Page 38 of Agony

By the time he was done with his shower and had his hair damp-dried, the pizza had already been delivered. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he reentered the room and pulled on clean clothes.

“What are you doing here?” Fisher shot Rogue a quick glance.

“What are you doing here?” Rogue volleyed back.

Fisher snagged a piece of pepperoni pie and took a bite. “Helping the FBI,” he said around a mouthful.

“With or without their knowledge?”

“What does that matter? They weren’t getting shit done.”

“There’s plenty of jobs in California.”

Fisher shrugged and finished the slice before taking another. He sank onto the opposite queen bed from Rogue and ate.

“Do you remember coming here?”

“I flew.”

“Why did you fly?”

“Can’t remember,” he said, taking another big bite. What he did remember was having to check his weapons before boarding the plane. Most of the flight was a blur so he couldn’t explain more than that.

Rogue got it. His friend knew about his cPTSD and that was only because they both suffered from it. Although Rogue’s manifested in different ways.

Consuming his own food, Rogue was quiet for a moment while they both ate.

“Do you know?” Fisher eyed his friend.

“Do I know what?” Rogue avoided his eyes while munching a large piece of the pie.

“Did I have another blackout?” Fisher probed.

“I don’t know.” Rogue rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head before eating. The man’s eyes weren’t looking at him.

That was a sign.

Rogue was lying, but the man had done that before. Leaving out the truth to protect him.

Fisher didn’t mind.

He would rather remember in his own time. Plus, his therapist told him it was better not to force the memories and let them come back naturally.

“It’s not anything important, is it?” He frowned at Rogue’s continued silence.

His friend shook his head. “No. But we do need to get back to California.”

That was fine by him, he’d come here to do the job he needed to do.

Time to go home.

Justice’s sources told him the second Fisher arrived back in Southern California and it was easy to follow Fisher and Rogue when they left the airport.

He thought of all the things he wanted to say, but he kept revising them over and over, trying to find the right thing to say.

Apologizing was a priority.

Although he’d been given an order, he would own up to whatever mistake Fisher thought he’d made.

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