Page 11 of Burn Bag

“Get the fuck in the van.”

“Oh, cool. Are we leaving?” he asked as he wiggled back into the middle seat.

I slammed the door in his face and turned to the guys. “What do you think?”

Eli huffed out a laugh. “Seriously? I think Fox lost it this time. Well and truly lost it and thinks he talked to a mouse who gave him orders. That’s what I fucking think.”

“We need to dig into this and find out if Cash is alive,” Red said, glancing over my shoulder at Fox.

“I’m not sure any of our resources would help. They didn’t in the past.”

“Get Rae on it,” I ordered, though it wasn’t my place. “Fuck, if my father were alive?—”

“He might not be able to help either,” Eli assured me. “What’s done is done. Don’t beat yourself up over things you can’t change.”

I knew he was right, but fuck, so much shit had gone wrong. I felt like one more thing would push me over the edge.

“I’ll give Rae a call,” Dash grumbled. “Though I could find out on my own,” he added quickly. “It’s not that she’s better than me.”

“And Fox?” Eli asked. “What the fuck do we do about him?”

We all turned and looked at Fox. He was sitting in his seat, grinning at us like an idiot.

“We keep him close,” I murmured. “Whatever the hell is going on, we need to keep an eye on him.”

“Mental breakdown?” Dash asked.

“Probably. Let’s just hope we can get him back before he tries to kill anyone else.”

4

KAVANAUGH

“So,is this vacation everything you hoped for?” Red asked, leaning back against the log as the fire crackled in front of us.

I scowled at him, pulling my jacket tighter as I tried to get comfortable on the hard ground.

“I told you they wouldn’t let us near those yurts,” Thumper muttered.

I glanced around the desert at the other fire that was lit not too far away. Some of the other guys were taking the first watch with Fox while those of us who had to deal with him earlier took a break.

“All I wanted was some time to reevaluate life. Is that really too much to ask?”

“No, but then again, none of us are normal,” Dash retorted. “I’m not sure what you thought you’d actually accomplish.”

Fuck, I wasn’t sure anymore either. I rolled to my back and stared up at the stars twinkling in the sky. It was beautiful, but none of this felt right. I was supposed to be in a different place right now. Isla was supposed to be by my side and I was supposed to be happy.

“It’s all IKE’s fault,” I muttered, ignoring the snort coming from the man I pretended to despise.

“It is not,” he grumbled, taking a seat on the other side of the fire. “You fucked up. Admit that.”

I grunted, hating that he was right. “She loved me.”

“Did she?”

I sighed, “No. Not the way she loves you.”

“So, what the fuck are you bitching about?” IKE snapped. “Stop acting like a pussy.”

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