"Worth the fights, too?" Neil asked. "Like that one two weeks ago that Aaron said got completely out of hand. How many people got injured in that, again?"

There was a slight pause as Aaron thought, and for a moment Neil decided he'd imagined things. Then Aaron answered, "Eleven."

It was the right answer; Neil had read about the brawl in an article. But he and Aaron hadn't had that conversation in the car and Aaron should have known that.

Too late, Neil remembered Nicky's exasperated accusation in the living room: "What the hell did you say to him, Andrew?" Neil had assumed Nicky was referring to their first meeting in Millport, but Nicky had been talking about the car ride from the airport. It wasn't Aaron who picked Neil up from the airport after all.

Neil was annoyed by the trick and relieved he'd seen through it, but caution overrode both. Andrew wasn't cheerful naturally; his mania was drug-induced court-ordered. Two years ago some men attacked Nicky outside of a nightclub. Andrew was within his rights to defend Nicky, but he'd almost killed the four of them. The courts thought his violence to be a gross overreaction and tried to charge him. His lawyers struck a deal instead: Andrew would spend some time in intensive therapy, attend weekly counseling, and take medication.

After three years of this they'd let him off his medication long enough to assess his progress. Sobriety at any point before that was a violation of his parole. If the team nurse, Andrew's current psychiatrist, or the court psychiatrist who managed Andrew's parole suspected Andrew wasn't following the rules, they could request a urinalysis. If Andrew failed he'd be charged.

Andrew only had to hold out through spring, but apparently he couldn't wait that long. Neil couldn't believe Andrew would even risk sobriety when the consequences were so steep. He wondered if his arrival had to do with it, if Andrew wanted to meet his newest teammate without a hazy mind, or if Andrew just hated spending his summer break drugged to the gills.

As if on cue, Andrew appeared in the doorway with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and Kevin at his back. "Success."

"Ready, Neil?" Nicky asked. "We should probably beat it before Coach shows up."

"Why?" Neil pointed at the liquor. "Is this a robbery in progress?"

"Maybe it is. Will you tell Coach on us?" Andrew asked, sounding entertained by the notion. "So much for being a team player. I guess you really are a Fox."

"No," Neil said, "but I would ask him why you're not medicated."

There was a heartbeat of startled silence. The only one who didn't react was Andrew; even Kevin looked surprised.

Nicky was the first to find his tongue, but he reverted to German to ask Aaron, "Am I crazy? Did I just see that happen?"

"Don't look at me," Aaron said.

"I'd prefer an answer in English," Neil said.

Andrew put a thumb to the corner of his mouth and dragged it along his lips to erase his smile. "That sounds like an accusation, but I didn't lie to you."