Page 191 of Possession

Tim crosses his arms after pointing at the two agents in the room. “Don’t make me eat shit. You know Annette wants out of the city.”

“Where are you going?” Brax demands.

He sighs. “Miami.”

“Wow.” Micah rolls his eyes. “You’re really taking her to small-town America. I hope you don’t run into traffic at the four-way stop after grabbing a coffee at the corner store. Sounds quaint.”

“She’s from Florida, asswipe. It’s close to home for her, and the kids can be close to their grandparents.”

“That’s great,” I offer since no one else in the room is happy for Tim. “Don’t take your family for granted.”

“Ditto,” Rocco mutters from the side of the room where he parked his booty in a conference chair. His arm is bandaged and he’s holding it gingerly. I can tell he’s hurting even though he won’t admit it. He refuses to take a painkiller.

“I just found out yesterday and wanted to let you know before the news spread. But there’s more,” Tim says.

“That was plenty,” Micah complains. “Getting a new supervisor is going to be a pain in the ass. I feel like we just trained you.”

Tim ignores Micah and looks straight at Brax. “You’re the shiny new star. You might as well be the mascot for the DEA at the moment. The Administrator was here for the festivities, and I talked her into rewarding you for your hard work and time given to the job. She’s giving you your choice of offices—in case you want a change of pace.”

I look up at Brax who’s as surprised as I am.

I was mentally prepared to move to New York.

“Whoa.” Micah raises his voice and turns to his best friend. “We work together. It’s bad enough you left for two years. You can’t leave.”

Brax shakes his head but not like he’s saying no. Like he might actually be considering it.

“Fuck me, you’re going to leave?” Micah booms.

Brax’s grip on my hand tightens and he scrapes his other down his face. “It’s a lot to think about. I wasn’t expecting this.”

I give his hand a squeeze. “What about your mom? You’ve been away for so long and she’s recovering.”

He gives me a little nod. “I know. But she could come. She hates the cold. She always has.”

Tim smirks. “Patty might like Florida. Lots of retirement communities down there.”

Micah throws out his hands. “This is hell. Like literal fucking hell.”

Brax looks down at me. “What do you think about Miami?”

I lean into his arm. “I told you I’d follow you anywhere. And it seems as if my stuff is already packed.”

Brax turns to the side of the room. “Roc?”

Rocco shrugs. “It’s not like I have a lot of options. I guess I’ll go where Mom and Dad go.”

“Hey,” I snap. “I’m only four years older than you.”

“Whatever,” he mutters. “Sure, Miami. Girls in bikinis. Sounds like a party.”

Brax looks back to Tim. “As long as my mom wants to move, I’m sticking with you. I’ll take Miami.”

Micah glares at Brax. “When did you turn into a selfish asshole?”

“But.” Brax glares back at his best friend before turning to Tim. “Tell them Micah is included.”

Micah crosses his arms. “Dude.”

---