FIFTY-NINE

JOJO BARELY REGISTERED the thudding overhead. Harper’s words rang in her head. I did.

I did.

“I don’t understand.”

Harper scooted closer. “It wasn’t like it was a real rape. That’s why I did it.”

A vise closed around Jojo’s chest, and her breathing got shallower. “I don’t understand,” she repeated. They were the only words she had. Nothing—nothing—made sense.

“Like, we’d already been together.” Harper gave the sweetest, prettiest smile, the one that made the dimple appear in her cheek. “We knew it had to look like you’d been raped, but I wouldn’t let him do it. So I just used my hand. You know?”

Jojo did not know. “Why?”

“To bring down Kevin.”

In the corner Kevin gave a low moan, but he didn’t wake up. His breathing rattled.

“Why?” Maybe if Jojo kept asking that one simple word, something would eventually make sense. Behind her, her bound hands burned.

“Because he’s at the top of the chain. Everyone’s eyes are on him, like the whole nation, you know? Half the men in America aren’t even watching football, in protest of what he does, with his pin and his fist and his protests. He needed to be shut up. Like, in a way that no one would ever believe him or a man like him again. So we decided to do it this way.”

That “we” was the scariest part. “But you loved Kevin. And Zach. And CapB. You weren’t just acting.” Yet even as she said it, Jojo felt it click into place. Harper had never been as into the politics as Jojo had. Harper had only gone to the street-medic trainings because Jojo wanted her to. Their friendship had rekindled at a banner-making meeting, but Harper had confessed that it’d been her first. She’d only gone back because of Jojo.

“You were at that first meeting because Ray—Dixon—sent you to it.”

Harper nodded as if pleased. “Exactly.”

“Why?”

“CapB hates cops, you know that. They say they don’t, but you know they do—you’ve heard them talking. And that’s not the American way. In this country we honor those who defend our streets, just like we honor our soldiers fighting for our soil.”

They weren’t Harper’s words—Harper had never spoken like that in her life.

“Dixon isn’t a cop anymore,” Jojo said. “Why does he care? And what about the guys you slept with? Those are all cops, and you’re blackmailing them. How does that go together—”

“Oh, no, those guys aren’t real cops. They’re the fake ones. They act like they’re on the force, but really they’re just friends of the chief. It’s all, like, fake. We were just going after the bad cops, the ones who don’t have the public’s true interests at heart.”

“Harper—what happened to you?” Dixon had done something to make Harper lose her mind. The thought made Jojo more desperate than she’d already been. “It’s like you’ve gone insane.”

Harper narrowed her eyes and drew backward. “He said you’d say that. He said anyone who knew about us would say that.”

Another crash, and then a man’s shout came from upstairs. The radio babbled on—Bettina saying something about a 415 female complaining about a neighbor’s car blocking her driveway. But upstairs someone was fighting with Dixon, and that someone might not win.

If that happened, he’d come down and kill her and Kevin.

“He needs me!” Harper stood and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m not supposed to go up there but . . .”

No, Jojo needed to get Harper back on her side, to break her out of whatever dream she was in. “Harper, listen. I’m sorry I said that. You’re not crazy.”

“Whatever.” Harper put her foot on the first step. Her face was pale, and she paused.

Was Harper rethinking this? Could it be she didn’t want to help him? The real Harper was still in there—she had to be. Maybe Jojo could reach her with words.

“Look,” Jojo said. “Look at what I have around my neck.”

“Huh?” Harper glanced at the ropes at Jojo’s feet, as if she’d misheard.

“Come here.” Jojo inclined her head. “Look at what’s on my necklace.”

Harper approached her slowly. “If this is some kind of trick . . .”

“It’s not. Just look. Please.”

Harper was close enough to push back Jojo’s hair. She tugged the chain up and out of Jojo’s T-shirt. The ring dangled. “Oh,” Harper said quietly. “You’re wearing it.”

“Of course I am. You’re my best friend.” The words tasted like acid in her mouth. “I love you.”

Harper kept the ring in her hand. She was so close that Jojo could smell her—a light scent of BO layered on top of Bombshell. “That was going to be the first thing I bought with the money, once I got it. A matching ring.”

Jojo tried to smile. “We could go try to steal one for you. Maybe you’d get away with it this time.”

“Like you did, you bitch.” The words were warm, and Harper dropped a kiss on Jojo’s cheek. “I’ve missed you, Cordelia.”

“I missed you, too.” It wasn’t true—she’d missed the old Harper, the one that was now just a ghost, not this version of the girl she loved. “Please, please untie me. I’m begging you.”

Harper stilled. They both listened to the upper floor shake. “Did he really kill Zach, do you think?”

“He really did.” Jojo held her breath.

“He never told me that. I was in the car when we left you at Kevin’s. He took a while to come out. He seemed kind of freaked out, but he didn’t say anything. Nothing.”

“I have a feeling there’s a lot he’s not telling you. Let me help.”

Harper shook her head, as if trying to wake up. “I can’t.”

“Your mom is losing her mind, she’s so worried.”

Harper blinked.

“And Andy is, like, catatonic. They miss you so much. I saw his eyes all red and wet from crying.”

It was the wrong thing to say—Harper gave a brittle laugh. “Crying ’cause he’ll miss fucking me.”

Jojo jerked. “Jesus.”

“What? Like you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t know. Are you serious? He did that? I asked you if he’d hurt you—remember?”

“And then you believed me when I said he hadn’t.”

