Page 50 of Texas Hold Em'
Tex shrugged. “I feel fit as a fiddle.”
I leaned back in my chair and took deep breaths. This was a lot. Too much, in fact.
Chips rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, admittedly this is batshit. Don’t get me wrong. But… I don’t think it’s impossible. And I have to agree with Tex’s logic. We’re never going to get a chance like this again. And sometimes risks and sacrifices are necessary to win the war. Right, Jackson?”
All eyes slid to the President, who knew more about war than the rest of them combined. He nodded solemnly.
“I still don’t like it,” Mason said.
Tex grinned. “Nobody said you had to like it.”
Grant leaned forward in his chair. “Wait, are we really considering this? What’s happening here?”
Jackson turned to Brody. “This is your area of expertise. If you think we can pull this off, I’m behind it.”
My heart raced wildly in my chest as I waited for Brody’s answer.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that if we prepare properly, and we do this thing right, that it’s worth playing with fire.”
Jackson nodded. “So be it.”
I stood up abruptly and my stomach lurched. I considered dashing to the railing to throw up over the edge, but a few deep gulps of fresh air and a hand on my stomach eased my nausea.
Tex looked up at me. “You alright?”
“This is crazy,” I said. “This is absolutely fucking crazy. I know I made this mess but I… I can’t be the reason this goes wrong. I don’t want this on my conscience. If you all seriously think this is a good idea…” I shook my head. “No, no way.”
With that, I stormed off the porch and down the steps. Tex called after me but I picked up my pace and let myself out the metal gate. As soon as I reached the other side, I bent over, braced my hands on my knees, and dry heaved.
There was nothing in my stomach to throw up.
CHAPTER 21
JAMESON
Carrie didn’t say a word to me as she sat in the passenger seat of the Chevelle. After finding her nearly throwing up in the driveway after she stormed off the porch, I realized we needed to get out of there and have this conversation away from my friends. I’d gotten their buy-in, which was why I wanted to go to Grant’s in the first place. Now I just needed to get hers.
She was the one who’d made all this possible, after all.
At a red light, she rolled down her window and twisted away from me in her seat.
“Are you going to ignore me all day?” I asked.
For a moment, I thought she might not answer. “I’m not ignoring you.”
“Sure feels like you are.”
“Well I’m not,” she snapped, glaring over her shoulder at me. “Forgive me for feeling a little withdrawn as I process the fact that I’m going to be responsible for you dying.”
I tried not to laugh. Something told me that might piss her off more. “Temporarily dying.”
“Hopefully it’s temporary. Buthopefullyis all we’ve got. You werethere. You heard what Brody said. There’s no guarantee. For all we know, your heart could stop and he might not be able to bring you back. Do you know what that would do to me?”
The light turned green and I stepped on the gas. “This isn’t about you, Carrie.”
“No shit. But if something goes wrong, it’s onmyhead, nobody else’s.”
“That’s not true.”
