Rebounding (8 page)

Eventually there came a point when he realized I’d never stop. He once said to me, “Max, your stubbornness lives on the edge of insanity.”

After that, the dynamics of our relationship changed. Since he knew he couldn’t beat me, the next best option was to join forces. We started working together. Now I bring him information, and he does the same for me.

“What other choice do I have?” I finally ask him. We’ve both been quiet for a while now, deliberating. “I can’t just do nothing.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Dean says, holding his palms out in front of him. He gestures a lot with his hands when he talks. In a weird way, it makes everything he’s saying clearer. “This Francesca kid has applied to several Florida universities. In a few weeks, she’s coming here to tour schools. That’s when you get your chance. You verify who she is, tell her, and just maybe we can use her to bring Garcia down.”

“There will be no using my sister,” I say, my voice stiff. “She’s been through enough already.”

“This might be our only chance, Archer. I’ll let you know when she arrives. Stay put until then, do you understand me?”

I don’t want to agree to this, but I do it anyway.

“I mean it,” he says again, watching me closely. “If you go there, you’re risking both of your lives, got me?”

“I’ll stay put.”

When I get back to the house, it’s quiet. Trevor’s room is on the first floor, behind the living room. I walk by it, noticing that his light is off. I press my ear against the door, hearing snores come from the other side. He’s always been a loud snorer.

On the way upstairs, my eyes are once again drawn to Charlotte’s door. Her light is off too. It’s weird that she’s been so quiet today, but I don’t question it. Distance is the best thing for both of us after what happened on the beach. She probably realizes that too.

I try to get some sleep, but I know it’s useless. With everything Dean said still buzzing through my head, my thoughts have kicked into overdrive. On one hand, it’s a relief to know I’m closer to finding my sister than I’ve ever been before.

She’s alive. Instinctively, I’ve always known that. But to see her face is a huge weight off of my heart. Before, there was nothing. Just hopelessness. Now I can actually do something.

On the other hand, it’s frustrating being unable to do anything right now. At
this
moment. How can I just sit still?

Ignoring Dean’s orders is an option. I could go to the D.R. anyway, to track her down myself. It’s tempting. But I know I won’t.

Waiting is the best thing I can do. If we can get a hold of Garcia here on U.S. soil, we can put him away for good. Even if he can’t be nailed for racketeering or drug charges, at the very least they can get him for kidnapping. Fiona’s DNA is all the proof needed.

There’s another, quieter, part of me that wants him here. It’s the same reason there’s a gun sitting in its case in the back of my closet.

I want to take him out myself.

For years, I’ve gone over in my mind what I’d do to Garcia if I found him. Prison doesn’t seem good enough. And as much as I might enjoy it, shooting him seems too quick of a death. Neither option would bring me peace.

I lie there awake in my bed, thinking about what
would
bring me peace. I think about it all night long. Before I know it, the first rays of sunlight break through my window. I look over at the alarm clock.
5:30 a.m.

At this point, I couldn’t sleep if I tried.

Batman’s up before me, restless. He knows what day it is. It’s crazy how he knows, but he does. He sits there next to the bed, wagging his tail.

“Okay, okay. I know you’re excited to see Piper. I’m excited too.”

God, it’s going to be a long day.

I quickly shower and get dressed. This time I leash Batman before we leave the bedroom.

Charlotte’s light is on.

I stop next to her door, feeling the same need to see her as I did yesterday. This time I don’t ignore it. Before I’m aware of what I’m doing, I’m knocking on her door and calling out her name.

Don’t answer.

She doesn’t answer.

I stand there for a few moments, dazed. She’s not coming. I let out a heavy breath, wondering whether it’s full of relief or disappointment. I don’t know what I would’ve said anyway. This is a good thing. Definitely a good thing.

I turn to leave, but stop myself. Walking away is impossible. I want to go, but something’s holding me back.

It all seems too fucking weird. I don’t know Charlotte that well, but up until this point, she’s been eager to speak to me, almost on the brink of loneliness. Why would she avoid me now?

I knock again, louder this time. “Charlotte, answer the door!”

Several seconds pass by, each one growing fuller with silence. My heart rate picks up. This doesn’t feel right.

I twist the door handle, finding it unlocked. “I’m coming in,” I announce before stepping inside.

It looks like the room’s empty. There’s no sign of Charlotte. I look around, thinking maybe she left and forgot to turn the light off.

A small whimper comes from the other side of the bed. I look down, and there she is, curled up on the floor and cradling her stomach. I can’t get to her side fast enough. My heart is pounding against my chest, the sound of it ringing in my ears.

“Charlotte?” I ask, afraid to touch her. Her face is pale and sticky with sweat.

Please open your eyes, kid.

Her eyelids lift, but just barely. She looks confused at first, and it takes her a while to recognize me. “I think I’ve been poisoned,” she whispers, then closes her eyes again.

I grab hold of her, pulling her off the floor. “Open your eyes for me, Charlotte. Did you take something or eat something?”

She slowly blinks, nodding.

I don’t think about what I’m doing. Lifting her into my arms, I carry her to the bathroom, then set her down in front of the toilet. She sways when I try to prop her up in front of it, and I have to lean her against my chest to keep her from falling over. Then, grabbing her by the jaw, I stick two fingers down her throat.

She vomits right away.

I hold her up as she grips the sides of the toilet. She empties her stomach, shaking, and heaving violently as I try to keep her still. As the last of it comes out, she coughs over and over again.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

If I call for an ambulance, they’ll think one of two things. Either she has a really bad case of food poisoning, or that she did this to herself. If they determine she did this to herself, they’ll Baker Act her. I don’t think Charlotte could handle that on top of everything else going on in her life.

