Page 89 of Give Me Peace

“How ‘bout that evac?” I make grabby hands at Roan, eager to get away. “You like my toes. Remember? Those are your toes, Big Guy. Now get me out of here.” He laughs, loud and carefree, shaking his head at my theatrics. The guys are definitely rubbing off on me. This level of desperation and bargaining stinks of Kash.

“At your service, baby girl.” Faster than I can track, Roan slides me away from Lochlan. As soon as my feet are free, he grips my butt with one hand and braces the other on the back of my head. And then I’m airborne. His fingers find purchase between my thighs as he bends down and flips me over his shoulder. I land on Roan’s back with a grunt, instinctively wrapping my arms and legs around him. Slowly—purposefully—he strokes my clit before repositioning his arm to help hold me up. I exhale unsteadily, confused if I’m dizzy from the tilt-a-whirl toss or his teasing. Both, most likely.

As Roan starts to walk, I look back at Lochlan with a victorious smile plastered on my face. He quirks an eyebrow at me, so I blow him a kiss as we turn the corner in the hallway. Feet swinging, I hum the melody to All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled. Roan snorts, mumbling beneath his breath about me being trouble with a capital T. I lay my cheek on his back, enjoying the free piggyback ride. As we enter the main room, Krew comes through the slider. His brows are pinched together as he distractedly spears a hand through his hair.

“Everything okay?” I ask, bouncing my eyes between Krew’s as Roan comes to a stop.

“Yeah,” he answers, but it’s not very convincing. “Cam 4 is glitching. Looks like a seagull ate shit and took it out.”

“Seriously?” I scrunch my nose, trying to picture how it happened but failing to come up with anything plausible.

“Would you like to see the crash site for yourself?” Krew grins, spinning on his heel to make the trek back to the camera without waiting for a response.

“Hey,” Kash calls, jogging down the steps to catch up with us. Havok and Lochlan follow a few paces behind. “Is this a field trip? If so, who’s in charge of snacks?”

“Watch out for that crab.” Roan points to the left of Kash. “Looks angry. Prone to pinching.”

“What?” Kash screeches, shuffling back so quickly he trips over his own feet and lands on his ass. “I don’t see it. Where the fuck is it at, Ro?!” He whips his head back and forth, searching for the crab I’m fairly positive doesn’t exist.

“Get the hell up,” Havok huffs, gripping Kash’s shirt in his fist. He yanks him upright without preamble. “How many times are you gonna fall for that shit?” Kash blinks, seeming to finally clue in that Roan was messing with him.

“One of these days, I’m going to catch your big ass off guard.” Kash glares hotly at the man still lugging me around, my added weight clearly insignificant as we easily trudge through the sand. “And you.” Kash turns his attention to me. His eye twitches from the effort he’s exuding to feign annoyance. “Aren’t you supposed to be my secret threat, ready and willing to go against any creature of the yuck variety to protect my honor? We shook on it and everything. Your lack of action wounds me, sweetness.” He presses a hand over his heart, forcing tears to his chocolate brown eyes.

“And in return, you were supposed to make me cupcakes. But have you? No. Not a single one. I think it’s safe to say our agreement is null and void due to lack of follow-through on your part.” Kash gapes at me, sputtering nonsensical excuses and renegotiation terms. I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

“So, it’s settled, then.” He boops me on the nose. “I’m going to rectify my oversight, post-haste, and you’ll continue being my first line of defense in regard to all the vile things that should’ve been excluded from Noah’s Ark. Horrible miscalculation on Sky Daddy’s part. This entire predicament could’ve been avoided if he would’ve vetoed the unsavory types. Seriously, who saves cockroaches?” Kash trails off, momentarily lost to a philosophical deep dive. He’s adorable when he rants.

“Deal.” I reach out and tug him closer, bringing his mouth to mine for a quick kiss. “Even sealed this time.” I grin, my lips still skating over his as I quietly say, “I love you.” Roan stiffens but shakes off the tension a second later. I didn’t mean to make things weird for him. Kash mouths back ‘I love you more’—obviously picking up on the same displeased vibe Roan is radiating.

“Here lies the mangled body of one dumb as fuck bird,” Krew states, stopping at a tall wood post on the back end of the property. Lochlan squats to examine the poor seagull, looking from it to the camera in confusion.

“I don’t think the crash killed it. More like it was already dying, and that’s why it crashed,” Lochlan speculates, using a nearby stick to shift its body. I tuck my face into Roan’s shoulder, feeling queasy from the gruesome cut he exposes under its wing. I might have a strong dislike for birds, but I take no glee in its mutilation. “Foot is damn near severed, too.”

Do not gag, Saylor.

“Looks like a shark got the poor bastard,” Roan comments absently. Like the image of a Great White springing from the ocean to grab a mid-day snack topside is no big deal. Hello, nightmares.

“I’m sorry. A what?!” My voice reaches a decibel I wasn’t aware existed. If Roan’s flinch is anything to go by, he agrees. “You two made me go out there!” I point an accusing finger at Havok and Kash. “I could’ve been a goner. Mosquitos love me; it’s not that big of a leap to assume a shark would, too.” I’ve gone full crazy, clinging tighter to Roan, as if I’m at risk of being eaten at this very moment. On land. A good thirty feet from the water.

“Oooh, I like Flustered Saylor a whole lot, but Overdramatic Saylor might be my new fav.” Kash nods profusely, sending me an exaggerated wink.

“Is that so?” I snap mockingly. “Well, I really like Playful Kash, but I think my new fav will be Blue-Balls Kash.” His smirk evaporates with a quickness. Havok doubles over, laughing his ass off at Kash’s expense.

“Atta girl,” Roan comments proudly, giving my thigh a firm squeeze.

“Back to the seagull,” Krew cuts in. He’s trying to look unamused, but I know him better than that now. He thinks I’m funny. “I don’t care if a shark did the damn thing in or if the bird simply forgot how to bird. It’s dead as shit, and so is our camera.” Krew glares at the poor thing, as if death wasn’t punishment enough. “At this rate, we’ll need to order backups by the dozen.”

“I’ll place one today.” Lochlan stands and brushes a hand over his leg, swiping nonexistent sand from his cute, pleated shorts.

“So…” Kash gives the battered glob of feathers a pointed look. “Do we forgo niceties and simply bury Mr. Shit for Luck? Or are we thinking a small wake, some finger foods…” He pauses, giving us a chance to chime in. We don’t. “I mean, a proper Viking send-off sounds badass, but that seems a bit insensitive considering he could wind up shark bait. Again. His name ain’t Shit for Luck for no reason.” Lochlan lifts his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose, mimicking our own thoughts exactly.

“I have a headache now. Thanks for that,” Lochlan deadpans. “I don’t care how you get rid of it, just get rid of it. Build the damn thing a mausoleum if you’d like, so long as I never have to hear you talk about it ever again.” Kash claps excitedly.

“Thanks, Dad!” He smacks a wet kiss on Lochlan’s cheek and grabs Havok’s hand, skipping off in the direction we came from, presumably to gather the tools needed to bury a seagull. He drags Havok along, not the least bit perturbed by the man’s displeasure.

“That should keep him busy for a while,” Krew states, shaking his head at the fading outline of his twin. “Let’s go before they get back. I refuse to listen to the eulogy of a goddamn bird.” Krew starts speed walking, determined to put as much distance between himself and the future burial site of Shit for Luck.

May he rest in peace.