Free Shattered: An Extreme Risk Novel by Tracy Wolff Page B

him, gave me an email address for correspondence. We’ve been going back and forth for the last few days, but when I tried to get the dates worked out, he said he’d have to talk to you. I’ve been waiting, but I just talked to Timmy’s mom and she thinks the trip has to be sooner rather than later. Which is why I’m here …”
    For long seconds, I can’t do anything but stare at her as my brain tries to catch up with what she’s saying. It’s not that difficult, but I just can’t wrap my head around it, especially when I’m pretty damn sure that Alan hasn’t been corresponding with
anyone
behind my back.
    Behind me, Logan clears his throat. “Ash? Can I talk to you?”
    There’s something about the way he says my name—and the look on Tansy’s face when she hears his voice—that has everything clicking into place.
    “You?” I demand, whirling on him. “You called her?”
    I expect him to deny it, or to at least plead his case a little. Instead, all he does is obstinately stick his chin in the air and say, “Yeah. So what?”
    “Oh my God,” Tansy says behind me, but I don’t have time to worry about her right now.I’m still in shock that my brother has done this, that he’s gone behind my back and set something in motion that is so crazy, so ridiculous, that I don’t even know where to begin talking to him.
    So, naturally, I start by yelling. “Are you kidding me? Why would you fucking do that? Why would you lie to her like that?”
    “I wasn’t lying. When I first called her, it was just to get you to go to Oregon. I mean, that kid is dying, Ash, and he wants to meet you. How selfish can you be not to go do that for him?”
    Selfish? This kid, this little shit who is doing his best to make my head explode, is calling
me
selfish? “You know why I can’t go—”
    “Yeah, because of me! Except, I’m fine.” He gestures to his wheelchair. “It’s not like I’m just out of the hospital. I’ve been doing this for six months and I’ve pretty much got the hang of it now. I can go three days without you, especially if Z, Luc and Cam are here. Between them and Sarah, I won’t have to do anything. They’ll take care of it all.”
    “But it’s not three days anymore. It’s a trip to Chile. For—” I glance at Tansy, who looks horrified. She also looks more than a little concerned, which probably means I’ve got my crazy eyes on. God knows, I feel more than a little nuts.
    “Eight days,” she says.
    “
Eight
days? Are you kidding me with this?”
    “You don’t have to be there the whole time,” she points out quickly. “But that’s what the anonymous benefactor sent enough money for—”
    “Anonymous benefactor?”
    “Yes.” She beams, literally beams. “The day after I talked to Alan—umm, I mean—” She gestures to my brother.
    “Logan,” he tells her with a grin.
    “Logan.” She smiles back. “The day after I talked to Logan, a letter showed up from a local attorney about the trip, along with a very large check to pay for it.”
    “Oh, it did, did it?” I think about Z and the millions of dollars he doesn’t know what to do with. Of the unflagging campaign he and the others have launched to get me to go along with this Make-A-Wish thing. To get me back on the powder. I end up glaring at my brother. “I wonder where
that
came from?”
    “Don’t look at me.” He holds his hands up in front of him. “I have no idea what happened. I just wanted to get you to Oregon. Once Chile was brought up, I kind of freaked out a little.”
    “So you just stopped answering her emails? That’s awesome, Logan. Really classy.”
    “I was trying to think of a way to convince you to go.”
    “Yeah, but that was never going to happen. So now you’ve caused all this trouble fornothing.”
    “Why isn’t it going to happen?” Logan demands. “You love boarding in Chile!”
    “Excuse me,” Tansy interjects, but we both ignore her.
    “I love a lot of things. That doesn’t