Page 50 of Static/Cling

His earpiece hummed briefly, and then they said, “Just between you and me, getting laid would not do that man any harm. Might relieve some tension.”

“You looking for a volunteer or something?”

“You volunteering?”

“Everyone needs a good source of stress relief. Even a grumpy IT guy.”

Sal snorted. His earpiece snapped and zapped and then he heard Roger going back and forth over menu items, so he knew he’d been patched back into the group. Even still, he could hear Sal sniggering.

He was tempted to remove the device, but so far, while it hadn’t shorted out, the sounds when Sal messed with the group settings were getting more intrusive, so he didn’t dare touch it. He wanted that to last as long as possible, since eventually, it was going to go on him, and at that point, he’d be on his own.

As it happened, far from not being hungry, Kassian ended up ordering the full steak and egg breakfast. Bjorn stuck to his tried-and-true eggs and back bacon, while Leif, alwayspredictable, got pancakes. Roger dithered until Sal told him to order a grilled cheese and milk.

“Right,” he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “Thanks, Sal.”

“Of course, sweetie.”

Bjorn’s earpiece crackled, and then Sal said, “You guys, make sure he eats it all. Kassian, you know how he gets when he’s nervous.”

“I know.”

“’Kay. Thanks.”

“We’ll take care of him, Sal. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll stop worrying when you’re all back here safe.”

“So you do care,” Leif teased.

“Shut it, you. Enjoy your breakfast, guys. I’m going to make coffee. Back in fifteen.”

The Burger World staff was efficient, and the food was hot and good. Roger picked at his sandwich until Kassian gave him a stern look, and then he ate it all and pushed his plate away, kneading at his stomach with restless fingers.

Leif pulled a tennis ball from a hoodie pocket and handed it to him. “But don’t bounce it here, okay? Just hang onto it.”

Roger nodded. “Thanks.”

He moved his nervous fidgeting from his stomach to the ball.

As soon as Leif had eaten, he stood. “C’mon, Rog. Let’s go see what we can do about a dog, yeah?”

“That’s a backup plan,” Kassian said.

“It is, but we have to have the dog to be able to implement it if we have to.” He turned to Roger. “How does this work? Do we need to borrow one from a pound or something? Should we have done that before we parked?”

Roger shook his head. “Nope. I just walk. One will come to me.”

“How?”

He shrugged. “They just do.”

“I’ll come with.” Bjorn pushed his plate away and got up.

“You’re the one who told me I have to eat,” Kassian said, “and I’m not done. You going to all leave me here?”

Leif tipped his head at the table and Bjorn sighed and sat back down. “Fine. I’ll wait.”

“Maybe finish your food,” Leif said, kneading the back of his neck briefly, sending a nice shiver through him. “You barely ate any supper last night. We don’t need you getting hangry halfway through this mission.”

---