Page 67 of Part & Parcel

Kelly gripped his stick tighter and watched Nick as his heart pounded. Was he relieved or disappointed? He couldn’t even tell.

There was a change in the atmosphere of the crowd, and a roaring, gushing sound behind them. Kelly stared at Nick, though, his heart pounding too hard for him to breathe, much less rip his eyes away and turn to see the spectacle. Nick’s gaze drifted upward, his lips parting the higher he looked. The others all stood the same way, awestruck by the erupting geyser.

Nick reached out almost without seeming to realize he was doing it, without taking his eyes off the tower of water and steam, and he gripped Kelly’s arm and turned him around, forcing him to watch. And suddenly Kelly could breathe again. He could feel his heart hammering at his chest, and he could feel the warmth of Nick’s touch as it trailed down his arm and into his hand, tangling their fingers together. He was aware of Ty and Owen struggling to get Seymour out so they could take his picture in front of Old Faithful, but he didn’t move to help them.

Minutes later, when the geyser seemed to be running of steam, Nick lowered his head and squeezed Kelly’s hand, glancing sideways to meet Kelly’s eyes. He seemed surprised, and his fingers loosened, releasing him. “Sorry,” he whispered.

Kelly shook his head, but whatever he’d intended to say didn’t come out. Nick offered a gentle smile as he turned away, and Kelly stood there, watching him as he joined Owen and Digger and they started off toward the parking lot together.

Kelly swallowed hard, blinking as if just remembering his eyes could do that. Were he and Nick okay? Was this normal, to feel despondent like this when nothing seemed to be amiss? For the first time since Nick had kissed him and lit that spark inside both of them, Kelly was worried. He could feel the air pressing tighter around him, feel the panic creeping closer. What if he and Nick just weren’t meant to work? What the hell would he do if Nick was feeling this panic, too? What would he do if he was set adrift?

“Doc? You okay?” Ty said, and a hand on his shoulder finally knocked him out of his reverie.

Kelly glanced at him, taking a deep breath and trying to smile. “Yeah,” he said, nodding and glancing at Ty and Zane. “Let’s do this.”

He could feel their eyes on him as he followed after the other three amidst the dispersing crowd. But he had bigger things to worry about now. Like how the hell the three of them were supposed to win a battle of wits and wiles against a team as fucking stacked as a bayou firebug, a devious asshole, and an Irish MacGyver.

Two days after entering Yellowstone National Park, the six of them were exhausted, dirty, bruised, and hungry as they climbed back into the Suburban.

Digger had tied Alpha Team’s flag around his head, wearing it proudly as he claimed shotgun for the drive to their next destination.

“Who the hell knows that pinecones will explode?” Ty grumbled to Zane. They were both in the third row of seats, curled up together and squished into the back. Losers sat in the back. “Who knows that?”

Nick snickered and pressed his fist to Digger’s. “Oohrah,” he said with a grin as he started the car.

“Who’s got the next letter?” Zane asked. He sounded exhausted, but then all of them were. Zane had held his own out there, and Nick was impressed. He’d actually been last man standing from Alpha team, but he hadn’t been able to save their flag and Digger had managed to snag it with just minutes left to the twenty-four hour end of game time.

Despite being tired and sore and dirty, and enduring some arguing over whether Nick had broken the rules when he’d faked blowing out his knee to lure Kelly out and ‘kill’ him, none of them could stop grinning.

Kelly was digging in Nick’s bag for the letters, so Nick waited before getting under way. Helen’s air-conditioning felt amazing, so he closed his eyes and let it blast right in his face as they waited.

Kelly handed the next letter to Ty, who opened it up while still grumbling about pinecones. Nick watched him in the mirror as his eyes darted over it, no doubt scanning it to make sure he could read it out loud without crying. He finally cleared his throat and looked up. “Ready?” he asked.

The other answered with nods and murmurs. Nick turned a little in the driver’s seat so he could see as Ty read.

“First of all, I want to congratulate whichever team had more devious assholes on it,” he read, eyes flicking to Digger and narrowing. He hummed as Digger beamed at him. “The winning team doesn’t get shit for winning, this ain’t Little League. Climb back in your ride and start heading for Doc’s cabin. Even if he doesn’t own the cabin anymore, I want you to get as close to his property as you’re legally able. I know that’s a long drive, so stop somewhere along the way and have yourselves a nice bath, a nice dinner, and a good night’s sleep. You’ve earned it since you each just spent the last two days trying to viciously fake kill your buddies.”

Owen gave a relieved sigh. “Thank you, EZ.”

“There’s more,” Ty told them. “Alpha Team and Bravo Team will room together from here on out, when the size of the rooms allows it. Be a team.”

Ty snorted as he glanced around. “He also says we can open the next letter when we get to Doc’s place.”

“Why are we going home?” Kelly asked. He had turned so his back was resting against the door panel, and his bare feet were propped in Owen’s lap.

Ty just shook his head, shrugging. He offered the letter for Kelly to read over, and Nick turned around and started them on their way.

“Any preferences for where we stay tonight?” Nick asked.

“Can we drive through Jackson Hole?” Zane asked. “I’ve always wanted to see it.”

Nick nodded. “We can stop in Jackson for lunch, it’s a weird little town. It’s not far enough for halfway, though.”

“Let’s just go ’til you get tired,” Owen suggested. “None of us are allowed to drive today anyway.”

“Okay,” Nick said, glancing in the rearview mirror out of habit. He found Kelly’s storm-cloud eyes on him, and they stole his breath away.

Kelly gave him a sad smile, then looked away. Nick stared at his profile for as long as the road would allow, his chest aching so much he had to put a hand over the scar on his side to keep himself from wincing. He could feel Kelly slipping away, and he didn’t know why.

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