Let It Burn

Chapter 2

Ian doesn't get to the house until late. Holden and I have already eaten sandwiches, and twilight has settled in. I see the headlights beam through the kitchen window, and I dash to the door to greet him. I didn't realize how much I wanted to see him.

My arms are around Ian's neck before he can get both feet in the door.

"Whoa, Ducky!" he exclaims. "It's not been that long since I saw you!"

"Doesn't mean I don't miss you."

He squeezes me hard, and I laugh. It sounds unnatural, even to me. As soon as he lets go, Holden steps up to claim me and slides his arm around my shoulders, silently telling me to calm down. I've been apprehensive since we decided to sneak off to Crimson Pass. I can think of nothing else, and I feel the words will burst out of me at any moment.

I'm a terrible secret keeper.

"Ah, hey, man." Ian greets Holden with a high-five. "I didn't figure you'd be here today."

"I couldn't stay at home," he says. He glances toward the kitchen and drops his voice to a whisper. "Ian, we want to talk to you somewhere your mom can't hear."

Ian's eyebrows shoot up, suspicion plastered all over his face. "What's up?"

"Ian!"

Mom pops out of the kitchen and hurries toward her son with open arms. She seems so relieved to see him. She embraces him, and Ian stares at me over her shoulder. The question he wants to ask is etched on his face: what's going on? I try not to look him in the eye.

"How are you holding up?" Mom asks as she pulls back to gauge his expression.

Ian shrugs. He's always been good with poker faces, too. "Okay, I guess. Dad wouldn't want us to be worried out of our minds, you know."

Mom smiles, but it doesn't reach her pretty eyes. "I know, but I can't help myself. Are you hungry? Do you want a sandwich?"

"Nah, I picked up a burger on the way. Don't trouble yourself."

"It's no trouble, Ian. It keeps my hands busy."

Ian contemplates her offer and agrees to take a turkey and cheese sandwich (like always). I suspect his compliance is a sly way to get her to leave the room. He watches her until she disappears into the kitchen, then turns to Holden and me.

My suspicion is correct.

"So, what're the two of you planning?" he asks softly. "Nothing dangerous, right?"

"I don't know about that," I confess.

"It's dangerous because we have no idea what we're going into," Holden says, his arm slipping from my shoulders. "I don't know about you, but I can't sit around and do nothing while my family is missing."

Ian rubs his chin. He looks like Dad in profile, and my heart lurches. Maybe what we're doing isn't all wrong. I'd give anything to have him back. We are doing what we have to do to stay sane.

That's what I'll tell myself, at least.

"I already tried to go. That's why I was so late," Ian says. He keeps his voice low. "The police wouldn't let me in. I argued, but they wouldn't relent."

"They wouldn't let Mom in either," Holden reveals. He looks at me. "Iris thinks it's because the police are trying to keep something from getting out of the town."

Ian laughs. I knew he would because it sounds so ridiculous. His dark eyes pierce mine. "Why do you think that?"

I remind him of what Dad said to us, how we've never been to where he grew up, and I want to know why. Now that Dad is missing, it's like an itch I can't scratch.