“I believed you because that’s what I do! I believe my friends! What happened?” They didn’t have time—they had to get out—but this was key, getting Harper to trust her again. To break this spell she was under.

Harper shrugged. “Nah, it only happened a couple times, honestly, right around that time you asked me about it. I’d been drinking with him both times. I was stupid and let him do it.”

Jojo gasped. “You did nothing wrong! You’re the victim—he’s a criminal.”

“Eh, I get a lot out of guilting him into giving me whatever I want. I just threaten to tell Pamela. It’s kind of great, actually.”

“And your mom never noticed? Never asked?”

Harper tilted her head prettily. “You know her. She never notices a single thing about me.”

“She loves you.”

“I know that. She’s just not like your mom, all concerned and careful and shit. Pamela trusts me. I guess she trusts Andy, too, which makes her pretty stupid, right? She never pays attention to what I’m doing. Ray, though. He does. He always pays attention to me.”

Jojo’s heart clattered in her chest painfully. “I always pay attention to you. I love you.”

Harper’s right eyebrow rose. “Do you, though?”

“I was in love with you!” Jojo couldn’t breathe again—it felt like the gag was back in and she was choking around the words she hadn’t even known were true till they hung in the air between them.

“Oh, Joshi, I know that. But you left me.”

“What?”

“When my parents didn’t want us to hang out after your dad got us arrested.”

We got ourselves arrested by doing something stupid. The necklace hung heavy around her throat. “Harper. I’m so sorry. I missed you every day. I thought your parents were keeping you from me. And I thought you hated me. You wouldn’t even look at me when you passed me.”

“You didn’t have to give up. You just gave up on me. You didn’t fight for me. Nobody fights for me but Ray. He’ll never leave me.”

More frantic thumping came from upstairs.

Harper’s eyes widened. “We should—”

A short, high scream, full of pain, came from upstairs. They were running out of time.

“I’m so sorry, Harper. I should have fought for you, for our friendship.” Even knowing that something was so deeply broken in Harper that she could do this, Jojo still wanted to be near her. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

Harper inhaled sharply. Jojo could feel her wobbling. “Look. Just untie me. At least then I can make my own choice to fight or not, okay? If he killed Zach, just think what he’ll do to me. I’ll tell him I got free on my own. You can do that, right?”

“I can’t.”

“He killed Zach.”

Harper gave another rapid inhalation. “No, fuck that. Do you think—did Zach hurt? When it happened?”

What was the right answer? The truth would have to do. Jojo nodded. “I don’t know. But I think so.”

“Shit.” Harper leaned forward and started working with the knots. “Ray did them tight. You have to tell him you got out of them. And I’m not helping you get past him.”

“Hurry,” breathed Jojo. The noise upstairs had quieted. Either Dixon was dead or he’d won, and she knew who she’d lay money on. “What’s the address here?”

Harper frowned and tugged on the rope. “Why?”

“Just tell me.”

“It’s 11621 Hinds.”

The second her hands were free, Jojo bent to undo the knots at her feet. Her muscles burned from being asleep so long. “Undo Kevin while I do this.”

“No, just you.”

Fine, Jojo would have to undo him later. Her leg rope was off. She pushed herself to standing. Then she lunged toward Bettina’s voice. If it wasn’t just a scanner, if Dixon had actually kept a department-issued radio at home, like so many of them did—

There it was. Tucked neatly into its base, fully charged, a Motorola just like the one her dad always carried. Just like the one she’d used in bed on birthday nights.

She lifted the radio to her mouth. She pushed the button and held it for the split second it took to open the channel.

Then, as Harper lunged at her, she said loudly and clearly, “Car 143, 11-99, 11621 Hinds.”

Her old code, with “officer down.” Jojo had never even heard 11-99 said on the air. It meant it was the direst of emergencies. She’d get in so much trouble later for saying it, with no actual officer down, but it had been the only thing she could think of to say. Even if half the cops at the department were corrupt, surely a few of them wouldn’t be.

Harper was on her then with a shriek, punching and slapping. “You bitch!”

“Stop!” Jojo dropped the radio and tried to grab her wrists. “Get off!”

Harper connected with a fist to Jojo’s jaw. Jojo’s neck snapped backward with an audible crack. Harper jabbed at her again, but she dodged this time. Then Harper got her arms around Jojo’s waist and heaved, trying to drag Jojo down with her.

Harper was serious.

She wanted to stop Jojo, maybe permanently.

Jojo lunged for the radio. She raised it, adrenaline pouring through her veins, acidic and hot. With a shout she brought it down hard on top of Harper’s skull.

Harper dropped like a marionette with its strings cut, folding into a heap at Jojo’s feet. Jojo’s first impulse was to fall, too, to make sure Harper was okay, that she wasn’t hurt too badly, but Kevin—she had to free him.

He was still out, but his eyelids were flickering quickly, as if he were dreaming. “Come on, Kevin, wake up. Can you wake up?” The knot of rope at his feet was easy, the one at his wrists more difficult. His hands were freezing to the touch. She ripped the duct tape from his face and pulled out the wet gag. “Kevin. I need you. Please wake up.”

His leg kicked, and his mouth moved. He gasped a deep breath, but his eyelids remained closed. He gasped again.

So did she.

Harper was motionless, lying in a late beam of sunlight from a high, street-level window.

There was no air—no air. Jojo sucked in a breath and felt her vision narrow.

A female’s scream filtered down from upstairs.

Mom.