Page 104 of Ship Happens
“It’s the truth. You can ask Jim!” Gary peeks out from behind me. “Ezra, when you mentioned that football game at the bar, you were talking about my brother. I never did anything great like he did. I never scored a touchdown or even had any friends to invite me to a poker game. When you said all that, I lied because I was excited to see what it was like to be popular. My name...isn’t even Gary.”
Jim explains Gary’s ordeal, and the men burst into another argument. Ezra keeps saying it’s impossible, that he would never make that sort of mistake. Bennett laments that it doesn’t matter and he just wants to end his life.
King taps his wineglass, calling for order. “It happens to the best of us, lads. Sometimes we get it wrong. Nothing to do now but accept it and move on.”
“That’s why I came in here,” Gary says. He gathers his courage and steps out from behind me. “I know how much you guys wanted to kill me because you thought I was my brother.”
“Pretty bold of him to assume that’s whyIwanted to kill him,” Bennett mutters.
“I wanted to help,” Gary adds. “Jim has done a lot for me, and I wanted to show you guys that I’m not mad about whathappened. So, I convinced my brother I wanted to patch things up. He’s right outside.”
As a group, we stand from the table and follow the little man to the front lawn. We pour from the building as a group and spot Gary’s carbon copy in the circular drive. He gives his brother a little wave, then gets a bit nervous when he sees the crowd behind him.
“Long time no see.” He holds his hand out to Gary, who doesn’t accept the handshake. He lowers his hand and clears his throat. “I, uh...Who are all these people?”
Gary turns to us. “Do you want to kill him here, or should we take him inside?”
“We usually don’t announce our plans, old chap, but here is fine. Jim has the staff on payroll now.” Ezra takes a step toward the man.
Gary’s brother flinches and takes a step back. “Kill me? What are you talking about? You said you wanted to have dinner and catch up. I flew all the way to Virginia for this.”
“We’ll be sure to pay for your return trip,” I say. “In a pine box, of course.”
Eve and Kindra chuckle beside me.
Something cold slides into my palm, and I look down as Ezra pushes the steak knife into my grasp. “You should do it,” he says.
“The fuck she should!” Bennett bellows. “Gary was my kill to take on the island, so this is my kill to take now.”
“She hasn’t gotten to kill as much as we have. Let her have a turn,” Ezra says.
Bennett groans and turns to Jim. “Tell them it’s my turn! Ezra can’t go back on his deal.”
“Settle down, children, settle down.” Jim points toward the woods. “No one will get the chance to kill him if he gets away.”
We turn and look as Gary’s brother disappears into the trees.
“Get him!” I shout, and we take off running.
Like a pack of wolves, we race through the woods in pursuit of a kill. I glance to my side with a breathless smile. Maverick runs beside me, hyper-focused on the stumpy-legged man tootling away from us. To my right and just behind me, the girls give chase with giggles and feminine war cries. My brothers continue bickering as they pick their way through the thick brush, and Jim and King bring up the rear.
Maverick sees an opening and darts forward to tackle the man to the ground. The girls descend, each of them taking a limb and pinning it to the leaf litter.
“He’s mine!” Bennett yells as he comes to a stop. He holds up a finger, then plants his hands on his knees. “Just as soon as I catch my breath.”
The man writhes on the ground, bucking beneath the women like a demon being doused with holy water. If his head starts to spin as pea soup spews from his asshole, I won’t be surprised.
“Take the kill,” Maverick says beside me.
I shake my head. “I just found my brothers. I’m not about to piss one off now.”
“He’s giving it to you,” Cat whispers. “He’s not really out of breath. He’s just incapable of openly being a nice guy. We’re working on it.”
Despite the whispering, Bennett hears her. He purses his lips and stops pretending he can’t breathe. With a scowl, he stands upright, folds his arms over his chest, and looks away. “Merry Christmas.”
I grip the knife a little tighter and look back at Maverick. He’s told me he doesn’t care that I’ve chosen to be a killer, but that hasn’t been tested yet. I’ve been too busy acclimating to my new position at work to partake in my new hobby. I worry he’s just being strong for me.
“Honey, if you’re gonna do it, now’s the time,” Eve says as she struggles to hold her grip on the man’s leg.
