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I didn’t do as I was told that time, either.
“Does it feel weird to be back there?” Minka asks, quieter now. Like she thinks we’re hiding. “You ran away, Archer. Now you’re just chilling in the backyard?”
“It feels strange,” I admit. “It’s been a long time since I was here. But he’s…” Shaking my head, I chuckle. “Not someone I need to worry about anymore. He’s dying, Minka. Curled up in bed, can’t stand on his own, can’t walk or talk or feed himself. I don’t want to mock anyone else who gets sick with this disease. But him?”
I nod after a moment. “Yeah. With him, I’m gonna enjoy the show. He deserves this, and I’m not gonna stand up and say he doesn’t. So here I am, sitting back and letting the universe do what she’s gonna do.”
I look around Minka’s end of the call. The bustling street noises surrounding her, and the sunlight flickering off the bridge of her nose. “Where are you?”
“Outside work.” Like I did, she extends her arm and shows off her surroundings. In doing so, she reveals the wireless headphones pressed inside her ears. “I needed fresh air, and my soon-to-be-ex-husband needed me to call him back, so…”
“Soon-to-be-ex, my ass. Are you staying at the office much longer, or heading home?”
“I think we’re heading out. My active cases have been processed, and for every minute I sit at my desk and remain contactable, my workload grows. Especially with Seraphina out. So here I am, not at my desk.”
“Good plan,” I murmur as another yawn wracks my frame. “When was the last time you ate?”
“An hour or so ago.” She lays her head back and rests it on the brick wall behind her. “Aubree got me a protein shake and a bag of pretzels. Then she mentioned something about the pussy Malones not being in Copeland where they belong. And if they were, she wouldn’t have to worry herself with my low-blood-sugar shakes.”
I miss life in Copeland. I yearn for the innocence Aubree brings to our group—the only normal person in a sea of mafia and killers and all-around crazies.
Minka’s the crazy. Not me or Tim.
“Did she actually call us pussies,” I ask, “or did you add that yourself?”
She laughs. “Aubree said it, I swear. She kinda squeaked when the word came out, but it was all her. She’sbigpissed, Archer. Because at least you call and text; Tim does neither.”
“Yeah? Well, Tim’s over here smashing a glass against Felix’s face because Felix can’t manage to keep Aubree’s name out of his mouth.”
“Really?” Her eyes widen a little, and if I’m not mistaken, they dance with approval. “Tim’s defending her?”
“Did you expect otherwise? Felix has no sense of self-preservation, but a libido more demanding than a prize fucking stallion during mating season. He’s purposely trying to annoy us, so who do you think he’s using as ammunition?”
“Aubree,” she sighs. “What’s he saying?”
“That she’s not Tim’s to claim, and if she’s interested in a Malone, Felix wouldn’t say no to showing her what’s up.”
She snorts, big and noisy enough to fill her cheeks and bring a smile to my face. “Well… that’s colorful. And brave.”
“Stupid,” I counter. “We’re here to help him. The smart thing to do would be to shut his trap and stop lighting fires. I swear, he has no clue how to be a normal human being. He’s so entrenched in this place, he’s incapable of operating outside it like a regular person.”
“You know theMen in Blackmovie?” she giggles. “The one where the alien jumps inside that guy’s body and then he’s trying to walk along the street and act normal?”
“The one who eats bugs?” I laugh. “Yeah.”
“I’m so tired, that’s where my brain jumped. Felix is an alien, but he’s trying so hard to be normal.”
“Impossible.” My feet inside the pool is so calming, so relaxing, for every minute I remain here, my sleepiness grows more encompassing.
Leaving my feet where they are, I lean back until I’m lying flat on the ground, which is cold and hard, the pool tiles the least comfortable place to find refuge. But my eyes close anyway. I hold the phone and let Minka see me, but for just a minute, I let my eyes rest.
“I miss the fuck out of you, Minka. It’s ridiculous that we were normal functioning adults who didn’t know each other a year ago. Now, we can’t get through a day without whining about being lonely.”
“But were we normal functioning adults?” Her melodic voice soothes me. “Really? You worked all day and rarely spent a night alone. And I went home with the first man in Copeland who looked my way.”
I snort. “Correction: I always slept alone at night. I was merely sometimes occupied in the hours leading up to my solo sleep. And you went home with your future husband. It’s not a one-night stand, Minka. It’s the rest of our lives.” I open my eyes and get that hit of dopamine she mentioned. The serotonin. The endorphins only she can evoke in my brain. “You were smart and cut straight to the chase.”
“And now you’re all the way over there in New York City, and I’m over here, video-calling my husband for a hit of my happy hormones.” The tilt of her lips falls away to a sad frown. “When are you coming home?”
