“You never know until you try. A little bit of patience and understanding can change the world. Just remember this, I’ve found that every conflict needs one of the people in the relationship to be the hero in order for it to truly be resolved. Someone has to have the courage and confidence to put aside their pride and their ego and be the bigger person by humbling themselves. And you, Nic Juliano, strike me as the kind of person who is strong enough to be a hero. Remember that and make the call.”

Chapter 63

After rocketing out of the GoBox parking lot, August Burke had driven to a secluded spot only a few minutes from the scene. It was nothing more than an old turnaround looking out onto the desert. Not a person in sight, only scrub brush, cacti, and desert flowers. The smell reminded Burke of burned toast that had sat out for a week, like fire and dust and strange vegetation.

The isolation brought to mind the movie Castaway, where Tom Hanks goes down in a plane crash and is stranded on a desert island. Burke never really understood the issue though. Hanks’s character even goes a little mad from the lack of companionship and creates a friend from a volleyball. To Burke, that circumstance would almost be a dream come true. All he would need was Hanks’s island to have solar power and a Wi-Fi connection, which would probably have to come from a satellite phone.

Burke had climbed onto the hood of the Firebird and sat cross-legged, picking his fingernails down to the quick, feeling like a freak and an outcast. He considered going back and apologizing to Nic, even though he really didn’t understand what he had done wrong. But he hated always having to be the one to apologize.

Nic obviously didn’t like him and was annoyed with him. Perhaps that animosity went even deeper. Perhaps Nic flat-out hated him. In that case, he would avoid contact, as a courtesy.

As he picked at his nails, tears started to flow down his cheeks. He hated no one. Such strong emotions seemed counterproductive and illogical to him, and he couldn’t determine why everyone he met seemed to hate him.

All he had ever wanted was to help people, to be an FBI agent and to help make the world a better place. But after dealing with bullies throughout his time in public school, he knew that the FBI would just be more of the same. After all, the bureau was composed of people, and people terrified him.