“Yeah,” Ezra echoed. “And you know I can’t keep my mouth shut. If those guys so much as threaten to tickle me, I’m going to end up spilling all the beans.”
Brick groaned and lowered his head into his hands. I noticed the faded tattoos up and down his arms, his skin exposed even in the cool air of the mountains. Ezra caught my eye, and we both shrugged, not certain where this was going.
At least he wasn’t running away.
“Then what the fuck do you want me to do about it? I can’t stick around town and protect you, or guard the store, or whatever other fantasy you two have dreamed up. Trust me, I’d just bring more trouble your way if I tried to.”
With what I knew about Frisk, I realized he wasn’t exaggerating. “You can’t give us a little more?” I asked. “We’re kind of at a loss here.”
Brick finished Ezra’s coffee, then made a fist, crushing the cup in his hand. “Like I told you, those guys are just trying to track me down. They think I owe them money from when I lived out East, and they’re trying to collect.”
“You can’t just pay them off so they go away?” Ezra asked.
Brick frowned, then pointed a finger at him. “Watch yourself. It’s a hell of a lot more money than you’re probably guessing right now. Anyway, I’m skipping town before I have a chance to pick up my last paycheck at the bar. I’m broke, and I’m not paying anyone for shit.”
Ezra’s cheeks flushed when Brick pointed at him, and I felt a little thrill myself. His voice was harsher, crisper, almost like he was lecturing us, and it did something special to my crotch. It must have done something similar to Ezra, too, because once he recovered, his eyes lit up with that impish flare I recognized.
“And what are you going to do if I don’t watch myself, huh?”
Brick’s jaw tightened, and he leaned forward on the table. “Trust me. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
The tension was thick between us, and Ezra’s fingers immediately started spinning the pencil in rapid circles. He bit down on his lip, even looking away for a second, a sure sign he was actually rattled.
I couldn’t blame him. I was pretty damn rattled, too.
Rattled, and also stiff.
“Okay,” I said, my voice shaky as I broke through the loaded silence. “When do you get your paycheck, then?”
“I told you, I’m leaving town. I’m not getting it.”
“You also said you don’t know where you’re going. You need to get out of Seattle, fine, you’re out of Seattle. There are about a million cheap motels here outside of the city. Hang low for a second, we’ll pick up the paycheck for you, and then maybe you’ll be willing to give us a little more information as a way of saying thanks.”
Brick pulled a toothpick out of his pocket, popping it between his lips as he gazed out across the mountains. His eyes glazed over, and his jaw started working circles on the toothpick.
“The paycheck should be ready, and if you go in tomorrow, I’m sure Lilith will give it to you.” He stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out an old receipt and slapping it on the table in front of Ezra. “Write down your phone number. I’ll text you the motel where I’m staying, but I’m not waiting around forever. You get the check and bring it to me fast, otherwise, I’m not wasting any more time on this. And if Lilith tries to give you any problems, tell her I said thanks for screaming the other night.”
“Thanks for screaming?” I asked.
“She’ll know what it means. Just say that Brick says thanks for screaming. And sorry. Tell her I said sorry, too, that I couldn’t stop by myself and say a proper goodbye.”
Ezra and I looked at each other, and he nodded quickly. “That works,” I said. “We can do that.”
Brick stood up, pushing back from the table. “And like I said, don’t try to pull anything funny. You won’t enjoy me when I’m truly pissed off.”
Ezra purred under his breath. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he whispered to himself.
Brick pointed straight at him again, but didn’t say a word. My cock rose to full attention at the gesture, and I had to swallow to stay focused, instead of fantasizing about all the different ways he might discipline us. When Brick turned on his heel to walk away, Ezra hollered after him.
“Oh hey, Brick!”
He turned around, his thumbs tucked in the belt loops of his jeans. “What?”
“Thanks again for cleaning the shop window and for standing up to those guys.”
Brick stared at him for a second, blinking as though he were trying to take in what Ezra had just said. After a second, he shook his head. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like that half-smile was back on his face.
“Whatever, kid. Just don’t leave me waiting.”
