Page 113 of Always Salty

Not that my own brothers wouldn’t be willing, but they didn’t need that on their conscience.

“Let’s go,” Copper said as he headed toward the door.

Cutter followed, with Chevy in the back.

I stood up and went up to Dima, my eyes on his expressive brown ones.

“See you at home,” I said against his lips.

He caught my hair and tipped my head toward him. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I promised. “I never doubted that you’d come.”

His smile was small, and the mustache above his lip tickled my skin as he dropped the softest of kisses to my lips.

“See you at home.”

You know what? I’m just gonna say it. Sharks just aren’t eating enough people.

—Dima to Shasha

DIMA

“There are ways,” I said. “To make this hurt.”

Natasha looked scared, but Chester looked resigned.

“But I’m not going to do that,” I continued. “I’ve found that the best way is to just get it over quickly, that way you don’t dwell on the anger.”

Natasha’s teeth started to clatter.

I snapped the chains to her feet and dropped the heavy concrete block over the edge of the water.

Her body jerked when it came to a halt, the only thing holding her in place was my hand around her shirt.

“Don’t do…”

I let go.

“Your turn…” I smiled.

Chester jumped off himself, not making me push him.

I left the lake after that. This area was in the deep black water of Caddo Lake.

It was the middle of the night, and I had a long row back to the shore where I’d parked my bike and stolen the boat.

But the entire time, I had a small smile on my face.

And hours later, as I crawled into bed pushing cats out of my way as I did, I pulled her sleeping body to me and slept like a baby.

Don’t cry at home, cry at work and get paid for it.

—Keely to Brecken

KEELY

There were cats everywhere.

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