Something Wilder

Leo turned from the sight of his oldest friend being arrested, and watched as Lily ran to Nicole. The two women embraced, and at Lily’s relieved sob, all of the tension diffused out of the moment. Suddenly Leo felt like he could breathe again, no longer holding it in, struggling to keep himself together long enough to get Lily to safety.

With the reprieve, however, came torment, and he now felt every punch, every brutal kick, every ounce of betrayal and disappointment. Beneath him, his legs seemed to morph into a different substance, no longer flesh and bone but shoddily built and rubbery. He fell gracelessly as the cops marched Bradley, Jay, and Kevin out toward the river, where, in the distance, a helicopter whirred to life, misting water everywhere.

“Leo,” Bradley called. “Dude, tell them we’re cool!”

Leo ignored him, pulling his knees to his chest, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. “Holy shit,” he mumbled over and over, trying to breathe more deeply. His head throbbed, his mind grappling with this new reality.

Voices rose around him—Lily telling the rangers what had happened, Nicole explaining how it hadn’t sat right with her that Bradley left, that the one person who was most enthusiastic about every part of this trip would just disappear right at the end.

“I was sitting at Archie’s,” she said, her voice muffled by the constant low ringing in his ears, “and I thought, ‘Why did he keep asking me how much money I thought there would be and how we’d split it up?’ He’d been all about the adventure, but then suddenly it was, ‘How are we gonna split it up?’ and ‘Are we gonna have to give some of it to the government?’ Why was he so obsessed with it one minute, but flying to New York the very next? It didn’t add up.”

When Bradley had left, she thought maybe he just wanted to weasel out of questions about what happened to Terry, but then Lily called and told her the Lost Boys had held them at gunpoint. That’s when Nicole had put it all together.

“But how did you find us here?”

“They traced your call from the satellite phone,” Nicole said. “But honestly, we knew to look for a trail, and these assholes are just really fucking sloppy.”

The rangers’ voices faded, footsteps approached, and he felt two arms come around him.

“Hey, you.” Lily coaxed him to lean against her. “Come here.”

Her lips pressed to his neck, his cheek. She ran a careful hand over his hair. “You’re a mess, honey, look at you.”

“I still can’t believe it,” he told her. “Bradley.”

“I know.” She set her mouth against his temple. “I hate him for this. God, I hope someone beats his ass in county.” Scooting around so she was kneeling in front of him, Lily caught his eye. “You okay?”

He nodded, but the motion made him wince.

“I’m worried he has a concussion,” she said to someone over the top of his head. “Leo?” She kissed his cheek. “Honey, do you think you can walk?”

“Yeah.” But when he tried, his legs didn’t want to cooperate. Nothing felt solid. Everything hurt.

Nicole came to his other side, and the two helped him stand. A head rush hit him like a hurricane, and he weaved in place, so queasy that his vision dotted black.

“Easy,” Lily murmured. “Take your time. They’re just getting the shitheads situated in there. They’ll wait for us.”

He closed his eyes, bending to rest his forehead on Lily’s shoulder while he got his bearings. Leo felt like he was falling forward into her, but she was steady and strong against him.

“How did you manage to get a helicopter?” Lily’s voice was a gentle vibration against his skull. He didn’t know how she was so calm right then. Maybe because it was her turn to be steady, and Leo’s turn to be lost.

“I slept with that guy Joe, remember?” Nicole said. “He flies that thing.”

“Oh my God, that Joe?” Lily laughed. “Why did you kick that hot man out of bed? I thought—”

“Hey,” Leo growled. “I’m standing right here.”

“You’re making jokes!” Lily sang. “That has to be a good sign. Let’s try to walk, okay?”

She put her arm around his waist. He took one step, then one more, and slowly, supported by two women who were stronger than any man he knew, he hiked the distance to the chopper. He was glad Lily was okay. He was glad Nicole had slept with a helicopter pilot, that she got the rangers there in time. He was glad he’d grabbed the one important thing from the cave. He was glad they were alive, but it was hard to celebrate: his temples throbbed, his ribs were screaming. But just thinking about what happened… it felt like his heart had cracked in half.