“RUN!”

Ben and Shelton jumped at my barked command. We all bolted out the rear door.

And were stopped short by yet another pistol.

“Good afternoon.” Nigel Short smirked, crooked teeth poking in every direction. He wore a brown tweed suit with a solid maroon tie. In his hand was a 9mm Beretta. “Why don’t we step back inside?”

“Dr. Short?” Confused. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ll be shooting you three in the head, unless you move back into that church.” He cocked his weapon. “Understood?”

Slowly, we raised our hands, turned, and reentered the chapel. Marlo and Tree Trunk were standing in the aisle near the front pews. Marlo wore his white tee and jeans. Tree Trunk’s current jersey was LeBron James.

Guns in front. Gun in back. Not good.

“You’ve no idea what it’s like tracking you delinquents all over creation.” Short pushed his tiny spectacles back up his nose. “Exhausting.”

“The rich bitch.” Marlo was scanning the room. “He’s not here. The fat one’s missing too.”

“Chance and Hi bailed.” I poured everything into the lie. “Too much excitement for one week.”

“Hardly,” Short said. “They’re guarding Bonny’s treasure, of course.”

“Ya’ll are gonna take us to it.” Marlo waggled his pistol. “Or this gets … messy.”

Tree Trunk stood statue still. Mute. Menacing.

“There wasn’t any treasure.” Shelton’s voice shook. “The chest was empty.”

“Come now.” Short’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

With a flick of his wrist, Short motioned for Marlo to cover the rear door. Then, unhurried, he walked to the first pew and sat.

I assessed the situation. Marlo at the rear door. Tree Trunk in the aisle, blocking access to the front entrance. We were trapped again.

“It’s true,” Ben said. “We found nothing. Bonny’s legend was a fraud.”

“You’ve got to do better than that,” Short scolded. “Tell us where the treasure is, and Marlo will make this quick. Otherwise, you’ll become acquainted with the services of his brother, Duncan.”

Duncan winked, the first readable expression I’d seen on his face.

Stall! my brain ordered.

“Cat got your tongues?” Marlo ratcheted back the slide on his piece. “Looks like I’ll have to be more persuasive.”

“Wait!” Heart racing, I piled on words. “Why are you doing this?”

I had no real sense of Marlo, but the cold look in his eyes was terrifying.

“For real?” Marlo clucked from one side of his mouth. “Dollars, girl. This is a nice score for my brother and me.”

“I met Marlo and Duncan while tracing your steps,” Short said. “Imagine my surprise to find so many other people following you.”

“The Fletchers,” I hissed. “You killed them, didn’t you?”

Short gave a dismissive flip of his hand. “Rank amateurs. Obstinate children. Those two believed they were so clever. Such skilled investigators.” He snorted derisively. “I’ve been researching Anne Bonny’s treasure for three decades. The Fletchers knew nothing, not even what they were looking for! They weren’t worthy of the prize.”

“You didn’t have to murder them.”

“They wouldn’t listen to reason,” Short said matter-of-factly. “But Duncan here got them to chat, and then they had an unfortunate accident. And now we have you.”

Short’s voice went cold. “We know you have the chest.”

“You’d kill us all for pirate treasure?” My mouth was so dry I could barely speak.

“What type of game did you think you were playing?” Short snapped. “Thirty years! Trolling through dusty archives. Painstakingly gleaning clues from archaic documents long forgotten by the living. And then one day you four walk in, wide-eyed and dreamy, with a letter written by Anne Bonny herself.” Short tapped the Beretta against his knee. “Asking questions about Half-Moon Battery. Gaelic. Using sample writing from the treasure map. You practically announced your search in skywriting!”

Short’s tone was glacial, but madness danced behind his eyes. “I’m a document expert. Did you think I’d missed the bent cross on each of the letter’s pages? Or that I wouldn’t connect it to Bonny’s famous treasure map?”!!!Think Tory! Time is running out!

“You spied on us.” First thought I could verbalize.

“Of course.” Short crossed his legs. “After you brought me the letter, I suspected you might know something useful. When you asked to see Bonny’s private documents, I listened over the intercom. I even considered stalking you myself, but realized I’d need help.” Self-deprecating smile. “I’m not as young as I was once.”

Ben glared at Marlo. “So you hired these thugs.”

“Thugs?” Marlo stepped close to Ben’s face. “Watch your mouth, boy.”

“We had similar goals, but the boys lacked direction.” Short stood, gently waved Marlo back with his gun. “I lacked manpower. They lacked brainpower. Working together solved both our problems. They’re quite adept at surveillance and muscle.”

“That’s me.” Marlo flexed a bicep. “Muscle, baby!”

Duncan just stared.

“The Studebaker,” Shelton squeaked. “Ya’ll drive that jalopy?”

