Free The Siege by Alexie Aaron

feed.  He disengaged Jake and suggested, “Burt, why don’t you go home, and I’ll clean up.  I think we need to have a PEEPs meeting soon.”
    “Jake showed me the feed from yesterday,” he said quietly.  “That’s not me there.  I mean it’s me but not me.”
    “Come on, buddy,” Mike said from behind Mia. “I’ll take you home.  Mia, can you drive Burt’s car to his place?”
    “I’ve never met a vehicle I couldn’t drive,” Mia said.
    “Okay then, let’s button this one up and collect the check,” Mike said.  “Burt, are you up for this final meeting?”
    “I guess.  If I go off topic, stamp on my foot.”
    “Hell, I’ll punch you in the jaw, just like I did Dave.”
    “You punched Dave?” Mia asked stunned.
    “The little shit deserved it.  He kept picking on Cid.”
    “Cid can take care of himself,” she stated.
    “That’s what I was worried about so I got between the two, and that’s when the little snot called me old man. I just tapped him on the jaw to remind him that old men were dangerous.  Lesson learned,” Mike said.  “Come on, Burt, we have people waiting.”
    Mia let them leave.  She knew Dave was a challenge, but she didn’t think that punching him was necessarily the right approach.  She would talk to the kid and see if she could help him round off some sharp edges when she got back home.
    Ted finished packing up the camera and other devices they had used.  He dropped down beside Mia and took her hands.  “I know Burt hurt you, but I think there’s something wrong with him.  If it’s not possession, it’s a personality disorder.  Remember, he barely survived the attack at the hollow…”
    “When are we going to stop making excuses for him?  You and I have certainly taken it on the chin enough times.  Speaking of, did you know Mike punched Dave last night?”
    “Cid mentioned something this morning on the phone.  You were talking to Alan at the time so I didn’t have a chance to tell you about it.”
    “Is he alright?”
    “Cid says he came around right away…”
    “He was knocked out?”
    “Glass jaw, I believe.  That’s it.  I’ve been searching for a nickname for Dave - I have it now, Glass Jaw.”
    “Do you think it’s wise to remind him of Mike’s brutality?”
    “Yes.  I think the kid has to learn to censor himself.  What if he mouths off to someone dangerous.  Like you for instance.”
    Mia laughed.
    “You’d kill him.  Take out your rock salt and pepper his behind.”
    “Nah, I believe in the power of citrus to make my point.”
    “Not the…”
    “Yes, the grapefruit,” Mia said deadpan.
     
    ~
     
    Dave walked up the hill looking for Murphy.  The sky was cloudy, and although it looked like it would soon dump a lot of snow on them, the forecast was only for flurries.  Still, it was cold.  Dave pulled his Elmer Fudd cap down over his ears.  He wished he had chosen to wear the hiking boots Ted had given him instead of the Converse that did nothing but ask the cold wind to freeze his toes.  “Come on, I know you’re up here somewhere,” he complained.
    Maggie barked on the other side of the hill.
    “That’s got to be where the bastard is hiding out,” Dave said aloud.
    “Bastard?” Murphy asked from behind him.  “Who are you calling a bastard?”
    “You, I ain’t met your ma. As far as I know, she wasn’t married,” Dave sassed.
    “Disrespectful little man, you better watch out who you are insulting,” Murphy growled at him.
    “Hey, I’m just being friendly.  This is how my friends and I talk to each other.  They know I don’t mean it as much as they mean their insults.  Get used to it. It’s how I roll.”
    “You’re going to be pretty unpopular here.”
    “I’m leaving as soon as Mia gets back.  I’m not cut out for this crap.  I almost got tossed out a window.  If it wasn’t for you and Ted, I’d be dead.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “I don’t remember thanking you,” Dave