Page 77 of GAF Factor

“You can’t leave! We haven’t cleared you!”

“Then fucking arrest me!” IKE yelled. He grabbed me gently by the arms and steered me through the police station and out the front door. The cold air smacked me in the face, giving me the reprieve I needed from the stifling air of the small room we were just in. The smell of decaying bodies slowly vanished, along with the gruesome images that accompanied it.

“Fucking asshole. Are you okay?”

I nodded, continuing to breathe deeply. “I’m good. Why would he think I did that? He had to see what we did.”

“He’s scrambling. He’s got nothing to go on,” IKE said, cursing under his breath as he turned to the police station. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, inhaling deep. I watched as just the act seemed to calm him down and wondered if it would do the same for me.

I held out my hand, waiting for him to give it to me. He quirked a brow at me.

“Have you ever tried a cigarette?”

“No.”

“Don’t start now.”

“Are you telling me no?” I asked, cocking my head at him.

He rolled his eyes and handed it over. “I have a feeling I’m gonna be holding back your hair in a minute.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, putting the cigarette to my lips. I had no idea what I was doing. I inhaled deeply. I felt the rush of nicotine hit me all at once. A dizzying feeling washed over me, and I stumbled just as nausea hit. This was not a good idea. Iturned just in time to vomit all over a police cruiser. I felt my hair being held back as I puked up whatever was in my stomach. That had to be the most foul thing I’d ever tasted.

“Here,” IKE murmured, shoving a bottle of water in front of me.

I took it gratefully, swishing the water around in my mouth before spitting it out. I glanced at IKE, wiping my mouth. “That was disgusting. How do you smoke that stuff?”

“Years of practice.”

“Well, you should quit. I can’t believe you actually did that more than once.”

“I can’t believe you tried it at all. You have puke in your hair. We should get to a hotel and wash it out.”

I cringed as he casually grasped my hair between his fingers and wiped it the best he could.

“You just wiped puke from my hair.”

“Yeah. What’s your point?”

That had to be the most amazing thing anyone had ever done for me. I was seriously in awe of this man. “Nothing. We should go.”

He took me by the elbow, something I came to realize made him feel like he had some control, and walked me to our vehicle around the corner. Once we were both inside, he didn’t waste any time getting away from the town.

“So, where to now?” IRIS asked.

“A hotel.”

“Not in this town, right?” IRIS asked. “I have a feeling we’d all be booked for murder by the end of the night.”

“Or playing banjos,” Jane added.

We all turned and looked at her. “What? It’s a small town. It could happen.”

I steppedout of the shower just in time to see IKE dressing all in black. Squeezing the water from my curls, I walked lazily into the room, kneeling on the bed. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Going back to the house.”

“The crime scene?”

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