16. Utah

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

utah

I watched those bubbles pop up.

Then disappear.

And pop up again.

Only to disappear another time.

I thought about letting it go on until she figured out what to say, or until Indy told her exactly what to say. But that route might’ve left me lying in this bed just staring at my phone until the sun came up.

Me

I wish you were here too, Memphis.

Imagining her panic even harder over that made me smile.

Memphis

Just so I could be weird again when I show up at your door in the middle of the night?

Me

I’d be bored out of my mind if you were normal.

Memphis

I’m glad the tremendous anxiety that you give me is at least entertaining for you.

Me

Tell me how to stop making you anxious and I’ll do it.

I’d much rather be your safe place, angel.

Memphis

That. That’s the stuff that gives me anxiety. All of it.

Nothing but anxiety.

Me

That’s not anxiety, baby.

Those are butterflies.

Big difference.

Memphis

Is there a difference though? Because they both make me feel sick.

Me

But you hate the way one makes you feel.

And you keep texting me because you like the other.

She was quiet for a long time after that, and I started to wonder if I’d scared her off for the night just that quickly. She always handled it better when she could talk to me without having to look at me, so texting her seemed like the obvious solution, but even that apparently had its limits.

Memphis

I’m sorry I’m not better at this.

I don’t know what I’m doing.

Me

You don’t have to. I know what I’m doing.

Memphis

That’s still stressful because I’m really not so good with not being in control.

Me

Have I ever made you feel like you aren’t in control?

Memphis

I can’t even control my lungs when you’re around.

Me

Would you feel better if I were around less?

Memphis

No.

Apparently, I don’t even like you not being here now.

Me

Even though you can’t breathe when I’m there.

Memphis

It’s complicated.

Me

You are complicating it. By itself, this is not complicated.

Memphis

Agree to disagree?

Me

No.

Memphis

What? You can’t just say no to that. I’m pretty sure that’s like the internationally accepted signal for “let’s just move on.”

Me

I tend to do what I want, angel.

Tell me what you want to do next on that list of yours.

Memphis

I wasn’t giving you a list of tasks when we talked about that, Utah.

Me

Tell me anyway. Name it. Anything you want.

Memphis

Anything? If I sit here and tell you to pick me up for a date with a boombox held over your head, you’re going to do it?

Cheesy old movies.

Seemed very much like something Memphis would be interested in.

Should’ve seen that coming a mile away.

Me

Pick you up for a date, huh?

Are you asking me out, Memphis?

I sat there and laughed out loud at those bubbles when they popped up and disappeared over and over again that time.

Memphis

No.

That is not at all what I meant. I was trying to call you insane for offering anything.

Me

Is that your favorite movie? Say Anything?

Where the fuck was I going to get a boombox? And now I was going to need to do some searching for whatever song Lloyd played from it.

Memphis

An absurd teenage love story from the 80s as a favorite?

Don’t be ridiculous.

The Princess Bride.

Me

So…just a different absurd love story from the 80s as a favorite?

INCONCEIVABLE.

I laughed again when a different message came through.

Indy

And now she’s in love with you. Well fucking played, hoss.

Might’ve complicated things on the work front because I definitely lost all hearing in my right ear from the squeal that came out of her just now.

I went back to the chat with Memphis.

Memphis

You should be sleeping.

Me

If you say so, boss.

She really wasn’t wrong. Nothing but driving all day and what was pretty much guaranteed to be a difficult day tomorrow required rest.

I checked my phone one more time before I actually tried to sleep and found myself staring at a picture that Indy sent. A picture of Memphis at the opposite end of the couch from where Indy was, smiling down at the phone in her hands.

At me.

She was smiling at me.

Me

Good night, angel.

The next day did, in fact, prove to be a disaster.

“Explain to me again how I’m supposed to just pick this kid out of the crowd,” I whispered. I’d been sitting in the outdoor seating area of this beachfront bar for the last twenty minutes, just watching the flow of people in all directions.

“We’ll help you,” Indy said in my ear at the same time that Memphis said, “He’s heading your direction now.”

This was going to be an absolute fucking nightmare having to listen to both at the same time.

“We’re pretty sure it’s his phone that we’re tracking,” Memphis said.

“How sure is pretty sure ?” I asked quietly.

“Well, you’ll know in a couple minutes if you just wait patiently, won’t you?” she snapped.

“Feels like there’s a chance that you’re about to tell me you’ve sent me all the way to the South Carolina for the wrong cell phone,” I said.

“That would suggest that I am wrong,” she said. “That doesn’t really happen.”

What the fuck happened to the overly shy girl from that hotel room? From the text messages? She was an entirely different person once she shifted into work mode.

“There’s a security camera to your right. At the edge of the building, just under the soffit,” Indy said. “Feel free to at least wave at us if you’re going to roll your eyes that hard.”

This was the job of my nightmares.

“There,” Memphis said. “The white ball cap, black shorts. He’ll be walking in front of you in a couple seconds. I think that’s him.”

“The surfer kid?” I asked and laughed. “Isn’t his name Montana ?”

“In his defense, cowboy, you’re the one who looks out of place at the edge of a beach ,” Indy said.

“Being from Utah doesn’t make me a cowboy,” I said.

“No,” Indy agreed. “But the big ass truck, the boots, the accent, the tan, the demeanor, the music?—”

“Okay. Thank you. I get it.”

“Just follow him for a minute,” Memphis said quickly. “He’s on a job now. I’m almost positive that’s him. Watch him and see if he does anything that suggests he’s working.”

I waited until the surfer boy walked a good distance by me before I stood to follow him. It wouldn’t be difficult to go unnoticed while I tailed him in this ever-flowing crowd of tourists.

