Oliver drives me down the road instead of making me run. We get to the house to find the fire department already there, but the house is gone.
Oliver holds my hand as I walk to the nearest firefighter.
“Were they in there? Did they escape?”
“Silas!” Marcus is sitting on a gurney, part of his face red and raw from a burn. I rush to him and give him a hug.
“Where’s everybody else?”
He shakes his head and his lip trembles. I know he would be crying if he could. And I find myself wishing I could cry as well.
Marianne. William. Alex. All gone.
“How did this happen? Who did this?”
“The police. There were several officers. They…they left one of us alive on purpose. To deliver a message. A message for you.”
My stomach drops. “What? What is it?”
“It was this guy…he said he owed you one fo
