Page 23 of Into the Dark, We Go

"I don’t know, you tell me," she goaded.

"There wasn’t anything related to your sister or Nell’s guy."

"Maybe anything weird or creepy that caught your eye?" June squinted.

Mitchell listened, not saying anything. I thought he’d interfere, considering how he tried to smooth things overbetween me and his sister. But this courtesy apparently didn’t extend to Nick.

"What, like a self-moving Ouija board? Or videotapes of my mom summoning the devil?"

"You said it."

"For fuck’s sake!" Nick exclaimed, covering his eyes with his hand. "No, there wasn’t anything suspicious. Just stupid books on manifestation and shit, and that’s about it."

But June kept pushing despite his outburst. "Why didn’t you just toss everything and leave?"

"Cause I was trying to do the right thing and make sense out of her paperwork, online store, and orders," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"The website’s still live," June said, her voice inquisitorial, like she was trying to catch him in a lie.

"I’m managing it now."

"What, nowyou’rethe psychic?" she taunted.

"June!" warned Mitchell, but she didn’t react.

"I’m just handling her online orders, okay? I was going to shut everything down, but I didn’t. And she was no more a psychic than I am. So I was just being careful when you came around. Can we drop it?"

"Why, Nick, we’re just trying to get to know you." In the rearview mirror, I saw how June leaned back in her seat, arms crossed, and a smirk on her face. Somehow, she really got to him.

Nick sat diagonally behind me in the rear passenger seat, and I could practically feel waves of irritation radiating off him. "I didn’t sign up for a full-blown interrogation. So cut the crap."

Mitchell turned back, trying to protect his sister. "We just want to understand what we’re dealing with here."

"Can you try doing it without prying into every detail of my life?" Nick retorted and then added without changing his tone,"I haven’t asked you why you were kicked out of the military because I know it’s irrelevant."

Mitchell exploded, turning to face Nick. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Uh-oh. Mitchell never mentioned anything like that, and from what he told me, I understood that he simply resigned. Was Nick more informed, or was he just shooting in the dark? And if so, was this actually true?

"Guys," I interjected softly. However, no one seemed to notice or care.

For a second, I thought they might start a fight, but Mitchell locked eyes with him, sat back in his seat, and muttered, "Fucking asshole."

Cars were honking outside, adding chaos to the city’s noise. I was struggling to focus on the heavy traffic, trying to maneuver the Dodge out of it without causing any damage. Still, on the inside, I felt like throwing open the door and jumping into the frenzy of vehicles, ready to take my chances.

When I was six, my parents and I drove to Fort Myers, where my dad’s friend rented us a small boathouse for the week. Somewhere along the way, my parents started bickering over something my dad had done wrong or forgotten to do. After a heated exchange, they plunged into a sullen silence that lingered for hours.

This trip felt like a bad rerun, only now there were more people and even more tension. The acrid smell of exhaust seeped through the weak A/C, mingling with the silence and thickening the air. We were only a few hours into the drive, and I already dreaded what might come next.

I felt like a kid, listening to my parents’ endless arguments. I wasn’t willing to sit through it anymore.

Without saying another word, I took the nearest exit and pulled onto a quiet street with no traffic, stopped the car, and switched on the hazard lights.

Everyone looked at me. Mitchell asked, "What’s going on? Why did we stop?"

"We’re not going anywhere until you all stop bickering and start acting like adults." I crossed my arms over my chest and gave each of them a stern look. June looked away, but Nick held steady.

Mitchell took the liberty of breaking the tension, "Let’s grab a bite. It’s a crime to be in Chicago and not try deep-dish pizza. Heard so much about it."