Page 141 of Lovers Like Us

“Thank God,” Oscarmutters.

Donnelly plops on the bed. Quinn blows out the biggest breath and crouches in asquat.

Charlie returns to his spot on thefloor.

My brother isokay.

I crack my stiff neck. My eyes are dry and sear like I took a branding iron to eachone.

And as I look around the hotel room, I start thinking about Omega. How these six people just shared in a private, raw moment that the world won’t ever see. Or feel. Orknow.

* * *

After an hour of family calls,phones are pocketed. Heavy silence descends. We’re all scattered around the hotel room. I cross my arms, standing rigid beside Farrow who leans his shoulder blades on the window. Relaxed, at ease.Cool.

His demeanor is like a fucking drug. Almost entering my bloodstream and helping mebreathe.

Akara faces everyone again. Tension builds towards the conversation that my phone abruptly spliced. I’ve been thinking about Omega’sfate.

Imagine replacing them with six other guys—it seems inconceivable, wrong. Like shuttling a family to the moon without aspacesuit.

The next bodyguards in line for hire may not care as much. May not love our families as much. May not want to be here for reasons greater than money and fame. And I don’t just feel lucky that these six guys exist in our lives. Heretoday.

I feel like they’re necessary. Integral pieces of our world that not many others can reallyfill.

So I break the quiet. “We’re not firing any of you,” I tell them. “If you want to fucking quit, you’ll have to quitvoluntarily.”

Quinn raises a hand. “I’m notquitting.”

“It’s not up to you, little bro.” Oscar nods to Akara and then Thatcher. “The Tri-Force makes thecall.”

Dear World, want to gift me that mind-reading superpower? Stat. Sincerely, a tensehuman.

I rotate my tightshoulder.

Akara fits his baseball hat on backwards. “We’ve decided that there has to be some changes. It’s inevitable, guys. If we act like nothing’s different, we’re jeopardizing the safety of our clients, of all of you…” He looks at my family. “None of us wantthat.”

Thatcher scans the bodyguards. “We’ve discussed ways to minimize the impact of our popularity, and to remain a part of Omega, with the same client, there are newnonnegotiablerules.” His warning glare lands onFarrow.

I quickly process thenews.

Oscar beats me to the question. “We’re not beingfired?”

Akara begins to smile. “Everyone’sstaying.”

Shoulders start loosening. We all startreallybreathing for the first time in 24-hours. Oscar takes a seat, collapsing on the bed next toDonnelly.

I rub my mouth, something powerful surging through me. I’m about to look at Farrow, but Thatcherspeaks.

“Think of it as a test-run,” hesays.

Farrow pops his gum, and I can almost feel his eye-roll atThatcher.

But Akara nods in agreement. “We’ll finish out the tour and prove that we can still do this job. If there aren’t any major security mistakes, we’ll stay bodyguards, guys. If we fuck up, there’ll be six termination papers. Easy as that. But like I said, there arechanges.”

The nonnegotiablerules.

Thatcher crosses his arms. “First, delete all personal social media accounts. No Instagram, no Facebook, no SnapChat, no Twitter, noanythingthat fans can find you on and followyou.”