Page 20 of Sinners Reunion

King

The sun had long set by the time we pulled the RV to a stop at the campground, meaning I have less than twenty-four hours to complete my task and get Josie out of my hair. I must, as Jim so eloquently put it, try the cake.

Now I just have to hope the cake is amenable, or I can kiss that estate goodbye.

Josie and I have been sitting in silence since we left the mall, but the time for quiet has ended. I need to begin making my move.

I turn in my seat and clear my throat. “Say, Josie . . . perhaps we got off on the wrong foot here. I’ve been thinking⁠—”

“Has the world come to an end?”

“What?”

“From your thinking,” she says as she picks dirt from beneath her nails. “You never were much good at that.”

Do I really need that estate?

But before I can try again, she slides out of the RV and saunters toward the small fire Bennett is currently leaning over. I hurry to catch up with her.

Ice Pick, Rosie, Grim, and Maverick stand nearby. I can only assume everyone else is in their accommodations, which we’ve parked in a sort of safety circle on the other side of the large field Jim rented for tomorrow’s festivities.

Woods surround us on all sides. It’s for the best. Wouldn’t want some looky-loos spotting us murdering Cattle on the morrow.

I smile as I spy the massive school bus Chef Maurice kitted out as a giant kitchen on wheels. He scowls at me from the window and continues with whatever he’s preparing.

“Hey, what town will we cut through next?” Bennett asks as I approach. “I need to have something overnighted to a post box.”

“Tomorrow, we drive until we hit Atlanta,” Josie says. “Then we cut into Tennessee. Probably best to have your package sent there. We’ll stop in Chattanooga.”

Bennett and I turn to look at her.

“What? Jim gave me the full itinerary. Minus the events. What are the events, by the way?”

“Fewer questions,” Bennett says with a flick of his fingers. “Hand me that lighter fluid.”

She blinks at him, then wipes the annoyance off her face with a sweet smile. As she grabs the lighter fluid, I take a step back from the fire.

“Here ya go,” Josie says as she sprays liquid ignition toward the flames.

They burst upward toward Bennett, and he screams and leaps away before he goes up with the flash of light.

“Don’t ever boss me around again, fuckface.” She tosses the bottle of fluid at his feet, then turns and glances past me. “Well, hello.”

I turn and see a stranger standing there. He’s nearly as tall as me, which puts him around Ezra’s height. Despite the summer heat, he wears a worn brown jacket. Road dust covers his clothes, and he looks like he’s been hiking for some time. A limp paw hangs from the rucksack slung over his shoulder, and it appears feline in nature.

The other men notice at the same time, and we move like a pack of wolves to surround the interloper. I tuck Josie behind me and step closer to the man.

“Something we can help you with?” I ask. I fold my arms over my chest and square my shoulders. “You lost after a jaunt in the woods?”

“I’m meeting a man named Ezra,” he says, and I detect no fear in his tone. He raises a compass and gives it a wiggle. “I followed his directions, and it led me here. Is that one of you?”

“The fuck is in your bag?” Bennett steps closer and flicks the paw with his hand.

The man snatches the rucksack away from Bennett’s curious fingers. “That’s none of your concern, but I didn’t kill it, if that’s what you’re thinking. I found it on the side of the road and plan to give it a proper sendoff.”

“You aren’t going to fuck it, are you?” Josie asks behind me.

All heads turn toward her, and rightfully so.