Page 78 of Jake Forever
In front of me, Marshall continued tapping at his phone, ignoring what I'd just said.
My temper rose with every tap-tap of his beefy finger. "You should probably include a picture," I said. "Jake justlovesthose. Want me to back up so you can get a good shot?"
He didn't even look up. "No. That won't be necessary."
"Oh, well thank Heaven forthat."
We were interrupted by the sounds of a vehicle pulling into the parking garage. I looked, and sure enough, it was my brothers' pickup, emblazed with the Moon Construction logo.
"Look," I said, pointing to the truck, which was now pulling into its usual spot. "I'm only down here to meet my brothers, not that it's anyone's business."
No response. And no pause in the texting.
"So, what is it?" I demanded. "You're telling on me? If so, you're wasting your time, because there's nothing to tell."
He finished with the text and tucked the phone back into his pocket. He crossed his arms and continued to block my path.
I gave an epic eye-roll. "Un-freaking-believable."
Halfway across the garage, my brothers were getting out of their truck. At the sight of me, facing off against some big guy in a suit, they both paused.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and hollered out, "Hey! Over here!"
Yeah, it was stupid. Obviously, they knew exactly where I was, but I was looking to make a point.
Together, Steve and Anthony sauntered over. They gave the guy a good, long look.
Turning to me, Steve asked, "Want us to get rid of him?"
If only it were that easy. "How?" I asked.
Steve shrugged. "Eh, we could get the truck, run him over."
In unison, we all turned to look at the guy. He was big, but not nearly as big as the pickup. If I reallywerelooking to hurt him, it would be a decent plan, assuming the guy didn't have a gun, which he probably did.
So much for that idea.
Besides, I didn't want to hurt him. I just wanted him to go away.
It was Anthony who said, "We can't run him over. We just got the bumper repaired." He turned to me and said, "Six hundred bucks. Can you believe it?"
I thought of my own vehicle situation. "It could be worse," I told him. "You could have your car flattened by a crazy ex."
Anthony gave a slow nod. "Well, thereisthat."
Through all this, Marshall just stood there, looking so stoic that I wanted to scream.
Inside my front pocket, my cell phone vibrated. Reluctantly, I pulled it out and checked the display.
Well, at least it wasn't Rango.
It was Jake.
