Perilous Light (4 page)

Jason took a seat next to Liam. “James does realize it isn’t normal to have a hot tub in his living room, right?”

“
I like it where it is, and that is the only thing that matters,” James said, no longer needing to shout once he perched on the arm of the couch next to me.

“
Liam, you really have some interesting friends.” Jason shook his head in disbelief. I laughed silently. Jason didn’t know the half of it.

“
So you never answered me. Anyone up for the hot tub?” James never gave up.

***

I woke up groggy and tired after only two or three hours of sleep. I remembered arriving back home with Henry and Rachel, hoping that Monty wasn’t waiting up for us. I rolled over and realized I wasn’t alone in my bed. “Hey, Rach, we probably need to get up.”

She groaned.

Someone knocked on the door. “Girls, you have to get up. Charlotte, we’re leaving in thirty minutes whether you’re ready or not.”

“
Yes, Monty.” I was so tired it took me a second to get the words out.

Almost exactly thirty minutes later, I slipped into the backseat of Monty’s new SUV, between Liam and his roommate. Jason had wanted an excuse to get out of town and pretty much invited himself along. Henry took the front seat after saying goodbye very publicly to Rachel. For a boy who had never even held a girl’s hand before moving in with us, Henry had definitely changed. Of course, Rachel had made the change easy. Newly single after her boyfriend broke up with her to go to college, Rachel had taken one look at the new exchange student living in my house and dove in headfirst. Henry certainly wasn’t complaining. Between joining the basketball team and dating Rachel, Henry’s new life didn’t remotely resemble the one he’d left behind.

I knew I probably could have pulled the girl card and gotten shotgun, but I was too tired. Besides, I was the smallest and would be the only one comfortable sitting in the middle seat for the five-hour drive to Chapel Hill. My hair was wet because thirty minutes barely gave me enough time to get showered and dressed, and left no time for blow drying, so I tied it back in a ponytail while trying not to elbow either of the boys sitting next to me. Groaning, I closed my eyes and sat back.

“
So let’s set down some ground rules here.” Monty watched us in the rearview mirror as he pulled out into the street. “I don’t care what you did last night, but there will be no getting sick in my car and no complaining. Is that understood?”

“
Yeah,” I mumbled, and everyone else joined in.

“
Good. Now let’s enjoy some music.”

Monty put on a mix, and I drifted off to James Taylor’s
Carolina in My Mind
.

***

Hours later, I struggled to fight through the haze of sleep when I heard Jason talking.

“
What’s the deal with them?”

“
What do you mean?” Monty asked.

“
Charlotte and Liam, why don’t they just get together already? I mean, have you seen them?”

I pretended to still be sleeping but wondered what Jason was talking about. I didn’t dare open my eyes, but realized that I was leaning on Liam, holding on to his shirt, and it felt like he had his hand on my leg. I guess it wasn’t all that strange, considering we were crammed in the backseat together. Besides, everyone knew Liam and I were just friends, and even the friend title was still pretty new. Before last year, I had just been Kevin’s little sister.

“
It’s complicated,” Monty said.

“
How is it complicated?” Jason sounded confused.

“
Leave it be. Their relationship is what it is right now.”

Liam stirred and yawned, and I forced myself to open my eyes. Jason and Monty had stopped talking, so they must have realized we were waking up. Liam smiled at me before noticing where his hand was. He moved it quickly. “Sorry.”

“
No problem, it’s pretty close quarters back here.” I let go of his T-shirt.

“
Well, sleepyheads, we’re almost there.” I could hear Monty smiling even though I couldn’t see his face.

“
I can’t believe we’re going to watch Kevin play tonight. I’ve missed watching him so much.” I never realized how big a part of my life Kevin’s basketball was until he left.

“
It’s so good to see you this excited about something, Charlotte.” Monty, like Liam, worried about me constantly, so I was glad that my enthusiasm was obvious.

