Cross grabbed the drinks and glasses.

Jordan went back outside, taking the food with him.

No words were spoken. None were needed. We all just knew.

I dipped in the bedroom, changing clothes and grabbing a blanket.

Cross was waiting for me at the door. He’d taken everything out, and I saw as we stepped outside that Jordan had the fire going. The patio table had been moved over, the stools moved aside to make room so we could eat next to the fire pit.

We all sat down.

Plates were passed out.

Food was portioned.

Drinks were poured.

We sat. We ate. We just were.

After the food was done, the wrappers put away in a garbage bag, and another round of drinks had been poured, Jordan was leaning forward. Elbows resting on his knees, he was staring into the fire.

He said, “I’m going to go to Roussou tomorrow.” The fire’s reflection was playing over his face, casting him in orange and red dark shadows. It lit up his eyes. They were somber. “I’m going to bring Zellman back.”

And even that made perfect sense.

We needed all of our crew together.

Chapter Forty-Nine

BREN

My phone woke me the next morning.

Cross was curled behind me, one of his hands on my hip and he stiffened, groaning. “Who keeps fucking calling you at—” He looked, and then growled. The phone kept ringing, but I didn’t move. This was a small luxury I indulged. Cross would field it for me, and he did, reaching over me to my nightstand.

“What the hell?” he muttered under his breath, sitting up and hitting accept.

“This is a call from the Potomahmen Correctional Facility. Do you accept the charges from inmate—”

“Yes.”

A second later, I heard my ex’s voice coming from the phone, and Cross was glaring hard at the room. “What do you want?”

A laugh from Drake. “Can I talk to her?”

“Why?”

Even though Cross hadn’t put my phone on speaker, I could hear Drake loud and clear.

“Just let me talk to her. Please.”

He turned to me. “You don’t have to take the call. You can tell him to go to hell.”

I sighed, sitting up. A yawn left me, but we both knew Drake was calling for a reason. I had no doubt that what he wanted to tell me wasn’t what he was going to say at all. But knowing Drake, knowing the games he always played, I still knew I needed to take the call.

Simply put, it was what it was.

I shrugged but held my hand out.

Cross handed it over and slid out of bed. He went to the bathroom, and I watched him the whole walk, enjoying it immensely.

Taking the phone, I hit the speaker button and sat back. “What do you want?”

Another laugh, this one louder and more genuine. “There she is, my old Bren.”