Page 178 of Lost Lyrebird

“Hey!”he hollers, jogging to catch up.“That’s my line!”

I laugh, my heart lighter than it’s been in a long while.“Are you smiling?”I call over my shoulder.

“You bet your ass I am,” he replies.

“Good,” I say.“You’re breaking character if you’re not.”

“Wait… wait… wait!”Bodie suddenly yells, running to catch up.“Where’s my machine gun?I just realized you forgot my fuckin’ machine gun!”

I laugh so hard it’s almost painful.“No machine guns were available for this venture, sorry.”

“Well, why the fuck not?”

“I promise, next adventure, there will be machine guns.”

“Now we’re talkin’.”

I shake my head, grinning.“I love you, you know that?”

“Yeah, Lil’.Samesies.”

Just as we’re about to enter the building, he hits me with, “I just figured out our ship name.”

Spinning around, taken me off guard, I ask, “Our what?”

“Third wheel to your love fest, remember?Our throuple.I just came up with our ship name.”

I take a few deep breaths, preparing for how this is going to go down.“Do I even wanna know?”

He grins.“Of course you do.”

I roll my shoulders back, trying to rid them of the tension mounting there.Once it’s gone, I say, “Okay, lay it on me.”

He lays the crowbar on his shoulder and gets a firmer grip on our supply bag.But he’s smiling like his namesake.“Loose, Boose.”

I stare at him and give absolutely nothing away.“That’s an awful name.”

He glares.“No it the fuck isn’t.It’s gold.”

“Can we argue about our ship name when we’re not about to, “ I whisper the last part, “murder a pedophile.”

He huffs, “Okay, fine.But we’re comin’ back to it later.This is important shit.”

“Alright.We will.I promise.”I pin him with a serious stare.“Now, one more time.Do you have my back?No matter what?”

“Fuck yes, I do.You got mine?”

“No question.”I hold out a fist to him with that same wild grin.He stares at it for a long time and opens his mouth.I tut and snap, “No fisting jokes.We have shit to do.”

“Why do you have to steal my thunder?It was going to be a good one.”

“Because the longer we stay out here, the more suspicious we look.Neighbors are going to realize we’re up to no good.”

He exhales, nods, and bumps his fist to mine.He follows me into the building and points down the hallway.

My gaze locks on the door with the silver number one above the keyhole.I let the memories of the landlord’s threats of eviction if I didn’t perform sexual acts for him fuel my steps.

Bodie whispers, “You know they say that friends who kill together, stay together.”