Callie looked at Charlie, as if waiting for approval. He shook his head no. "Let's go."

"You're not gonna finish the job?" Boricio said. "G.o.dd.a.m.n, kid, you're a better man than me."

"I just want to leave," he said, taking the gun from Callie and hugging her. It felt so good to have her in his arms, even if they were just friends. "He's not worth it."

"But this f.u.c.ker raped her," Boricio said, "And he ruined your mother's life. You said it yourself! You're just gonna let that go?"

Boricio's eyes looked like those of a child who'd just been told on the night before Christmas that Santa wouldn't be making the rounds this year.

Charlie felt pangs of guilt. They'd driven all this way with Charlie all pumped up to take care of Bob once and for all, and now he was letting the team down. And though he barely knew Boricio and Adam, their bonds were forged in fire at the compound.

"He ruined your mother's life," Boricio pleaded, working Charlie's guilt.

Boricio was the first man since Charlie's father to show him respect. But when it came right down to it, Charlie wasn't a murderer. While he'd fantasized many times of shooting every bully in school, he'd never actually plotted to do it. Despite his bravado and his darkest fantasies, Charlie didn't think he could snuff out someone's life unless he was defending himself or someone he loved.

He handed the gun to Boricio and started toward the bedroom door with Callie behind him.

"He said I ruined his mother's life?" Bob said, laughing.

Why won't he just shut the f.u.c.k up?

"I was the best thing that ever happened to that b.i.t.c.h. She was a G.o.dd.a.m.n mental case when I met her! Always whining about her dead f.u.c.king husband and s.h.i.t. What guy wants to hear that kinda c.r.a.p?"

Something shifted in Charlie. His blood ran cold and his skin started to tingle. Tears glossed his eyes with everything he'd been holding back for too many years.

He turned to Bob, jaw quivering, "You shut your f.u.c.king mouth."

"About your b.i.t.c.h mom or your dead b.i.t.c.h daddy?"

"Woah!" Boricio said sounding like Al Pacino. "You did NOT just say that about the boy's daddy!"

Charlie swung the bat and hit Bob in the left knee. It popped and Bob screamed.

"You aren't even a tenth of the man my dad was, you piece of f.u.c.king s.h.i.t!" Charlie screamed, spit flying from his mouth at Bob.

"You sucked the life out of my mother like a f.u.c.king vampire! She didn't love you. She was scared of you, you piece of s.h.i.t!"

Bob laughed.

"Stop laughing!" Charlie screamed, tears streaming down his face.

Bob looked up at him, eyes wild, manic, chest heaving in mocking laughter.

"Stop f.u.c.king laughing!" Charlie said, swinging the bat again, this time hitting Bob's left arm above the elbow.

Bob screamed out, but still forced a laugh from his lips, meeting Charlie's eyes. Daring him to strike again.

"Let's just go," Callie said from behind, putting a warm hand on Charlie's shoulder. "He's not worth it."

Charlie glanced back at Boricio, who smiled and nodded approvingly. Adam's eyes were wide, scared. Callie's were sympathetic, sorry for Charlie.

But he didn't want sympathy.

As Bob's laughter grew, it dug into Charlie's core, pulling a plug on a bucket of memories. As the self denial and selective amnesia flowed down the drain, Charlie was forced to remember all the s.h.i.t Bob had ever done. All the little insults, orders, exploitation, and the many ways he slowly murdered his mother - a woman who had been so sweet and full of life. Charlie remembered a time before Bob, when he was putting on a puppet show for his mom. She laughed so hard. Smiled at him. Yeah, she missed her husband, and Charlie missed his daddy. But they had each other. And that was enough.

Until Bob.

Bob's laughter mocked everything that was pure and good in Charlie's mother. Mocked his father's memory.

Charlie turned to Boricio, Adam, and Callie, and said, "Get out."

"What?" Callie said, trying to meet his eyes. But he couldn't look at her.

"Go out there and wait for me. Bob and I have some s.h.i.t to work out."

Boricio smiled the widest smile Charlie had ever seen, as he put his hands on Adam and Callie and led them from the room. "Come on, team; let's give our boy some privacy."

"You don't have to do this," Callie said, looking back.

Charlie turned away. "Please. Leave."

Boricio led them out and shut the door softly behind him.

Charlie turned to Bob. They were alone.

And only one would leave the room.

LUCA HARDING.

"Boy, your dog was really getting worked up," Paola said.

"He didn't mean any harm. He's a good dog," Luca said, arranging his battleships on the board.

"He's cute." Paola said. Luca looked up to see her smiling. She had a pretty smile.

