Page 53 of Intolerable Bishop

“I’m assuming you mean the guys?”

“Who else would I be talking about?” I finished washing up as best as I could in the sink before shuffling into Liam’s bedroom and flopping down on his bed, my arm going over my eyes.

“I like to make sure, but no, they are all good. Ethan made sure they didn’t run into any issues with the border, and I sent them money, but other than Theo taking a flesh wound to the arm, no one is injured.”

“Of course, the one time I get black-out drunk is when someone needs me. Fucking figures.” My eyes felt heavy again, and I let them flutter closed. “I’m just going to lay here and pray for death a little longer.”

“I’ll wake you in a few hours,” Liam said, the door closing behind him as he left me alone.

I needed to figure out how we survived whoever was attacking Ren. Why I was taking up championing her cause was beyond me. I needed another fucking mission like I needed a bullet to the head. Actually, I might have welcomed that at the moment.

One thing was certain. It wasn’t going to be easy keeping Ren safe, and the fact that they attempted a public murder like that meant they didn’t care about much, which made them very dangerous. I needed to find them first and stop them before they tried the same bullshit here, but first, I needed more sleep so the little men in my head would stop pounding on my skull.

JUNE 5 – MONDAY 4:48 AM

Blake

If I ever wanted to understand what it meant to hang out with the middle class, this trip had given me a wide-eyed share, that was for sure. The plane ride had been bad enough, but a coach bus was next level. What the fuck? I’d been stuck on this bus for twenty-two hours as it snail-paced its way from Calgary to Portland. “Take the bus,” Myles said. “It will be a fun adventure,” he said. There was nothing fun about this painful seat with a group of people that collectively smelled like sweat and fast food.

The guy across the row from me snored with his mouth open like a Venus fly trap the entire trip while the couple in front of me argued constantly. The little old woman beside me was nice enough as she prattled on, but there was something creepy about how she never stopped knitting. She smiled, and I pictured her taking one of the long plastic sticks and stabbing me in the eye. At one point, I was tempted to ask her to do it just to put me out of my misery. One bathroom for an entire busload of people was another new and terrible experience. Why the hell was someone still trying to take a piss while standing up? Aim was suggestive with some people at the best of times, let alone on a moving vehicle. To add insult to injury, we hit construction partway here, which put us an hour behind our original arrival time.

I needed food, a shower, my bed, and to hold Ren cause my fucking nerves were shot. How I let Myles talk me into being the one to take the bus was beyond me. My knee bounced faster as each mile passed, and we grew closer to my final destination.

The bus turned into the bus terminal, and I stood before anyone else, not giving a shit what the driver did. Getting the hell off the sweatbox on wheels was all that was on my mind. As soon as he pulled into a spot and stopped, I marched for the front and leaped down the stairs.

I sucked in a deep breath of the cool morning air and spotted Myles casually leaning up against the Lambo, looking fresh as a daisy.

“Are you fucking showered,” I asked as I got closer.

Grabbing his shirt, I sniffed him. “Get off of me, man. Did ya lose yer mind on the bus or what?”

“Why are you clean?”

Myles grabbed my wrists and forced me to step back. “Yer acting crazy. I got back here hours ago. I dropped Ivy off at home, showered, ate, and took a nap before coming to grab you.”

“Such luxuries. I sat awake for an entire day while someone behind me farted like it was their job, and I wondered if the woman beside me was a serial killer.” He smirked. “Don’t you dare smirk at me.” He bit his lip but burst out laughing. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Would it help if I told you I brought food?”

“You owe me more than food, sticking me on that thing. You’re at least used to it with the lacrosse team.”

He smiled wide. “Exactly why I took the car.” He clamped a hand on my shoulder. “But look on the bright side yer still in one piece and ya now have a new life experience.” He opened the driver’s side door. “I’m sure ya can work that into a song. The best ones are always about tragic experiences and heartbreak.”

“I’m going to smother you in the night,” I said as he closed the door laughing.

Stomping around the car, I tossed my backpack on the floor and got in. Myles pointed to the bag of food and a large coffee.

“All for you, my friend.”

“Don’t try to suck up.” I snatched the bag like I was Gollum and peered inside, my stomach growling at the sight of the breakfast burritos. Pulling one out, I took a bite and moaned as the spicy sausage, egg, cheese, and salsa hit my tongue. Okay, I hated him a little less. “Any word from Theo and Ren?”

“Aye, Ren texted to say she was okay and that she’d messaged Lizzy to let her know that she was alright. Apparently, what happened is all over the news. They are saying it was gang violence.” Myles shrugged. “The reports never said anything about finding a body, so that’s weird. Why would they take Nadia’s body with them? And how did they get it cleaned up that fast?” Yeah, that was fucking creepy. “Theo said they’re across the border fine, but they had to make another stop to rest and get clean clothes. Apparently, Ren’s ass is killing her.”

I stopped chewing and looked at Myles. “Do you think he means from the motorcycle or him?”

Myles screwed up his face as we pulled out of the bus terminal and onto the main street. “The ride man”

“Yeah, but riding the bike or him?”