Except the moment that I stood from my table and made my way to the sidewalk, he stopped dead in his tracks to turn just his head to look over his shoulder.

“The fuck?” I whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Memphis asked immediately.

I couldn’t just stop and talk while he was looking my way. The rest of the crowd was walking. Suddenly standing still would’ve been wildly suspicious…just like how I felt about his current behavior. His hat prevented me from knowing if he was looking directly at me, but I continued walking toward him. Before I was really close enough to tell, he darted across the street to the other sidewalk and continued in the same direction.

“Could you see him from that camera?” I asked quietly.

“Can’t see either of you right now,” Indy said.

“He stopped as soon as I was on the sidewalk,” I said, trying to keep him in view from the corner of my eye without actually looking across the street. “Looked back at me before he sprinted across the street to the other sidewalk. Any chance you cute little tech twins weren’t the only ones using that camera?”

“I told you he thinks you’re cute,” Indy laughed.

“Focus,” I snapped.

Surfer boy picked up the pace across the street. I needed to be on that sidewalk behind him to have any chance at actually watching what he was doing. I couldn’t see anything other than his hat from across the fucking street with throngs of people between us. I slowed my own pace, hoping to fall even further behind him so he wouldn’t notice when I sprinted through the traffic in a second to get back behind him.

The moment that my feet hit the concrete of the other sidewalk, I watched his hat dip down below the crowd for just a second. He bent down just long enough to brush his hand across the back bumper of a Camaro that was parked on the side of the street.

“That’s him,” I whispered. “Think I just watched him plant a tracking device on a car.”

“On a Camaro?” Memphis asked.

“How could you possibly know the details of his job?” I whispered. “How? Fucking how? Who are you tech kids?”

I watched Montana pick up the pace and dart down an alley between two buildings.

“Fuck me,” I groaned and started to jog through the swarms of people. “He’s about to disappear.”

“So, maybe chase him?” Indy asked while Memphis said, “Don’t let him.”

“I think I’m going to vote for the two of you to be the ones who come out and handle the next Executioner.”

“You’re outnumbered, honey,” Indy cackled.

“Utah, don’t!” Memphis screamed in my ear the second that I rounded the edge of the building where Montana had disappeared. I dropped straight to the ground the very moment that I watched a fucking knife swing into my line of sight. I laid my six-foot-tall ass all the way out to be able to roll out from under this kid before he could react. He was a speedy little shit though and was right back in front of me as soon as I was upright again.

“If you’re going to mug somebody, I’d suggest a regular tourist. Not a dangerous one,” Montana said and swung the knife lazily in my direction again. He wasn’t swinging to hurt me that time, though. He was warning me.

“Ask if he goes by Montana,” Indy said.

“I’m not here to mug you, Montana,” I said as Memphis was telling me not to use his work name yet. “Guys,” I hissed. “We’re really going to need to work on the timing of this shit. Get on the same page if you’re going to have me do this.”

Montana abandoned his fighting stance for a few moments while he stared at me in pure confusion. I raised my hands to try to show him that I wasn’t planning to attack him.

“What’d you call me?” he asked.

“Yikes,” Memphis whispered.

“Helpful. Thank you, angel.”

“You better start talking,” Montana said and raised the knife again. “ To me .”

“That’s fair,” I said and fucking laughed at what a disaster this already was. “Listen, I know you’re here on a contract. I know you’re busy. But you and Richmond are new to this and there are things you probably don’t know about the organization and the President.”

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Don’t tell him that,” Memphis said. “Richmond will know about the bounties on all of us.”

“I’m just here to open your eyes,” I said. “Is Richmond with you?” I asked. “Can he hear me?”

Montana didn’t answer. He didn’t even blink.

“Okay,” I went on anyway. “We found out the hard way that the President was involved in some seriously shitty recruiting tactics for the organization. Richmond, if you are listening, look into it yourself. How did he find the two of you? What were the circumstances around the way that he ended up hiring you?”

Montana shook his head. “Who are you? I won’t ask another time.”

He went right back to his fight-ready stance that time.

“Don’t do it,” Memphis said again. “Won’t help.”

I blew out all the fucking air in my body.

“Does your Judge make you crazy?” I asked Montana. “Because I was gifted a second one against my will and I’m about to blow a gasket because of it. They’re both about to be fired.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m having a great time,” Indy chimed in.

Montana was done waiting. He lunged back at me with the knife after I still hadn’t offered a realistic answer to who I was. I was usually pretty decent in high-pressure scenarios, but something about dodging knife blades put me a little more on edge than usual.

I wasn’t here to kill him. I wasn’t even here to hurt him. I was supposed to be convincing him that we needed to be on the same side. But men usually had a really hard fucking time accepting that someone else was right after that someone else kicked their ass.

Having to worry about avoiding his knife was distracting enough that I wasn’t sure how to continue the previous conversation anyway. I couldn’t focus on staying alive, ignoring the two voices in my ear, and convincing this kid that the President murdered his parents all at the same time.

“I’m going to do my damndest to get that knife away from you without hurting you, Montana,” I said quickly while I ducked another swing and stepped around him. “But if I end up knocking your ass out, just know now that it isn’t personal. We’ll still take you when Richmond figures it out.”

“I’m going to knock your ass out just to make you stop talking,” Montana hissed.

Indy chuckled in my ear. “I kind of can’t wait to add him to the misfit corn crew.”

“Really?” Memphis asked. “That sounded like something Jersey would say. I don’t think any of us would survive two of him.”

“This is most definitely the worst day of my fucking life,” I mumbled.