Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter eight

Chapter eight

The first safe house was not how I imagined. I always pictured a house looking building, warm and cozy and comfortable, maybe. Those descriptions did not fit what Bruno, Ryan, and I were all staring at in silence. It took four hours and complicated networks of paths to get here. In three of those hours, Bruno's phone dinged, saying we were off the radar. He wanted to make sure Joseph wasn't lying about the safe houses being in umapped places. Joseph hadn't lied. It made me feel somewhat better.

There was no cell phone service in this area. I tried hard to ignore Ryan's complaints. Unmapped places consisted of unused roads and lands and desolation. Nothing special. We were parked in a car lot, two white vans the only vehicles besides ours and Joseph's. The safe house was a lone city building. Tall and gray, none of the windows, from what I could see, lit. Just black squares engraved in all the drab gray.

“Well, that's unexpected,” Ryan voiced all of our thoughts. Apparently, Phil sent Ryan to us to 'watch over us'. Bruno had cursed about all the big mouths he unfortunately knew.

Bruno glanced at his friend in the rearview mirror. “What you expect?”

“I don't know, a house,” Ryan responded with a hint of derision. “A safe looking one. That's what the word says, don't it?”

“It's two words,” I said.

“And safe house isn't an adjective,” Bruno added, turning off the engine and clutching the keys.

“And everyone gangs up on the new guy.” Ryan held up his hands in mock surrender. “Bro, everyone knows you shouldn't be the one giving anyone a grammar lesson, anyway.”

Bruno and I stepped out the Jeep at the same time, into the warm mid-June air. When Ryan didn't follow suit, I shot him a silent question through the backseat window. He shook his head, mouthing something like Y'all crazy. I'm not.

“It would be safer if Peter and I enter alone.”

I whirled. Joseph had soundlessly approached. I felt my nerves get jittery along a twinge of shame. He was cradling his cat with one arm, the feline comfortably tucked against his side.

Bruno nodded at me. “Maybe you should stay in the car.”

For a moment, I glanced between them, then gave an incredulous, short laugh. “When do you ever agree with Joseph? I'm not here to just stay in the car.”

Bruno rocked back and forth on his heels, just once. “If it's safer. . . for you.”

I pushed hair out of my face, feeling a surge of frustration. Finally, finally, we were doing something, and I was going to stay in the car? I let out a sigh of defeat and stepping in front of Bruno, ran a hand across his waist until it came into contact with the hardness of a gun handle. “Be safe,” I whispered. 

“I will.” He put his lips to my ear. “Glove department.”

I nodded before turning to Joseph. “You too.” I swallowed. “Be safe.” Please. Protect each other.

As Joseph walked past he handed the cat over. “Will you keep him air conditioned?” He was already walking away before I could respond. I watched their strides, Bruno's more tense then Joseph's. When the sliding doors swallowed them, I returned to the inside of the Jeep.

“What the hell is that?”

“Not surprised you don't know what a pussy looks like,” I muttered, reaching over to turn on the engine. I didn't like the idea of wasting gas, but I didn't like the idea of Fidel dying of a heat stroke worse.