I ignored that.
“I’ll come with you,” Lai added. “Keep an eye on the guard, deal with cameras. I can buy you a couple of hours with him.”
I looked down at the basket full of stuff. Somehow, it still wasn’t enough. Maybe it would have been if Fox were just a car, but he was capable of thought and emotions. A few hours of washing wouldn’t offset days and days of boredom. “He needs something to pass the time.”
“Like a phone, or a laptop?” Lai arched a brow. “Do not get that clingy fucking car a phone. You’ll be on FaceTime with him 24/7: he’ll drain his battery and your sanity.”
I exhaled.
Lai wasn’t wrong, but I had nothing better to offer.
Lai suddenly snapped his fingers, turned on his heel, and disappeared into another aisle. When he came back, he dropped a bulk pack of AA batteries into the basket.
I frowned. “What–”
“You’ll see.”
I didn’t question it. I paid for the items, picking up two straining bags as Lai led the way back to the Lexus, tapping another address into his phone.
***
“Interesting,” I commented curiously as we stopped outside of a pawn shop. Lai just smiled and gestured for me to follow him. Inside, he moved with purpose, scanning the clutteredshelves until he found what he was looking for, waving me over to a display full of retro consoles.
“A Game Boy?” I laughed, impressed. The Nintendo Game Boys were durable, simple, and from around the same era as Fox.
It was ridiculous, and somehow perfect.
“It could be weeks,” Lai explained. “Those batteries will last him ages.” He gestured for the salesman, pointing to one, then pausing. “Actually, since this is from me, let’s get two. And a link cable.”
I glanced at him. “Still thinking about that Dodge?”
He paused, just for a second, then nodded. “Yeah.”
I looked at Lai properly this time, studying him, and smiled just a little. He had grown, too.
Chapter Sixteen
Al
Lai stared out the passenger-side window, fingers tapping restlessly against the seat of the Lexus in an uneven rhythm.
Tap. Tap-tap. Pause. Tap.
I reached over and placed my hand on top of his, stilling the movement. I’d known Lai long enough to read the twitching fingers, the chewing of his lip, the slight narrowing of his eyes. He was mulling something over.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I offered quietly.
He frowned at the interruption, and I smiled. That was the Lai I knew; annoyed at being pulled out of his own head, even when he was clearly spiraling.
“I’m reconsidering a few things,” he admitted.
“Like what?”
“Our plans for tonight,” he said, and I frowned, feeling a slight prickle of dread; if he’d decided it was time to go home, I couldn’t exactly say no, but I desperately wanted to see Fox.
Lai rolled his eyes at the look on my face. “Relax, dumbass, we’re still going back to the lot,” he teased, reading my mind. “But I don’t think you should detail Fox. Save the pampering for after the auction.”
I tilted my head. “Why?”
