Hold (Gentry Boys, #5)(25)

“Barely,” grunted Stone but he’d propped himself up on one elbow and was listening.

“I’ll tell you what,” Chase continued. “You guys hop into that truck to give some of us old timers a little peace of mind and we’ll take you out for some food.”

“Chase,” I argued, “I’m not waiting around and there’s no f*cking fast food in Emblem.”

“Not true. I can see the lights of Dino Gas from here.”

“Hell yes,” Conway cheered, scrambling to his feet, “they’ve got the best cheeseburger hot dogs. They keep those things rolling on the heater twenty four hours a day.”

“Cheeseburger hot dogs?” I repeated. I tried to imagine the taste then decided I didn’t really want to.

Conway kicked lightly at his brother. “Come on dude, let’s go. I’m so hungry I could eat a cat.”

Stone rolled off the curb and then sprang upright with a playful grin. “Well I’m so hungry I could eat a wet, juicy-“

“Don’t want to know,” I interrupted.

“Steak,” the kid finished innocently. “That’s all I was gonna say.”

“Let’s go,” Chase said with brisk authority, as if he was in charge and we were all required to listen.

When we reached the truck the two jokers climbed into the backseat of the cab beside Chase instead of hopping into the rear bed like I expected them to. While I piloted the pickup the short mile over to Dino Gas with Cord sitting quietly in the seat beside me, Chase and the kids were gabbing in the backseat like they were best buddies. I was amazed. When did my brother get such a magic touch with pain in the ass teenagers?

In a very short period of time I learned the boys were both going to be seniors at Emblem High. They lived with their mother and her revolving door of boyfriends. And they didn’t seem to have a worry or a care for what they were going to do after they graduated next year.

When we stopped at Dino Gas I took the opportunity to top off the tank while Cord searched for a restroom and Chase escorted the boys inside to acquire some of the infamous cheeseburger hot dogs.

After swiping my card I watched the gas pump numbers start to roll and then looked around, relieved that I didn’t recognize anyone in sight. I wasn’t really up for an Emblem reunion tonight. Or ever.

Chase and the boys emerged, each of them laughing while clutching sodas and things that looked like bun-wrapped dog shit.

I’d barely noticed the squad of teenagers gathered at the far end of the lot until they started hooting and howling.

“Hey, it’s the Jailbird Gentrys!”

“How was that hard time, boys?”

“Looks like they’re having some trouble walking.”

Stone stuck his hot dog in his mouth and used his newly free hand to flip them off. I could tell it was all in fun though. These were friends of theirs.

A petite brunette detached from the group and went running to Conway. He pushed his food into Stone’s arms and grabbed her up as she shrieked and wrapped her legs around him.

“I missed you so much,” she gushed like he’d been locked up for six years.

“I missed you too, baby,” he assured her and then they started obnoxiously sucking face the way teenagers do, like they were trying to inhale the other person.

Meanwhile, Stone nodded a cool farewell to the group and joined me at the pump. He jerked his head in his brother’s direction.

“Misleading,” he said and then took a thoughtful drink from his straw.

“What?”

Stone Gentry smiled. “They haven’t even f*cked yet. He’s all in love and all that sensitive bullshit. But I keep telling the boy he needs to just pop the damn cherry before someone else gets to it first.”

I shoved the nozzle back into place. “What the - shit, why are you telling me that? I don’t want to know that.”

Stone was having fun. “We’re all adults here, Cord. What, you never f*cked in your day?”

“First, I’m not Cord. Second, you’re not an adult. And third I’ve been f*cking since before you discovered your own dick.”

As soon as I stopped talking I realized how loud my voice was. The group of teenagers were all agape, staring at me moon-faced and shocked. Cord, who was on his way back from the restroom, stopped and let out a snort of laughter. Chase took a bite of a cheeseburger hot dog, clearly enjoying every minute.

“Get in the truck,” I demanded.

Stone just stood there, sucking on his straw and acting like he didn’t have to listen to me any more than he would listen to a squirrel.

Cord had joined us by now. “Hey,” he said to Stone, “you still live over in The Hills?”

There were no hills in The Hills. Some of the tidy block houses had graded landscaping that gave the appearance of depth. That’s all. It was one of the nicer neighborhoods in Emblem, populated by the families who lived slightly better than paycheck to paycheck. The only Gentry I ever knew of who’d made it up to The Hills was Elijah.

Stone sucked away on his straw, watching calmly while ten yards away his brother kept kissing that girl like he might eat her.

Chase appeared. He tossed a candy bar to me and another one to Cord. His way of saying thanks for having some patience with the kids.

He had a serious look on his face when he cleared his throat and spoke to Stone. “I haven’t said it yet, but I’m damn sorry about your father.”