Determination built in my chest as I leveled my eyes at hers. “Look at me. Nothing will happen to you or to me. Or anyone. We are going to make all the bad things stop. And then we will all be safe. I promise.”

She didn’t respond, just hugged me tight. I closed my eyes and hugged her back.

“I promise,” I whispered into her hair.

As I approached Jess and Melissa on the street corner, I saw their eyes were wide and lips pressed together. Melissa wore black workout pants with a pink tank top, and Jess was in all white: white running shorts and a white T-shirt with Manitowoc Turkey Trot 2012 on the front. At their feet were two bags of supplies. In Jess’s hand, she held an aluminum water bottle.

“Do we have everything?” I whispered. Down the block, I heard Heather’s designer dog barking.

Jess lifted the water bottle, which I recognized as a free promotional item we got from Mark’s work last year. I must have left it at her house at some point. Instead of water, it was filled with gasoline.

“I got some strange looks at the gas station when I filled this up and then put it in the back of the Prius,” she said. She lifted her hand and sniffed it. “I’m never getting rid of that smell, I can already tell.”

I nodded, and she put the gasoline bottle in my bag. “Solid work.” I turned to Melissa. “Do you have it?”

She bent down and opened her bag, pulling out the exercise bands she used for doing online barre classes in her basement. She also produced a rope and bungee ties that she’d used to secure the turtle-top storage container to the roof of her car when her family drove to Florida last summer. I noticed a gold crucifix around her neck, a new addition.

In my bag, I had two grill lighters. The incantation spell was in my back pocket. I held up my wrist and waved it around, the Stronger with You bracelet tight. My friends did the same.

“Wait, I have one more thing,” Jess said. She pulled out three shirts from her bag. They were brightly colored and covered in parrots.

“Jimmy Buffett shirts?” I said. “Are you serious?”

She nodded as she tossed each of us a shirt. “Extra level of protection. Maybe if Liz sees them, she will be reminded of who she really is. Plus, she would never do anything to hurt Jimmy.” She yanked her T-shirt off and pulled hers over her head. It read, Fins to the Left, Fins to the Right.

“This feels like an ‘It’s all for you, Damien,’ moment,” I said grimly as I began to put on the shirt.