He pointed a finger at her.“You’re relentless.”
“And you love me for it.”
He didn’t argue that.
From across the room, Fox laughed under his breath.“You two done negotiating, or are we voting on this?”
Oliver pushed off the wall where he’d been standing, arms crossed.“I’m in.Haven’t had anything decent all day.”
“Same,” Fox added.“Better than whatever the hell’s in the fridge.”
“That’s because you don’t cook,” Oliver said.
“That’s because I like living,” Fox shot back.
Alice came in from the back hallway right then, wiping her hands on a towel.“What are we talking about?”
“Ice cream,” Clove said immediately.“We’re going.”
Alice raised a brow.“We?”
“You’re coming.”
Alice glanced toward the door, then back at Clove, like she was weighing it.“It’s eight.”
“And?”
Alice smiled, slow and easy.“Let me run it by Wrecker.”
“That sounds like a yes,” Clove said.
Wrecker stepped in behind Alice, one hand resting on her hip like it belonged there.“What sounds like a yes?”
“Ice cream,” Ender said.“Apparently, we’re all going.”
Wrecker looked between them, then down at Alice.“You want ice cream?”
She shrugged one shoulder.“I could be convinced.”
“That’s a yes,” Fox said.
Wrecker huffed out a laugh.“Alright.Let’s go before she changes her mind.”
Clove threw her hands in the air.“See?Easy.”
“Nothing about you is easy,” Ender muttered, but he was already standing.
I pushed up from my chair, grabbing my keys off the table.Nights like this had gotten easier lately.Quieter.No tension sitting in the walls, no waiting for something to go sideways.The Northbound Reapers had gone quiet, and for the first time in a while, it felt like we could breathe without watching our backs every second.
“Have I mentioned how nice it is to not have the camera crew following you guys around?”Alice sighed.
“Mac’s still got the cameras running, though,” Fox said, glancing toward one of the corners.
“Yeah,” Wrecker muttered.“But we shut down anything outside the clubhouse after that Northbound shit.”
“Probably for the best,” Oliver said.
“Yeah,” Wrecker added.“They want a show, they can film what happens in here.Not dragging cameras into club business anymore.”
