Free Hell Bent by Devon Monk

thought about what you’re going to do next?”
    “Pack,” Terric said. “Take care of some paperwork. Get drunk.”
    “Singing my song, mate,” I said. “Well, except for the packing and paperwork thing.” I offered him the whiskey. He took the bottle, pulled the cork, and then tipped it up for a long, hard drink.
    “Good,” he said, gesturing toward me with the bottle. “Thanks.”
    He started off to his office. With my bottle.
    “Just give me a minute or two, and I’ll be right back out,” he said.
    Then he walked down the hall. With my bottle.
    And shut the door. With my bottle.
    Dash exhaled and folded down on a chair, his palms pressed evenly on his thighs. No more calm heart, his pulse was clattering. “Why?” he asked. “Why would the Overseer take this away from him? It meant . . . everything.”
    “Dash, buddy. It’s going to be okay. Mommy and Daddy will still love you. They just can’t come to work with you anymore.”
    “Fuck you, Shame.”
    Had a little fire behind that. Good. Fire meant I wasn’t going to have to deal with tears.
    “Honestly? It probably has more to do with me than him. I haven’t been pulling my weight lately.”
    “Not everything is about you.” Dash tugged his cuffs, checked the buttons to make sure they were buttoned. They were. Then he got back on his feet. “You want any help packing your desk?”
    “Hell, let’s just set fire to the thing. Nothing there I want.”
    “So I can have the knife?”
    “No. Fine. Get the boxes, Boy Wonder.”
    Dash walked out and down the hall to the storeroom. I stood there for a bit, enjoying the aloneness. Except being this close to Terric meant I wasn’t really alone. I wandered over to my desk. Then I found myself walking instead down to Terric’s office.
    I paused just before his door. I could see him through his office window. Sitting with his desk at his back, bottle resting on his thigh, other hand over his eyes, head bent.
    I should probably just leave. Let him deal with this loss in private.
    Terric lifted the bottle, but instead of drinking, he held it out toward me. Still had his hand over his eyes.
    I opened his office door. Leaned there in the doorway.
    “I don’t want the booze,” I said quietly.
    “Yes, you do.” He took his hand off his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
    “Yeah, I do.” I walked in, took it from his hand. It was a fair share lighter than it’d been just a few minutes ago.
    Tipped it up, took a swallow. Booze went down hot, but the mouthwatering sweet of cinnamon and mint lingered on my lips. Life magic stirred the need in my belly. Terric had been drinking out of the bottle. I should have wiped it off before doing the same.
    “I was good at this, Shame,” Terric said. He wasn’t looking at me.
    I sat in the chair against the wall opposite his desk. “You’re still good at this.”
    “We were amazing at it,” he said.
    “True.”
    He didn’t say anything else. I took another swig of the whiskey. Ignored my disappointment that the taste of life was gone.
    A couple minutes ticked by in silence.
    “So, if you don’t need anything,” I started.
    “Just.” Terric turned, held my gaze. Blue eyes darkened by sorrow. “Would you shut up and sit here for a few minutes?”
    I opened my mouth.
    “Please.”
    I closed my mouth. Handed him the bottle. He took another drink and handed it back, swiveling his chair so he could stare out the window.
    I watched him for a minute. Thought about things I could say. Thought about things I probably should have said a long time ago.
    Decided to just do what he asked and kept quiet. I even remembered to wipe the taste of him off the bottle before I took another gulping swallow.

Chapter 6
    I left Terric in his office and took the half-empty bottle with me. Dash was moving around the office like a cleaning lady who wasn’t sure what to dust first.
    A pile of empty boxes towered next to my desk. Enough to pack away the room, Terric’s office,