Page 32 of Burn It Down

This pulls a laugh out of me. “Fuck no.”

His smile morphs into a laugh of his own. “And for the record, they’re called foils, not swords.”

“Noted.” I’m powerless to stop the smirkorthe perusal of his chest that accompanies my answer.

I’ve forgotten how important it is to have this kind of connection. I’d do anything for my family and they’ll always come first, but I forget there’s a need for this kind of relationship in my life too.

As if reading my thoughts, Jake says, “I’m glad you agreed to come along today.” A sharp pang of guilt lances through me at the thought of leaving my dad with all that work. Seeing my face fall, Jake quickly adds, “It’s just one day, Dylan. We’ll be back by six or seven.”

Not wanting to be a total buzzkill, I relent. “Yeah, no, it’s all good. Thanks for inviting me.”

Half an hour later, we hear Hudson yell, “Bring him in!”

“Thank fuck. Can I break the liquor out now?” Jake asks Knox.

He nods and I hear Phoenix let out a whoop from the back of the boat.

“Technically,we’re not supposed to have any open containers on the boat, but as long as we aren’t driving recklessly, being overly obnoxious, or obviously drunk, the police tend to leave us alone. It also helps that they know us and Knox’s boatandour fire station’s divers have done more than one body search for them in this lake,” Jake explains, opening the cooler.

“Last call if the liquor’s coming out. Dylan, you want to go?” Knox asks me, nodding toward the back of the boat.

I shake my head. “I’m happy just to watch this go round, but thanks.”

Jake starts pouring vodka and ginger ale into insulated travel mugs and handing them out to everyone except Knox as the wakeboard gets stowed and the boat ambles slowly toward a new destination.

Chapter 11

Jake

“Jakey, how’s Cora?” Hudson asks, taking a seat at the bow across from Dylan and I. Fuck, I don’t want to talk about Cora right now.

“She’s good. Out with her sister today.” Maybe if I keep it brief, he won’t probe. I haven’t mentioned Cora to Dylan even though I’ve mentioned him to her several times already. That should probably be considered a red flag, but I’m more desperate to have his name on my tongue than hers.

“Her dad nervous about reelection?”

Guess my tactic didn’t work.

“Yeah, but I think every elected official gets nervous around this time. I mean, if you don’t get reelected, what do you do, you know?”

Knox actually cracks a smile at that. “You go back to whatever white collar, elitist job you hadbeforeyou pretended to give a shit about wanting to make the world a better place.”

Cora’s dad isn’t that bad for a politician. Ambition runs in his veins, but you can’t fault him for that. He’s somehow managed to stay above the line of corruption so he’ll easily be getting my vote. Nonetheless, I don’t love the direction this conversation has taken.

“Let’s talk about something else,” I mutter, feeling all of Dylan’s questions humming just below the surface of this conversation.

“Phoenix, are you still seeing that girl you met online?” Hudson chimes in.

“I was neverseeingher. We fucked. Twice. That’s all.”

“Such a gentleman,” Knox teases from behind the wheel. “Alright guys, we’re here. Someone throw my anchor down, will you?”

“Got it!” I call, hopping forward four feet and opening the hatch. I’m on my knees with my ass in the air for the second time when another loud crack rings out. Opposite ass cheek this time, but twice as hard. It almost sends me into the water. I bolt upright. “Goddamn it, Hudson! You already got me back.”

Hudson holds his hands up. “Don’t look at me.”

My heart is racing in my chest. Dylan’s only halfway through his vodka and ginger ale but maybe it made him a little bolder.

He laughs and holds his cup and free hand in the air. “Not me, either.”

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