He was just bending his knees to boogie down to the sand when the DD Team surrounded him. Sadie kept dancing, waving her hands as she twirled. But Warren stopped dancing, jumping back like he’d been clawed by a sand crab. When the DD Team closed in on him, panic crossed his face.
But before they could lasso him with their silver ropes and take him back to the other side, Warren let out a scream and pushed past them.
Then he took off, running for his life … his Dark Life.
17
“Warren! Come back!” Sadie cried, staring after him with dismay.
With the danger gone, I rushed over to her side and wrapped my arms around her. “Sadie! I’m so glad he didn’t hurt you.”
“Are you insane?” She pushed me away angrily. “Warren would never hurt me.”
“Thank God he didn’t get the chance!” I stared off down the beach where the running figures grew smaller, smaller … until they were only a smudge on the horizon. There was a glint of silver that could have been one of the ropes, and then nothing.
All four had vanished.
Sadie adjusted a shoulder strap of her bikini and wrapped a towel around her waist, covering the shiny red jewel in her belly piercing. With her hands on her hips, she glared at me. “What the hell is going on? And who are you?” She jabbed a finger at Eli.
“My brother. He just arrived.”
“So ruining my life runs in your family.” Sadie turned from us, staring off down the beach anxiously. “Is Warren going to come back? And who were those suits chasing him?”
“I really don’t know.”
“What do you know?” she demanded.
“Only that Warren was bad news,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over the music. “I’ll tell you what I know, but not here where I can hardly hear my own thoughts.”
She nodded, complaining all the way from the beach to a shady area with benches. “This so sucks. Just when things are working out with Warren, these people show up and ruin everything. Warren was going to take me out tonight to a romantic, private resort.”
“You wouldn’t have liked it,” I told her ominously.
“Says who? You’re just jealous because I got Warren and you’re hanging out with your little brother.” Her words were sharp, but her lower lip quivered as we sat down on the cement bench farthest away from the jogging path. “Why did Warren run?”
Eli raised his brows at me as if to say, What are you going to tell her? I answered with a small head shake: As if I know! I ran all kinds of answers through my mind, but each one sounded more and more ridiculous. While I was racking my brain, Sadie’s eyes welled up like she was going to cry … but not because she was worried about Warren. She was worried all right — for herself. And I had a good idea why.
“Sadie, this might be hard to believe,” I said carefully, placing my hand on her arm. “Those people after Warren were undercover cops.”
“You’re right — I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true,” Eli added.
She turned on him, glaring. “How do you know?”
“They showed us their badges when they questioned us.” Eli sounded so convincing I almost believed him.
“You were questioned and didn’t tell me?” Sadie exclaimed with an accusing look at me.
“Sworn to secrecy,” I said gravely.
“Oh. My. God! This is ridiculous! Why are they after Warren?” She clutched her hands around her bead-fringed designer handbag. “What did he do?”
“Identity theft,” Eli said.
“Shoplifting,” I said at the same time.
“Which one?” Sadie demanded.
“Both,” I replied before Eli could say something completely different.
“So everything he’s told me … is a lie?” Sadie rubbed her reddening eyes. “Is his name even Warren?”
“Doubtful. He’s had lots of names,” I improvised. “Mark, Bradley and Alejandro were some I remember the police mentioning. That’s why I warned you to stay away from him.”
“But stealing isn’t that big of a deal,” Sadie insisted. “Everyone’s done it at least once.”
“Not everyone,” Eli said.
Sadie put her hands on her hips and faced Eli skeptically. “Like you’ve never stolen anything?”
Eli shook his head. “Never.”
“Not even from your parents? Not candy, money or a car?”
“Well … ” His shoulders sagged a little. “I’ve borrowed a car without asking a few times.”
“Borrowing is just another word for stealing. So don’t come off like you’re better than Warren because he’s made some mistakes. It’s not fair how they chased him like some animal. What can they prove, anyway?”
“They’ve had him under surveillance since he used a stolen ATM card yesterday,” I lied.
“Yesterday?” Sadie’s mouth dropped open. “But I’ve been with Warren … do you think they’ve been watching me, too?”
“Sure, but all you’ve done is hang out at the beach and the shops, so there’s nothing to worry about. Right, Sadie?”
“Right,” she said too quickly, gnawing on her pink-frosted thumb nail. She shifted her handbag to her shoulder and glanced down at the neon watch on her wrist. “I just remembered something I need to do.”
“Shopping?” I guessed.
“No!” She shook her head, looking sick enough to vomit. “I may never shop again.”
* * *
Eli tilted his head curiously when Sadie raced off like she was being chased by the DD Team. “What’s with her?” he asked.
But I just shrugged and said I didn’t know. Even though I wasn’t really Sadie’s friend, I felt loyal to her. And I had optimistic hopes that Sadie’s conscience (or fear of tacky orange jail jumpsuits) would cause her to return stuff she stole and give up stealing forever. A book I’d read called The Infernal Optimist advised to always expect the best of people because they might surprise you by living up to your expectations.
We gazed back toward the ocean. The dancing had spread from the center of the beach all the way to the foaming shoreline, where barefoot spring breakers splashed and kicked up sand with the rise and fall of the surf. Due to the addition of a DJ and sound system, sound waves rivaled ocean waves, rocking powerfully enough to topple the sand sculptures. The people who weren’t dancing were watching the dancing; no one seemed aware of the drama that had just taken place.
Except Eli and me.
We walked down to a rocky outcrop, where surf swirled into tide pools and tiny crabs scurried into sandy holes and dark crevices. We climbed across rocks until the music was muffled to a faraway buzz, drowned out by the rhythmic crashing waves and sea gulls shrieking as they wheeled and dived. Sitting down on a sandy patch of peacefulness tucked between rocks, we were both silent, wrapped in our own thoughts. I wondered what Eli was thinking; perhaps he was wondering the same thing about me. We’d been so focused on other-side problems that there hadn’t been any time for us. Now that we did have time, there was an awkward silence.
“Well … ” Eli finally said, glancing at me expectantly. “Now what happens?”
“I’m not sure. I could be switched back any minute.”
He nodded, looking disappointed. I felt disappointed, too. Here I was with the guy I maybe-loved, relaxing by the ocean with salty crisp breezes and blue-gray sea curving into a forever horizon. We even had background music to add to the romantic ambience. And except for the “can’t kiss because he’s my brother” thing, this was the perfect romantic moment.
But any minute Grammy would whisk my soul away with no warning. Then good-bye beach and spring break. Zap! Back into a hospital bed and my own body.