Free Fire by Terra Harmony Page B

him began to dull and his vision grayed out. By the time his body went overboard, splashing into the rippling lake, he was unconscious.

 
    Chapter 16
     
    Building an Army
     
    Waiting for Andrés on Avenue Tekema was my new morning routine. I paced in front of the library, holding both our coffees in hand. They had already cooled. He pulled up in his scooter fifteen minutes late without a passenger roster in hand, or in his pants.
    "Sorry, Chica. Couldn't get my hands on a list today. New boss." I handed him the coffee. He took a sip and made a face.
    I stared him down, daring him to say something.
    He cleared his throat, then quickly took another sip. "It's good."
    "Hmm." I made a conscious effort not to retort. The past few nights had been filled with restless sleep. Mostly, I paced the room ready in case Bee broke out in flames. Thus far, no incidents – but it would only take one. I didn't want to take it out on Andrés. I needed him and his damn lists; my first line of defense. I took a deep breath. "New boss? Why?"
    He shrugged. "Just showed up today. Said Matthew quit. It was weird. I'm actually headed to Matt's place now to check up on him."
    I frowned.
    He put his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, Chica. I'll get those rosters. Same time tomorrow?"
    "Uh, yeah. Minus fifteen minutes."
    He smiled, then turned his attention to Bee, hanging on my back in her sling. "And good morning to you, honey bee."
    She cooed, catching the finger he held up.
    "Bzzz, bzzz."
    She giggled at his pokes.
    "See you tomorrow. Thanks for the coffee, Kaitlyn!"
    I took a sip of my own coffee as Andrés started up his scooter and headed up the hill.
    "Ugh. It is cold." I glanced at Bee over my shoulder and help up the cup. "A little help here?"
    No response.
    I rolled my eyes. "Some Fire you've turned out to be."
    She squealed.
    "I know, I know, grocery time." Her favorite part of the day.
    What should've been a half hour walk through the market turned into an hour after all the appropriate stops to let everyone clamor over Bee. I obliged, mainly as I didn't have a choice. That, and the more friends we had on the island, the better. I wasn't above using Bee's dimples to rally the troops. I just wished the troops weren't so…talkative.
    Island life was slow, laid back. Sandals and tank tops, outdoor markets, catching up with friends. Peaceful. Boring. Tolerable. Necessary.
    Back at the bike, I loaded bags into the cart tethered to the back.
    Bee sucked madly at her fist.
    "Almost done," I assured her. "You can eat when we get home. Oh – shoot!"
    One of the bags toppled, sending tomatoes rolling down the sidewalk.
    "Dang it!" I half-heartedly gave chase. The few I caught were torn or bruised. "Well, no tomatoes for Mama's ensalada ." We had picked the vines clean for our feast the other night.
    I turned back to the bike. Someone coming out of the police station across the street caught my eye. I froze.
    Micah.
    He looked exactly the same as when I had left him. Unable to move, I peered closer. No – he wasn't the same. Dark circles hung from his eyes, and his cheeks were slightly sunken. He had lost weight. He ran his hand over his face, and leaned against the railing. He was exhausted.
    A lump formed in my throat. I actually stepped off the curb of the sidewalk, toward him. The weight of Bee on my back caused me to pause, and reminded me all at once why I was here. I backed up onto the sidewalk, now panicking. I was wide open. All Micah had to do was look up. There was nowhere to hide. Damn this island's lack of trees.
    Micah didn't look up. He looked behind him as someone else emerged from the station. Shawn. That one did look exactly the same as when I had last seen him, minus the knife protruding from his belly – the one I had stuck there. Micah was probably about to be ambushed. For some reason, my vocal chords were just as paralyzed as the rest of me.
    No fight broke out. Shawn walked up beside Micah, then said something.