The line went dead, and Jonah stared down at the phone for a moment before slamming it against the nearby brick wall. It shattered into cheap plastic pieces he ground under his boot before stalking back to the car.
He waited, one hand on the hot roof, until his heart quit jackhammering, then he slid back inside.
“You didn’t miss the shot, did you?” Cas fidgeted with a thread on his shorts.
Jonah let his head fall against the seat and closed his eyes again. “I didn’t miss the shot.” He’d lost his cool, instead. The ultimate sin. If there’d been a handbook for the trade, that would’ve been rule number one, right at the top in bold print. It randomly occurred to him at that moment that he’d never taken a vacation in his life. When all of this was done? He would. “Please, don’t ask—”
“I don’t need to.” Cas’s hand was cool against Jonah’s cheek, but his lips were hot pressing across his jaw. The disparity of sensation made Jonah light-headed, and he reached out, eyes still closed, to wrap his fist in Cas’s t-shirt and pull him closer. His mouth was so yielding, so fucking soft, the kiss weightless and heavy all at once.
For a few brief moments, Jonah could pretend that the slide of their tongues against each other was all that mattered.
Cas was the one to pull away. Jonah opened his eyes to find Cas’s trained on him, worry evident in the deep sea blue. He rubbed a thumb over Cas’s plump lower lip. “It’ll be okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Maybe. In the meantime, I promised you ice cream.” He smoothed the rucked up front of Cas’s shirt back into place. “Find us somewhere nearby?”
“Okay.” Cas smiled in return as he slid back into his seat, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Seconds later, they were en route to some place called The Ice Palace when Jonah’s other phone rang. He would’ve ignored it if it’d been anyone other than Madigan.
“How much do you like Cas?” he asked when Jonah answered.
“Quit being a dick. What’ve you got?”
“The bounty is real, and it’s been raised by another fifty grand.Andbecause your boy is such a loner, everyone with a gun and some know-how is gonna be chasing after him for that kind of easy cash. So, if you were ever on the fence about the kid, maybe you want to hang back for a while and let that sort itself out.”
“Not an option.”
“How did I know you were going to say that? Jesus, Jonah. Expect to get caught in the crossfire, then.”
“Do you know who ordered it?”
“I’ll get back to you on that.”
Jonah pulled into the parking lot of the Ice Palace and stared up at the ten-foot wooden ice cream swirl stuck on top of a low slung metal building that had probably seen better days back in the fifties.
Cas followed his gaze then shrugged. “Their ice cream gets really good reviews. C’mon.” They exited the car and Cas fell in step alongside Jonah, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder as they strolled toward the entrance. “Madi said I’m fucking toast, didn’t he?”
“Something along those lines.” Jonah held the door open for him and then, after a beat, dropped an arm around Cas’s shoulders. In all the years he’d known Cas, he didn’t think he’d ever done that before, but it felt…nice.Nice?No, it felt alien and slightly awkward and also really fucking good when Cas molded to his side instinctively. Jonah wondered when he’d become such a lonely bastard. “But first we’re gonna get some goddamn ice cream.”
15
Caspian
The Ice Palace was a forgotten kingdom of peeling pink and white striped wallpaper and red vinyl booths patched with red duct tape. Still, the place smelled amazing, like warm waffle cones and cookies.
While they waited in line, Jonah stood behind Cas, a protective shadow looming over him. Part of Cas wanted to be salty about Jonah’s inability to believe he could protect himself, but another part of him was grateful to have Jonah at his back, especially when it meant he could lean his weight against him in line and feel the heat of his skin soaking through his t-shirt.
At the counter, Jonah ordered Rocky Road from the lanky dark-haired teenager with a face full of acne and the dull eyes of a stoner. Cas looked at the myriad of flavors, biting his lip as he tried to decide what he wanted. Luckily, the Ice Palace wasn’t a real bustling business, which allowed Cas to take his time as his brain jumped from option to option, leapfrogging across the pros and cons of each flavor, like a radio flipping through stations. Sometimes, his ADHD made even the simplest of decisions impossible.
“Chocolate, please,” he finally blurted to the bored employee.
Jonah snickered. “Seriously? We waited ten minutes so you could pick the most basic flavor on the menu?”
“Some would argue that vanilla is the most basic flavor, but I will not apologize for my indecisiveness. You know how my brain gets.”
Goosebumps erupted along Cas’s skin as Jonah’s hands closed around Cas’s hips, pulling him back against him, his lips ghosting across Cas’s cheek. “You’re right. Sorry.”
