Page 87 of Jake Forever
"Oh, stop it," I said. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard."
"Yeah?" Anthony flashed me a sudden grin. "Why?"
Did I really need to explain this? And why was he smiling? I saw nothing to smile about.
I tried to explain. "Because it might be dangerous or something. You don't even know who those guys are. Or what they might do."
"Uh-huh." Anthony said. "How about you?Youwanna find 'em?"
"What?" I shook my head. "No. Definitely not."
"Hey, if you wanna get changed," he said, "we'll wait."
I looked down. I was wearing basic jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. "Why would I get changed?"
"I dunno." He laughed. "Like, maybe you wanna put on a bikini or something?"
"Oh, shut up," I said.
"Well,I’msure as hell not gonna wear the bikini." He looked to Steve and asked, "How about you?"
I threw up my hands. Through clenched teeth, I said, "Why doesanyonehave to wear a bikini? And besides, we're not going anywhere."
Abruptly, Steve asked, "Where's Jake?"
Startled by the sudden change of topic, I paused before admitting, "I'm not sure. He said he had an appointment."
"Yeah, I bet," Steve said.
"What doesthatmean?" I asked.
Steve's gaze shifted to my phone. So I looked, too. That godawful picture was still on the screen, taunting me with the stupidity of that whole asinine excursion.
Studying the photo now, it dawned on me that Jake probably knew the exact location of where it had been taken. And, knowing Jake, he might feel the need to learn more about what, specifically, had happened. And maybe, like my brothers, he'd think it was a fabulous idea to pay those two guys a visit.
I felt myself swallow. "You think he's out looking for them?"
"Hell yeah," Anthony said. "The dude's crazy." He said it like it was a good thing.
I didn't bother pointing out that by extension, my brothers must also be crazy, since they'd just mentioned the exact same thing.
Or maybe they were just joking. I sure as hell hoped so. But what if they weren't? I gave them a quick, furtive glance. Well, they were here now, and I needed to keep them here.
My stomach twisted. If only Jake were here, too. Sure, I missed him like I always did. But more to the point, I didn't want him anywhere near those two guys, whoever they were.
Yeah, I knew that Jake could handle himself just fine. He took crazy chances practically every day. But I hated the idea of him taking any chances on my account.
I looked to Steve and asked, "What doyouthink? Doyouthink Jake's looking for them?"
"If you want, we'll check." He flashed me a grin. "Might be fun."
"Fun?" My voice rose. "AndJake'sthe crazy one?"
"Hey, we meant it as a compliment," Steve said.
I looked to Anthony. To my infinite annoyance, he was already walking toward the door. A second later, Steve was following after him. Whatever this was, it was happening too fast.
I scrambled after them and practically threw myself in their path. "But you don't even know where Jake is."
