Free Until We End by Frankie Brown Page A

did I.
    Then she tipped her king over and sat back without a word. Better to fall on your own sword, I guess.
    Lonnie gave a delighted
whoop,
jumping in his chair,and I couldn’t hide my smile. I turned to Brooks, wanting to gloat over my win, and my jaw dropped. The grin he gave me lit up his face and the whole room, too. It wasn’t a predator’s smile, or a killer smile, or a smirk. It was just real. It made
him
real.
    â€œThe king—“ Brooks began.
    I cut him off. “I know who the king is.”
    â€œOh yeah?” He arched his eyebrows. Still giving me that smile.
    â€œOf course.” It was obvious.
    I picked up the black king and held it between my index finger and thumb. My king without a queen, pawns or knights; victorious and alone except for two solemn bishops and his castle.
    â€œI am.”

Chapter Nine
    Those granola bars were the best things I’d ever eaten. I made short work of them and then asked Lu to bring up what she promised me for lunch, too. She sent Jackson outside to get the food, and when he walked out in a snit, I watched him carefully, noting that he turned left out of the warehouse.
    Jackson carried a full tub of peanut butter, a can of pineapple, and a packet of tuna in his arms when he came back. It was like he’d tried to pick the most disgusting combination of food he could imagine, but the joke was on him because it tasted awesome. I’d stuffed my face, Lonnie making gagging noises the whole time from where he lay sprawled on the floor.
    â€œYou’re coming with us today,” Lu said to me from the couch. That sounded ominous.
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    Brooks kicked the footrest of his armchair down with a
snap
. “Out on the town, sweetheart.” He gave me a version of his cocky smirk, but there was something off about it. Like his mind was someplace else.
    â€œNo way,” I said. It was out of the question for me to stay there with them. I didn’t have time to waste — Coby had been gone for almost a full day and my guts ached at the thought of what he might be going through. “Y’all took the food from my house. I won the chess match. I want the information I came here for and then I want to leave.” I sat back and crossed my arms. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
    Brooks stood from his recliner and stretched, revealing a strip of tan skin above where his boxers peeked from his jeans. Red plaid. Again my mind flashed to the day before. To his body pressed against mine.
    I pushed the image down.
    â€œYes,” Brooks’ arms fell to his sides, “you are. We’re not going anywhere near the government for at least a few days, and neither are you. Unless you want to get yourself killed.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œYou think the military won’t notice that patrol is missing? They’ll search. You’ll have to wait a couple days for things to die down.” His eyebrow cocked as he looked at me. “Unless that’s what you’re hoping for? A suicide mission?”
    I sighed. “Of course not.” I hated to admit it, but he had a point. That woman that I killed... Someone would miss her. Maybe even find her body. My stomach clenched. Did Brooks and the brigade hide the bodies after I passed out?
    I didn’t ask. Didn’t want to know.
    Lonnie stood from where he was lying and gave me a Cheshire grin. “Cheer up, Janie! It won’t be that bad.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Maybe you can ask the people we’ll see if they’ve heard anything about your brother?”
    â€œPeople?” I asked. “What people?”
    Jackson and Lu stood from the couch as one, giving new meaning to the phrase
joined at the hip.
The matching blond hair made them even creepier.“People who might know what’s going on with the military, why the sudden increase in activity,” Lu