Page 261 of What We Brave

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"I'm faster." He shrugs. "Always have been."

From somewhere behind him, Reid's voice, "You literally threw me into a wall!"

48

BLAKE

My duffel's been packed since yesterday. Squared away, zipped, sitting by the door like it's waiting for orders.

Reid's on the floor by the dresser, pulling out charging cables and testing each one on his phone.

"This one's dead. This one's — no, that's dead too. Why do we have four dead cables?"

"Because you bend them."

"I don't bend them."

"You lay in bed with your phone plugged in and yank it at a ninety-degree angle every night."

He holds up a third cable. Inspects the end like it might confess. "This one works. Maybe."

"That one's Laine's."

"She won't notice."

"She will absolutely notice."

He drops it. Picks up another one. "Fine. I'll buy one at the airport."

"For fifteen dollars."

"For theexperience, Blake. Airport shopping is part of the journey."

"You're a fucking lunatic."

He grins. Tosses two cables into his backpack — one dead, onequestionable — and moves on to snacks. He's been building what he calls his "carry-on provisions" all week. Beef jerky, gummy bears, those little cheese cracker packets. Enough food for a transatlantic flight. We've got a layover with plenty of time to get food, so I don't know why the hell he's so worried.

"Do you think they sell those big Toblerones at our terminal?"

"I don't know, Reid."

"Because last time I flew through Portland they had the big ones. Not the regular big. Thebigbig. Like a weapon."

I almost smile. "Pack your damn bag."

"My bag is packed."

"Your bag is open on the bed with one sock in it."

"That's a system."

"That's a sock."

He laughs and starts actually throwing things into the duffel. No folding. No order. Clothes balled up and shoved into gaps. My hands twitch watching it.

"You know what your problem is?" he says, stuffing a t-shirt on top of his toiletry bag.

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

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