When she finally settles down, I hand her a tissue. She takes it from me, then wipes her mouth.

“Feel better?”

She nods. Her eyes meet mine, looking clearer than they had a few minutes ago. It seems like a good sign. I don’t think I’ll have to take her to a hospital.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she says, leaning back against the side of the bathtub.

“What am I thinking?”

“That this is my fault, but I didn’t…” She pauses to take a breath. “I mean, yeah I guess I did, but I would never do…that.” She shivers as if it’s unthinkable.

Looking at her like this, there’s only one thought on my mind.

I never should’ve let her stay.

It makes me feel like a selfish bastard, but I can’t help thinking it. She’d better be telling me the truth. Dealing with this kind of baggage is something I’m incapable of doing. I wouldn’t know how to save her—I can barely save myself.

“Then what happened here?” I ask, my voice sharp. “Explain it to me.”

“I’ll show you.”

She stands up, swaying a little. I jump up, worried she might fall.

Following her into her bedroom, I watch as she rifles through a brown paper bag sitting on the nightstand. She pulls out a small glass vial, then hands it to me. The label is in Spanish. It takes me a few seconds to translate the words.

Elixir of Renewal.

“What is this?”

When I look at Charlotte, she shrugs. “Some guy sold it to me. He said to take it three times a day for a week.”

“What’s it supposed to do? Are you sick?”

I twist open the lid, sniffing the top. A tangy, sweet, metallic scent escapes.

“Not exactly.”

When I look at her, she looks away, wringing her hands together. It’s clear that whatever this is used for, she doesn’t want to tell me.

“What the fuck is it supposed to do, Charlotte?”

Her silence is pissing me off. After what I just went through with her, she owes me a better explanation. I’m determined to get one too.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Charlotte closes her eyes and lets out a small breath. “It’s for a broken heart.”

“A what?”

“Broken heart,” she repeats, sounding defeated. “The clerk at the botánica told me it was the opposite of a love potion; it’s supposed to make you fall out of love. He said it would only take a week. Then I’d be my old self again.”

“Botánica? Please, for the love of God, tell me you are not stupid enough to believe in that voodoo Santeria crazy shit.”

She holds her stomach, wincing. “If you’re trying to make me feel worse than I already do, you’re succeeding.”

“Forgive me, but you seem like a semi-intelligent girl. Why the hell would you buy into that?”

“I don’t know why I believed him, Max. There were all these mystical things in his store, and I guess I became entranced by all of it. He seemed to know right away what was wrong with me. I really wanted to believe he could help.” She moves back farther on the bed, curling her knees to her chest. “I found out yesterday that my ex knocked up the girl he cheated on me with, and that the two of them are engaged. They’re getting married in our hometown, where we all grew up together. It was a low point for me. Believe me, I’m not proud of myself.”

She’s staring at me as if she’s hoping I can relate, her huge blue eyes watery and intense. I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. This is unfamiliar territory for me. I’ve never been around someone who wears all their emotions on their sleeve. It’s unsettling.

I sit down beside Charlotte on her bed. She keeps watching me, warily. I reach for her hand, linking my fingers through hers. “Sorry if that came out harsh.”

She shrugs it off. “It’s okay. I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t. For the record, I don’t think you’re stupid. Just…promise me you won’t go to any more botánicas.”

A shadow of a smile pulls at her mouth. “I promise.”

There’s color in her cheeks again, making her resemble her former healthy, buoyant self. She looks down at our entwined hands, staring at them. “I’m so used to being the Type A personality with a mile long to-do list. Being here and not doing anything is driving me a little crazy.”

“A little?”

She swats at me playfully with her other hand, taking the joke in stride. “I’m trying to confide in you, Max.”

“Another thing friends do?”

“Yeah.”

She’s not budging on this friend thing. I’m not fighting that hard to prevent it either. In this moment, I feel myself giving in. I’m not completely comfortable doing it, but part of me feels like I have no choice.

“Confide away then.”

“Really?”

“If you must.”

“Well…I know I’m not that person anymore. My life will never be the same; I get it. But I can’t be this person either. I just can’t.”

“So be someone else. Someone you want to be.”

She looks at me as if I’ve said something really important, steeling her features as if she’s trying to find strength. It amazes me how beautiful I think she is right now, when only ten minutes ago she was puking her guts out.

I let go of her hand, suddenly remembering that Batman is out in the hall waiting for me. Shit—Piper.

“I have to go.”

“Go?” Charlotte says, her face dropping.

“Uh, yeah. Batman and I have an appointment.”

“Oh…okay.”

“How are you feeling? Do you think you’ll be all right?” Leaving her alone doesn’t seem like a good idea. It doesn’t feel right.

“Still a little nauseous, but it’s getting better. I think you made a good call. I just needed to get everything out of my stomach.”

“You should probably eat something too.”

“I will. Thanks for your help, Max. I’m glad you were here.” She smiles at me. I can’t help but notice that it’s the sad kind of smile. It feels like a blow to my stomach.

Don’t do it.

Don’t do it.

Don’t do it.

“Do you, uh, want to come with us today?”

Fucking great.

Her eyes light up right away. “You don’t mind?”

“Yeah. Batman would enjoy the extra company. Are you feeling well enough to tag along?”

“I think so,” she says, nodding. “Do you mind waiting for me to take a quick shower?”