Page 113 of Rebel Summer

Dax made a face. “I plead the fifth.”

“Do you even know what the fifth is?”

“Yeah. It’s the one where I don’t have to say anything.”

At this point, I was internally pleading with Dax to shut up, but we both saw the moment Beau snapped.

“That’s it. You’re sharing this cell. Dax, you’d better be a gentleman and let her have the bed.” He motioned us to move forward.

“I told you I’d let you drive it for a week,” Dax said, the humor not quite gone from his face.

“You didn’t even tell me you had a car on the island. For two years?! I’m going to need it for at least a month before I even think about getting over this,” Beau said.

We humbly stepped inside the cell as Beau quite dramatically locked us inside.

“If you need it, the toilet is conveniently located next to the bed. It’s the middle of the night, so I don’t have to get you any food.” He strode to the mini refrigerator sitting next to his desk and pulled out two water bottles. He hesitated half a second before muttering a string of words under his breath and grabbing a half-eaten bag of Tootsie Rolls. He handed us both a water bottle and me the bag of candy before backing away.

“Don’t share that with him,” he told me, pointing at Dax. “And I’m not staying here, for your information. After what I just saw in that car, there’s no way.” He shot Dax a stern look. “And just so you know, there are cameras all over this room. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Are you talking about that one camera right in the middle of your desk?” Dax asked, watching his friend in some amusement.

Beau stiffened, glancing quickly behind him. “There’s more.”

Dax laughed, giving the bed a kick with his foot. “What’s the year on this bad boy?”

“It’s definitely older than any of us.” He turned off the light, which immediately kicked on a few yellow security lights, casting a golden hue about the room. “But you’ll be on the floor, so it doesn’t matter. Sweet dreams. Hopefully I’ll remember you guys are here in the morning.”

“The accommodations are lovely. Thank you,” Dax called pleasantly.

There were more inaudible grumbles before the door slammed shut.

A moment of silence passed between us where Dax stood almost sheepishly running his hand through his hair as he looked around before his gaze fell to me.

“I’ve never brought a girl here before.”

A laugh bubbled out of me as I looked around our home for the next few hours. The frumpy-looking bed held almost zero appeal. The toilet looked clean enough but was missing a few walls around it. But Dax was here with me. It was all a big adventure. A dream. We couldn’t be in trouble if it felt this easy to be here.

Right?

I pulled out a Tootsie Roll from the bag Beau handed me. “Do you think he’s more upset because we drove the car on the island or that you had a car and didn’t tell him?

“Definitely the second.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?” I asked, popping the candy in my mouth.

He shrugged. “That’s a lot of information to put on a cop. Are you planning on sharing that bag, Books?”

I pretended to think. “I don’t know… Beau specifically told me not to.”

“Ten hours to the first person who can knock over the camera on his desk.”

I laughed, looking at the small camera facing us. “Do you think he’s watching us right now?”

“All I know is that I’m not peeing in here with that thing pointed this way.”

I shot him a look that made him laugh. “You better not be peeing at any time in this cell.”

He nodded toward the candy bag. “Ten hours?”

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