He pulls another bottle of Coke and then, surprisingly, a bottle of grape pop—the last bottle.
“That must be for Gus,” I say, noting the purple pop.
“Actually, it’s for Wade.”
“Wade?” I say, shocked.
“He was obsessed with it when we were younger. Always had a bottle with him. His father would order cases of it from out of town just to keep stock.
“Wow… I never would have guessed.”
“He’s a bit of a mystery, but… he’s a good guy.”
“I know that.”
We grab armfuls of snacks and drop it all to the counter to pay, making small talk with Devin until Charlie shows up and gets what he needs.
Rhett holds my hand the whole ride back.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gus
Iwatchastheold truck bounces up the dirt road, hoping Rhett will be okay being away from the farm for so long.
They shouldn’t be back for a little while. Hour at least, by the time they drive, get what they need, and come back. That gives me plenty of time to talk to Wade.
I find him in the barn, stocking the food. He’s been keeping himself real busy around the place, taking all the work from the rest of us.
“We need to talk,” I say urgently.
He turns his head toward me, raising a brow.
“It’s important,” I add.
“Doubt it,” he grumbles.
I walk over and slap the bucket out of his hand. It falls with a thud, a bit of food spilling out.
“Sorry,” I say, clearing my throat. “But I’m serious. You need to listen to me.”
“I don’t have time for games, Gus.”
“Actually, Wade, you do. You have all the time in the world. And if you don’t pull your head out of your ass, you’re going to be stuck here while the rest of us are on the first bus out of here.”
He frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“Both me and Rhett can leave the property now. We can control the shift. Trigger words hardly work.” I see the anger taking over his face. “I know you’re upset, but I want to help you. We got into the safe and we found the contract. We have the answer on how to fix this.”
“What is it?” he asks, sounding only mildly interested.
I wave my hands at him. “Hold on. I need you to stop for a minute. Just stop and listen to me.”
“I am listening, Gus.”
“Really, listen, Wade,” I say firmly. “This isn’t a joke.”
“No, shit, it’s not ajoke, Gus.”
