They do know where we live now, though, so you never know.
When we turn onto Sage’s old street, her scent dampens, turning slightly soapy. I glance in the mirror to see Riley unbuckling, then scooting into the middle seat to wrap his arms around her.
“This is good,” he says softly. “This is you taking your power back.”
Sage nods, but doesn’t say anything, and then we’re officially on a stake out as we sit and wait. My skin prickles with nervous static, and my eyes dart between all three mirrors, the road in front of us, and out my window at who I assume is the court officer waiting in their car across the street.
“We should have brought snacks,” Riley grumbles twenty minutes later.
“Or a game,” Sage says.
“We can make up a game,” Brooks suggests, and Sage turns hopeful brown eyes his way.
“Like what?”
Brooks’ eyes go wide, and he turns to me.
I snort. “You just love climbing out of holes, don’t you?”
“He certainly loves getting into them, at the very least,” Riley interjects with an exaggerated wink.
I groan, and Brooks flushes pink above his beard. Sage looks between all of us with a confused frown.
“I don’t get it,” she says.
“I said ‘he likes getting into holes.’ As in: your holes, my holes, Vee’s holes…”
Her face is still blank, and I chuckle as Riley sighs.
“He likes fucking us,” they deadpan.
“Oh!” She’s startled for all of two seconds, and then she starts cackling. Like, all-out evil witch cackles, and we all stare at her in surprise.
“It wasn’t that funny,” Brooks tries to grumble, but he’s smiling so it doesn’t work.
We’re all smiling, actually. Because although it was a stupid joke, Sage’s laughter is contagious, and none of us are used to hearing it yet.
“Oh, oh!” Riley says, whisper-yelling and batting his hands at us. “I think that’s them.”
Sure enough, a loud-ass lifted truck speeds down the road, then pulls into their driveway. Silence descends around us, and I hardly dare to breathe. The court officer had been parked a ways down the road from us, right by the driveway, and they step out of their car to stride up toward the now-open garage.
I crack my window a couple inches so we can eavesdrop.
“Excuse me,” they call. “Mr. Allen and Mr. Lewis?”
“That’s us. Who’s asking?” One of them, Steve I think, steps down from the driver’s side and approaches them. The other rounds the opposite side to where the court officer is holding out two sealed envelopes, standing outside thegarage.
“I have some court appointed documents for you. You’ve been served.”
Josh and Steve take the documents automatically, their faces bewildered. Then the officer turns and walk away, striding down the driveway back to their car.
“Wait, what?” Steve says, eyes bugging out.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Josh yells after them, barely glancing at the envelope in his hand.
Sage’s scent takes a slightly acrid turn, and Brooks reaches a hand back to place it on her knee.
“You okay, Petal? We can leave. We know they got it now, that’s the important part.”
