Page 102 of Has-Been
BeinghauledintoReacher’soffice with a pounding headache and earache, and with blood pouring from my nose, really wasn’t how I’d wanted to end my day, but it couldn’t be helped. Ice triggered me with that fucking phrase ‘golden boy’, and I wondered if he even realised the unbearable connotations that nickname held for me.
“Sit the fuck down while we wait for your VP,” Reacher barked at us, glaring until we both followed his instructions and dropped into the seats across from his desk, probably looking exactly like sullen teenagers sent to the headmaster’s office.
The door opened and Stitch stepped in, with Elise hurrying behind him.
“Seriously?”
Stitch shrugged at Reacher, as she rushed to my side and started fussing over me.
“I was hardly going to leave her alone right now, was I? So what the fuck happened?”
He closed the door and walked around to lean against the desk beside Reacher. Ice just shrugged, and I shot him a glare. Seriously? He starts shit with me, and sits there shrugging like a prick?
“I swear to god, someone speak now, or I’ll kick both your asses. Do we really have to go back to the way things were with you two assholes? I thought you sorted your shit out.”
Ice groaned, leaning forward on his chair, with his elbows on his knees.
“It was just a dumb idea I had, that’s all.”
What?I cocked my head at him, wondering what the fuck he thought he was doing.
“Excuse me? You thought you’d come at me for some ‘idea’? Who the fuck even told you to say that to me?”
“Say what?” Elise was using her sleeve to mop at the blood on my face, and I pushed her hand away before she ruined her clothes completely. I wasn’t exactly deserving of her concern, for getting in yet another damn fight. Especially with this prick… again.
“It’s okay, babe. I’m fine.” I wasn’t, but I didn’t want her worrying. Ice was silent, touching the side of his face briefly and wincing. Yeah, that’s right, asshole. You took that one good and hard.
“Spit it out, Ice. I’m down to my last fucking nerve here,” Reacher snarled at him.
“Well, it seems like whoever is fucking with us might have some kind of a beef with Has. Think about it, the attacks on Elise, the attack on him, even Torch, who’s one of his closest friends. You could even start to wonder if this asshole is behind all the porn videos of him showing up everywhere. He’s clearly seriously tech-savvy. I just… I guess I figured if it looked like I was on the outs with Has-”
“What? You thought you could save your own fucking bacon? You asshole! You complete and total fucking-”
Reacher slammed his fist against the desk, and silenced my tirade.
“Enough! You were trying to see if this fuck will trust you?” Oh. Maybe it made a little sense, but I was still pissed as hell.
“You agree with this shit?”
Reacher glanced at Stitch, who shrugged.
“You should have come to us with this first, Ice. You don’t go rogue on us without it being planned first.”
“Uh, how about you don’t attack a brother without fucking warning him first?” I snapped, and Ice chuckled.
“So you could be prepared for it? It had to look real, dickhead, and since we were always enemies before, I figured it would be more believable if I’m suddenly offside again.” He sighed, offering me a weary grin.
“Sorry, though. I shouldn’t have come at you like that. I know you’ve had a rough time lately. Maybe I should have discussed it with you all first. It was just like a sudden lightbulb moment.”
“So you’re not really jonesing for coke? Was that all bullshit just to draw me in so you could turn on me?”
“Wait, what?” Reacher looked worried, and he wasn’t the only one. Stitch moved around the desk to crouch in front of Ice.
“Is that happening, man? Are you struggling right now? You know we’ve all got your back, right?”
Ice looked frustrated, and flipped me off like it was my fault.
“I was just… I don’t know, mouthing off. Getting into the zone. Whatever. Of course I always want a fix, but I don’t, because I owe it to Lissa to stay clean, even if I can’t do it for myself.”
