“You were asleep for eight hours,” Darius said.
“Jesus.”
SOPS resting.
SOPS eating.
SOPS sweet as fuck. He gives a thumbs-up every now and then.
SOPS upset but giving thumbs-up.
SOPS resting.
SOPS ok.
Talked to a friend on the base at 29. Call me.
SOPS eating. Giving thumbs-up.
SOPS reading.
Gray exhaled in relief and dragged a hand through his hair. Be strong, Jackie. You can do this. “What, uh, what was the call about?”
“Ry just wanted to make sure the first face Jackie encounters in Twentynine is a friendly one,” Darius replied. “He’ll wait on the outskirts before taking Jackie to the nearest police station. No questions asked.”
“Oh. That’s kind.” Gray relaxed a bit more and wrung his hands in his lap. He felt unsettled because he’d slept for so long. “I should’ve set an alarm. I was supposed to check in with the boys.”
“I did that already.” Darius reached over and rubbed Gray’s neck affectionately. It felt a little too nice. The sleep was still clinging to his senses. “I stopped for gas and called Adeline. Said we’re feeling better and that the fever’s broken.”
“Thank you.” Gray closed his eyes and succumbed to the sensations. Goose bumps rose across his arms, and it would be so easy to fall back to sleep. His stomach grumbling in hunger was the one thing that kept him awake. “How am I still tired? I usually never sleep in the car either. But this is the second time this trip.”
“Is that so weird? We’ve been on high alert for days. I always sleep more after an extraction.”
True…
And Gray hadn’t slept last night, nor had he gotten many hours the night before.
“Where are we? I’m starving.”
“Just north of San Francisco,” Darius answered. “We can hit up the next diner.”
Oh, fuck yeah. The vision of a greasy cheeseburger appeared in Gray’s mind.“Anything?” Gray asked as soon as he exited the restrooms.
A few hours north of San Francisco, they’d stopped at a truck stop that had shower amenities, which was definitely worth ten bucks.
Darius had showered too, and he was waiting by the truck, deliberately exposing himself to the cameras in the area. If they’d be forced to admit they had left Camassia, the timestamp on any surveillance would at least prove they hadn’t been anywhere near the fire in Joshua Tree.
If there would be a goddamn fire…
“Still waiting.” Darius checked his phone again. “I told Ryan to stay back until twenty-two hundred.”
“You can just say ten PM, dork.” Gray joined his side and peered at the screen.
Ryan’s messages were much the same as before. Jackie kept giving the occasional thumbs-up, and yet, something wasn’t right. It was past nine. It’d been dark for nearly two hours, and he was supposed to have set the fire as soon as the sun went down.
“I think he’s giving us extra time.” Darius scratched his jaw. “He seemed concerned about us getting home to secure our alibi.”
Hmm. Maybe. Hopefully. But it was still time. The alibi was freaking solid by now.
“I’m glad Ryan’s there, though.” Gray dumped his bag in the back seat, his hair still wet, and opened the door to the passenger’s side. Northern California was nothing like the desert, and sweats and a hoodie didn’t protect against the cold winds for shit. “Oh—you bought snacks?” His eyes lit up at the sight of the bag of chips between the seats. There were a couple candy bars too.
Nothing cured boredom like unhealthy eating.
They got back on the road, and Gray tried everything to distract himself. Darius looked perfectly delicious in his own sweats and hoodie, and it made Gray put “cuddlefuck” at the top of the list of things to do when they got home. After seeing the boys, obviously. It was the main reason they’d stopped to shower; Darius was gonna drop Gray off at the shelter right away.
The chocolate was good, though he kept coming back to Jackie.
“Maybe I should drive,” he said. “I can’t sit still.”
“You don’t say,” Darius drawled. “You’ll drive through the night, though.” He cleared his throat and checked the rearview. “There’s something we can discuss.”
“Yeah?”
“Mm. What would happen to the boys if we’d died in Joshua Tree?”
“What the fuck!” Gray shot him an incredulous look. “Why would you say something like that?”
“Because it’s a valid question,” Darius told him firmly. “I’ve said this before, Gray. There’s a reason guys like me rarely settle down—”
“I don’t wanna talk about this,” Gray interrupted, instantly irritated and uncomfortable. He rubbed at his chest; it felt all tight and spiked his anxiety.
“Jayden and Justin would most likely not get adopted together,” Darius went on. It was a kick in the fucking gut. “They’d be lost in the system—”
“Can you shut the fuck up?” Gray snapped. “This isn’t even our job! We’re not PMCs. You’re retired. It was one time! We had to get Jackie out.”