“Jalopy?” Marlo sneered. “That ride is vintage. Dunc and I restored her, piece by piece.”

“The pawnshop,” I said, finally piecing it together. Why had it taken me so long? “Your father is Lonnie Bates.”

“My father’s a damn fool.” Marlo snorted. “Hates getting jacked, though. Put us on the job the minute ya’ll bounced from the shop. I thought he was nuts. Turns out, the old man’s still got the skills. Not that he’ll see a dime.”

“Enough chatting.” Behind his glasses, Short’s eyes were chips of granite. “Time for some answers. Why are you on Dewees? Why are you in this church? Where is the treasure chest?” He stepped closer to me. “And what’s in your bag?”!!!Out of time.

I closed my eyes. Dug deep.

SNAP.

My powers flooded like water through a breaking dam.

I dove into my subconscious.

Ben and Shelton appeared sharp in my mind. I could feel Hi close, but his image was blurry. Much fainter, at the edge of my perception, I sensed Coop spring to his feet.

As before, flaming ropes connected the five of us.

The golden nimbus surrounded my own image. Reaching for the others, I tried spreading the glow as I’d done before.!!!Virals. Listen up!

My message hit the invisible barrier separating our thoughts. Fragmented. I tried again and again. No go.!!!Why? What am I doing wrong?

Gritting my teeth, I willed my consciousness past the obstruction. Failed. Like our first wolf encounter on Bull Island, I was unable to touch their minds.

Short’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”

The image in my brain began to change. Hi solidified, grew more distinct. I sensed him creeping toward the chapel’s rear entrance.

A fault line appeared in the mental barrier. I pushed hard, opened a crack. Beside me, Ben and Shelton flinched.

Suddenly, the answer fired home.

Why the telepathy worked sometimes, but not others.

The failures. When practicing flares on Loggerhead, Shelton was missing. When first confronted by the wolves, Ben was scouting ahead.

And when had it worked?

We were together in the submerged tunnel. We were together fighting the Fletchers on Boneyard Beach.

The power fails when a Viral is missing. When the pack isn’t whole.

As Hi closed in, his image grew crisper. The walls separating us weakened.

“Feeling faint?” Short scoffed. “Talk, or you’ll have reason to be.”

Descending to my id, I projected with all the strength I could muster. Ben and Shelton shivered in response.

“Enough playin’,” said Marlo. “Time to get serious.”

Duncan’s eyes bored into me. “I’ll make her talk.” First words.

Beyond the church walls, Hi crossed a tipping point.

The barrier collapsed. My thoughts exploded outward.

I yanked the fiery lines and spread my flare to the other Virals.

I sensed Hi double over in shock. Shelton and Ben gasped. Inside my head, their figures now burned with yellow light.

“See?” Marlo taunted. “They scared of Dunc.”

Dispensing with words, I beamed images directly to their brains.

In seconds, my plan was in place.

I sensed Hi stop, then circle to the front of the church.

“Better yet,” Marlo said. “Shoot one of them boys and the chick will sing.”

“Yes, of course.” Short gestured at Ben, whose eyes were averted. “This one will do.”

Marlo’s pistol rose.

Now!

Faster than thought, Shelton winged the coin pouch at Marlo’s head.

Marlo deflected the bag with a contemptuous smirk. Then his eyes widened at the sight of doubloons scattering over the stones.

Dropping to a knee, he snatched up a coin. “Gold, baby!”

“Look out!” Short shouted.

Too late. Marlo glanced up just as Ben’s foot connected with his head. The two rolled backward in a tangle, limbs flailing.

Short aimed his gun at Shelton, who dove behind the stone altar.!!!Crack! Crack!

Bullets ricocheted. Shards flew.

Crack!

Duncan’s shot barely missed Ben’s back.

A blur streaked into the chapel and slammed Duncan from behind, knocking him to the ground. Duncan’s breath expelled with an audible “Oof!”

With an agility belying his poundage, Hi then whirled and shoved Short with both hands.

Short flew sideways toward me.

I grabbed the Beretta, but couldn’t pry it from his fingers.

“Get away!” Short struggled, desperate to free his weapon for a clean shot.

Duncan struggled to his knees. Hi wrapped himself around one enormous leg like an angry badger. Shelton lunged from behind the altar wielding an iron candlestick. Swung with all his strength.

Iron hit bone.!!!Thunk.

The big man tumbled backward holding his forehead.

In the corner, Ben and Marlo grappled on the floor.

“You have no right!” Short screamed. “You haven’t earned it! Bonny’s treasure belongs to me!”

I grunted, struggling to wrench the gun from his grip. But Short’s rage was equal to my flare strength. With a growl he began wildly squeezing the trigger.!!!Crack! Crack! Crack!

Bullets sparked against stone.

Things were spiraling out of control.