“
Yeah, it feels good.” Grinning, I stretched once more and watched the scenery as we pulled into Chapel Hill.

Chapter Four

Kevin

The buzzer sounded, marking the end of the time out. There were only four seconds left in the game. We were down two points to Clemson, and Coach had designed a great in-bounds play that would hopefully win the game.

I made sure everyone was in position and took the ball from the referee. Marcus set a screen for our best shooter, Matt, that allowed him to get open at the three-point line. Passing the ball, I watched as Matt squared up for the winning shot. I quickly slid into the lane under the rim to get into position for the rebound. As the ball spun through the air, silence fell over the crowd, and I felt myself being shoved away from the goal. The ball hit the rim abruptly and flew into the air. I jumped up to retrieve the ball, and in midair, was able to quickly tip the ball into the basket, but then I was thrown to the floor by another player. The buzzer sounded as the ball fell through the net, and the referee blew the whistle, indicating a foul.

The game was tied with no more time on the clock, and the crowd roared as they realized I still had one free throw left that could possibly win the game. Sweat dripped into my eyes, briefly blurring my vision. Clemson’s coach called for a time out, likely only to allow enough time for my nerves to set in. My teammates all congratulated me on the way back to the bench, but I was unable to celebrate. As I sat down, I couldn’t help but glance up at the jerseys and banners hanging from the rafters high above the court. It still felt surreal at times to be playing college ball for the same team as Michael Jordan and James Worthy.

As we walked onto the court, the arena again fell silent. I had made thousands of free throws in my high school career and even more on the driveway at my house, but those were nothing compared to the pressure I faced trying to make the winning shot. The butterflies in my stomach worsened as I stepped up to the line.

Catching the ball from the referee, I bounced it a few times to help relieve my nerves. The feeling of the ball in my hands cleared my focus. I lined up carefully and let the ball loose. The ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, but eventually fell into the net. The crowd erupted, and I was suddenly swarmed by teammates and fans. After minutes of chaos, I recognized a voice behind me.

“
Wow, Kevin! Way to win the game!” Monty had pushed through the crowd. I spun around when he placed his hand on my shoulder. He grinned, and it felt so good to see him.

“
I’m glad you guys made it. Is Charlotte with Liam?” Knowing that Norman could still be around, I didn’t want her alone.

“
Charlotte’s fine.” Monty paused a second too long, arousing my suspicions. “Why don’t you hit the showers and meet us outside?”

I shrugged off the temptation to argue. The crowd was far too loud, and I wanted to see my sister as soon as possible. “Sure. I’ll meet you outside in a few.”

***

I took a quick shower, pulled on my warm-ups, and said goodbye to the guys before walking outside into the night. I scanned the area, ready to call Monty to find out where they were waiting. Before I could pull my phone from my pocket, Charlotte appeared in front of me, standing on tiptoes and trying to pull me down to her eye level.

“
That was awesome, Kev!” She hugged me, and I laughed at her giddiness. It was nice to see Charlotte so full of life again. Our brief phone conversations had me worried. She always claimed everything was okay, even while she sounded so tired and down.

Liam appeared behind Charlotte with a huge smile on his face. “Nice shot, man! I seriously can’t imagine that kind of pressure.” I knew he was excited for me, but something told me his excitement was for more than the game. Looking behind him, I got a surprise—Henry and James.

“
What are they doing here?” Although I used the word “they,” I really didn’t mind that Henry was at the game, but I could have done without James.

“
We’re going back!” Liam blurted out excitedly. Monty glared at him, and Liam shrugged.

“
Seriously? Now?” The post-game adrenalin started fading, and the reality of what Liam was saying hit me.

“
Once you’re finally ready.” Liam grinned. His excitement surprised me a little.

“
Okay, are you going to tell me what’s going on yet?”

Monty shot me a warning look. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw some other guy standing with my family and friends.

“
Kev, this is Jason, my roommate.” Liam gestured toward the stranger.

