Zellman grunted. “Huh. Still shitty he’s not backing off, even enough to have Zeke’s back.”

“Nah. He’ll have it. The problem is that he’s not getting that Zeke needs to let him have his back, not just doing it when the guy doesn’t know you’re doing it. That’s not entering my brother’s head.”

Zellman glanced at me, giving me a pointed look. “Maybe you need to educate him.”

I shot him a look back. “You educate him.”

He grinned.

I scowled.

Then the professor came in, and it wasn’t worth being discussed anymore.

FROM: Tazsters

TO: Cross

SUBJECT: I need an update. Pronto.

If you don’t tell me what is going on, I’m calling Blaise.

Bombs primed and ready, brother buddy of mine.

I’m very violent in these emails, I’ve noticed lately.

I’m liking it.

LOVE YOU SO MUCH BECAUSE WE SHARED A WOMB TOGETHER!

I’M TYPING THAT TO HALF ANNOY YOU, BUT ALSO TO MAKE YOU SMILE AND I KNOW I DID BECAUSE I CAN FEEL IT SINCE WE’RE TWINS!

Love you, for real.

THE BEST TWIN

Chapter Sixteen

BREN

I stopped to pick up motorcycle gloves on the way to work.

My knuckles were sore and cracked, but this would have to do. I didn’t want to get reprimanded at my job for shit they didn’t understand. I was just hoping no one would comment on it. If we were in the field, I didn’t think they would. All day in the office, though, was a whole different story.

As it was, I walked in and Shetland was behind the bowling register. He waved me over, sliding a piece of paper to me. “Go out and get those coffees. You’re going to spend the rest of the day manning the bowling lanes, and we’ll bring out a list for lunch. You can clock out at six.”

That’s all he said.

I stood there, staring at the list, but I wasn’t really seeing it.

They didn’t want me in the field or in the office all day. I was trying to quell my instant alarm because it shouldn’t be about me, right? If it was, then that meant Harper had talked last night, and they’d already been looped in?

But no.

Well.

Yes.

They would’ve kept me out of the office all day, keeping me close, but not in, and then I’d be fodder for when the cops came to arrest me. A trickle of alarm and sweat went down my spine at the same time. Maybe I should call Channing? He wouldn’t turn me in. He’d rip me a new one, but he wouldn’t send the cops after me.

“What are you doing? Go get the coffee. We were up till three tracking a bounty across state lines. We need our caffeine.”