“That wasn’t the deal,” Garrett said.

Ricky threw a zip pass to Stevey.

“What was the deal, KT? Say it.”

“I know what it was.”

“Say it.”

“Fuck you, Garrett.”

Stevey heaved the ball hard into the back of KT’s head. It struck him with a loud thud. KT staggered forward, almost losing his balance, and Garrett pulled the empty beer bottle from behind his back and shattered it over KT’s skull.

KT fell to his knees. The twins worked fast. Stevey hustled to the side of the house to keep lookout. Ricky flipped KT onto his back, stretched out his wrists, pinned him to the dirt.

Garrett turned to Luke. “Grab his feet.”

Luke took a step away. “The fuck are you doing?”

“I said grab his feet.”

KT groaned.

“Think fast, Evers,” Garrett said. “You’re either a brother or an enemy to us. Everybody is. You hear me? You grab his fucking feet and you’re a brother for life.”

“Isn’t KT your brother?” Luke said, thinking of all the times he had seen KT running with these boys.

“This fucker? KT’s the reason Dylan’s dead, Evers. We’ve had to go through a lot of trouble for this little cunt.”

KT’s head lolled from one side to the other, eyes fluttering.

“You’re made for glory, Evers,” said Garrett. “Dylan may have got there first but I’m giving you the chance now. I’m giving you the chance to have the best year of your fucking life. Twenty-four hours from now you are going to be so goddamn grateful you did what I say. Grab his fucking feet.”

Luke grabbed KT’s feet.

Garrett brought all two hundred and forty pounds of his weight onto KT’s sternum. He slapped KT twice, hard, until the boy came to with a gasp and thrashed his legs.

“Listen to me, Kyler Thomas. Listen very fucking carefully. I have this from on high. We promised you freedom. We promised not to come looking for you. But in exchange you promised to never come back to this town. You broke that promise, just like Jason broke it. But for you we’ll be merciful. You leave tomorrow. Don’t matter how you do it, don’t matter where you go. But, Kyler—Kyler Thomas, goddammit you never listen to me.”

KT gasped. “That thing out there will kill you, you know.”

The ground shook again. A breeze rose and carried the distant roar of a cheering crowd with it. Was gone.

Garrett punched KT so hard Luke felt the force of it in the boy’s ankles. “If I ever see you again I will fucking kill you,” Garrett said, and for a moment it sounded like he was holding back a sob.

They left KT in the grass. On their way back to the truck, Garrett wrapped his big arm around Luke, pulled him tight, suddenly all smiles. “I’ll let the others know,” he said, lips brushing Luke’s ear. “Tomorrow, after the game—you’re in.”

JOEL

Sitting on Wesley’s couch, the blood from his busted lip spilling onto the bright leather, Joel struggled to stay conscious. A satin blackness, cool and supple, wrapped itself over his eyes. There, peeking through the fibers, what did he see but the past, catching up to him at last? What did he see but everything he had worked his entire life to forget?