Page 75 of Minus

I could have sat there kissing her forever. In fact, I’d gladly have died right there on the spot if that moment, frozen in time, was to be my eternal reward. But I knew I had a long way to go before I’d earned my ticket out of hell, let alone a pass to heaven. Besides, I had a pressing matter I needed to discuss with Cricket.

“Hey, I’ve got something I want to give you,” I said, producing a small black box.

“I swear to God Minus…,” she began to protest.

“Would you relax?” I said, handing it to her. “It’s not an engagement ring.”

“What is it?” she asked nervously.

“Just open it, you lunatic,” I ground out, and Boston whinnied in reply. “See, even he wants you to open it.”

Cricket finally flipped the lid open and screwed up herface. “What the heck is this little thing?”

“That is a GPS tracker. Gunnach Technologies makes them. They are top of the line, super-small, undetectable to all known bug sweepers, and can be tracked via a phone app. I always want you to have this on you, so I always know where you are. After what happened with Warthog, I’m not taking any chances. I know it’s kind of creepy, but I swear I’ll only track you in case of emergencies, all right?”

“I trust you,” Cricket said.

“Good, because now Iamgonna pull out a ring,” I said, and Cricket started to stiffen once again. At some point, I was going to need to know if it was the thought of marriage that made her react like a cat at bath time, or if it was the thought of marrying me specifically. “Don’t worry, it’s for the tracker. It’s an antique poison ring, and I’m going to put the tracker inside,” I said, sliding the silver ring on her delicate finger.

“It’s beautiful,” Cricket said. “Where did you get this?”

“You can thank Pearl. I asked her if she had any jewelry that could be used to hide something small, and she said this looked like something that should belong to you.”

“I’m going to start crying. It’s gorgeous, and I’ll be happy to wear it,” she said.

“Good, because I want you to leave this on whenever humanly possible. If you lose it, or it gets stolen, let me know right away, and I’ll replace it with the backup unit.”

“I understand,” she said.

“Good, let’s get the horses back, so we can get ready for dinner. Your presence has likely given Pearl an excuse to cook something special.”

“I take it that’s good news?” Cricket asked.

“No, that isverygood news,” I replied and pulled her close. “Hey.”

Cricket smiled up at me. “Hey.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Just checkin’.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me gently. “Can’twait to get you naked later.”

“We’ll make dinner quick.”

She laughed, and we headed back to the barn.

Minus

After a latenight of strategy planning with generals Duke, Pearl, and Cricket, which included a meal fit for royalty and emptying a few bottles, Cricket and I crashed in one of the bunk rooms. This wasn’t just any room, however. This was the room I stayed in when I first got here. Back when my heart was still an open wound, and I’d cry like a little kid some nights. Tonight, Cricket was in my arms, and I was going to make sure she stayed there, no matter what.

“Jase?” Cricket asked, in a sleepy voice.

“Yeah, baby, what is it?” I whispered.

“Where did you end up putting Cutter’s ledger?”

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