“
Hey, nice to meet you.” I held out a hand to shake. I thought it was pretty random that Liam’s roommate had made the five-hour drive to watch me play, but there were weirder things in life.

“
Yeah. You, too. Nice game, by the way.”

“
Thanks.”

“
So enough small talk. Jason, you need to go back to Charleston,” James said hurriedly.

Jason frowned. “How? I don’t have a car.”

“
Here, take mine.” James tossed his keys to Jason, who took a step back to catch them.

“
Whoa, you’re letting me drive your Aston Martin?”

“
Sure. I’ll come by and get it eventually,” James said offhandedly, as if talking about loaning out a bicycle and not a two-hundred-thousand-dollar car.

“
Okay…” Jason agreed hesitantly.

“
It’s cool, man. We’ve got a bit of a family emergency to deal with.”

“
But you aren’t all family, and where are you going back to?” Jason asked.

“
Uh, we’re practically family. So you’ll be okay getting back, right?” Liam spoke quickly, his impatience obvious.

“
Sure… I guess I’ll see you back at school, Liam.”

James took Jason over to the parking lot and pointed out his car.

As soon as Jason left, I asked, “Okay, so now will you tell me?”

Liam didn’t miss a beat. “James and Henry showed up at halftime with a message from Theodore.”

“
And the message was for us to get back to Energo?”

Monty’s stoic expression contrasted sharply to the faces of fans still spilling from the stadium. “Essentially, yes. Blake has discovered the Resistance at Cason caves and is set to attack. If there is any chance of the Resistance surviving, we have to act now.”

My first thought was about protecting Charlotte. “Do you think it’s safe to bring Charlotte with us if Blake is about to attack?”

“
Kevin, I can’t stay behind. Energo needs me. Mom needs me,” Charlotte said emphatically.

Mom… Charlotte and I had barely discussed the revelation that Mom was alive. The silence was okay with me. I didn’t trust James, and I was afraid he was only getting her hopes up.

“
She’s right, Kevin. Charlotte is vital to defeating Blake.” Monty spoke calmly, but I could tell he was as nervous about her safety as I was.

“
I can’t let anything happen to her. I’m not losing her again.” Remembering the fear from last year, I felt nausea creeping up.

Henry put a hand on my shoulder. “Kevin, you’re not the only one who will protect her. We all will.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Henry’s show of support. It was hard not to like a kid who was willing to risk everything for my family. “So, if we’re going back to Energo, why did James send Jason back with his car?” There was no way we could all fit in Monty’s SUV.

James returned just in time to answer. “The gate in your yard isn’t the only entrance to Energo.”

I wasn’t surprised, considering Norman and his men had shown up on Franklin Street. I still hadn’t told anyone about that, I didn’t exactly want to admit how easily Marcus and I had been taken. I also didn’t want to upset Charlotte.

“
There’s an entrance in Durham we can use.” Monty looked as though he was hiding something.

“
Where in Durham?” I asked.

Charlotte snickered. “Duke Gardens.”

“
I’m going to sneak onto Duke’s campus in my Carolina warm-ups?” At least it wasn’t the night of a Carolina- Duke game. That could have been seriously messy.

“
Yes, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Liam picked up your car during halftime, so we can leave now.”

“
Great, I can’t wait.” I didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm.

***

I asked Liam to ride with me so I’d have a chance to talk to him.

“
I don’t like this. It’s like we’re using Charlotte as bait.” I tried to pay attention to the road, but I was frazzled.

“
I hate it, too, but we don’t have a choice.” Liam was right, but I wanted there to be an alternative.

“
Between the two of us, we can’t let her out of our sight.” James and Henry may have been her Guardians, but I didn’t know Henry very well and I certainly didn’t trust James. “I know Monty is around, but I have a feeling he’ll be preoccupied searching for my mom.” I glanced over at Liam, and he nodded. I knew he would agree. Sometimes I worried about his non-platonic feelings for my sister, but I could trust him with her more than I could anyone else.