"What was school like where you were from?" Luca asked Paola, trying to make small talk and avoid any more conversations about scary stuff.

"Sort of boring," she said. "I just started middle school. I sort of liked it better because we changed cla.s.ses and teachers, plus the school was bigger so there were more friends to talk to and play with at recess, but it's still pretty boring."

"Why is it boring?" Luca asked. "Didn't you get to learn neat stuff? I was already in division for my Rocket Math. I was almost on Q."

"No, not really," she said. "I mean, I guess you're supposed to learn stuff. But most of what we learned at my new school I already knew when I got there."

"How come?"

"Because I used to go to this school called Oak Hill, kindergarten through 4th grade. It was really good, but I stopped going two years ago."

"How come?" Luca asked.

"Because my dad said that only rich people went to that school, and he didn't want me to be a spoiled brat like most of the girls who went there. But that wasn't the real reason. Almost all of the girls at Oak Hill were actually really, really nice. I think my dad didn't want me to go there because he couldn't afford it, which meant my mom had to pay for it. I don't think he liked that, even though he wouldn't admit it."

"You liked your old school?" Luca asked.

"Actually, I really like my school. The people are nice and I have, or had, a lot of cool friends. It was just boring. I couldn't learn anything there that I couldn't learn from reading books, and I've been reading everything I could ever since I knew how." She looked at Luca. "Do you like to read?"

"Yeah, I just started reading chapter books this year," he said.

"Oh yeah? What's your favorite?"

"I started reading Harry Potter, but I didn't like it very much."

"You don't like Harry Potter? Something is definitely wrong with you! What are you reading now?"

"How to Eat Fried Worms. Have you read it?" Luca said.

"No, but I saw the movie. Is the book any good?"

Luca nodded. "Yeah, I liked the book better than the movie."

Luca felt Paola trying not to stare, could feel her thinking how odd it was that they looked the same age.

"Don't be embarra.s.sed," she said, as though reading his mind. "I know it's strange, but whatever happened to you only happened because you helped me. That makes it a good thing, right?"

Luca nodded, but felt like he was going to cry.

"It's okay!" Paola laughed and gave him a playful slap on the knee. "Everything will be fine." She changed the subject. "What do you think Dog Vader was so upset about?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll be able to find out as soon as I fall to sleep."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh," Luca said. "You didn't know? Dog Vader isn't really a dog."

"What?!"

"Well, I guess he is a dog, but he's not just a dog. He's also an Indian."

Paola looked at Luca cross-eyed. "An Indian?"

"Yes," Luca said, "but only when I'm sleeping."

"If you're not messing with me, then you'll have to tell me everything, starting from the beginning."

"Dog Vader is a dog and an Indian. Not the kind from the other country, but the ones you're not supposed to call Indians, Native Americans. He's the one who led me to Will."

"And he talks to you in your sleep? Like you and Will talk... and like you talked to me?"

Luca nodded, staring at his shoes, still embarra.s.sed, though not quite sure why.

"How do you know you're not just dreaming something that isn't really true?" Paola asked.

"Because he's always right."

"Oh," Paola said. "So he's a psychic dog/Indian?"

"Lunch!" Paola's mom called from the bar.

"What do you think we're having?" Luca asked.

"Not sure, but I'm guessing something from a can." Paola gave Luca a weak smile, then said, "Ready?"

"Yes." Luca slid from the chair and started walking toward the bar beside Paola, when John and Jimmy entered the lobby from the hallway.

Dog Vader started barking again.

BARK... RUFF RUFF...BARK... RUFF RUFF.

Luca pet Dog Vader. "It's okay, boy" he said. "Everything's okay."

"Maybe we should put the dog in one of the rooms," John said.

"No, he's okay, right, boy?"

BARK... RUFF RUFF...BARK... RUFF RUFF.

Desmond said, "Maybe John's right. Just for lunch. Okay, buddy?"

"Okay," Luca looked down, then over at Dog Vader. "Come on," he said, leading him away by the scruff of his neck.

John said, "I'm going to keep watch on the second floor if you don't mind. I'm a bit worried about what's happening outside, and not too hungry."

"Sure thing, John," Desmond nodded.

Luca led Vader to the kitchen, opened the door, gave him a final pat on the head, then said, "See you soon!" and closed the door behind him.

Luca returned to the bar and picked at his food. It would have been good if he was hungry, but he couldn't stop thinking about Dog Vader, or tease his appet.i.te long enough to swallow.

"Food's probably going to be a problem, isn't it Mom?" Paola said.