Page 27 of Under Rusted Stars

“Yeah,” I say.

“Just a warning, I am about to call you my girlfriend because I want very clear boundaries with her,” he says. “She's not predatory, but I don’t want any room for assumptions.”

“Okay,” I laugh. He sighs and looks through his phone until he finds a contact named Marcy ‘Lover.’

“Hey, lover,” she says cheerfully. “It’s been a while, eh?”

“Hey, Marcy,” Bodhi says simply. “Look, are you in town?”

“I am. Wanna come to my hotel?” she asks, getting right to the point.

“I’m actually sitting here with my girlfriend. I needed to ask you for a favor, with you being with the FBI,” he says.

“Oh fuck. I’m so sorry, Bodhi. That was so slutty of me,” she says with a nervous laugh. “It’s been hectic. I could come to you. Or maybe I can talk to her if she wants. Or…”

“Slow down. You’re okay,” Bodhi says, laughing. “I’m going to give you some very weird instructions, but I need you to just humor me to avoid us getting followed.”

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s hear it,” she says.

“Go to Daisy’s and sit in the back left booth. We will come in and sit somewhere, but we are going to give Daisy a note with an address on it to give to you. Leave when you get it, and we will meet you there.”

“Okay,” she says. “Should I bring my boss?”

“Yes,” he says. “I am absolutely serious, Marcy. Don’t even look at me. There is a very real possibility that we could be followed. Okay?”

“I’ve got you,” she says. “Be careful.”

“You too,” he says before ending the call.

“What about Rhett?” I ask.

“We are going to go over to the cabin and talk about going out to get ice cream,” he says. “Get what you need to go, but try to act normally.”

“Do you think they put a camera in there?” I ask.

“There might have already been one,” he says. “How else would he know when to show up? It’s rare that you are over there and I am not at least here. Oh, and also, pretend that you told me someone broke in when you weren’t there, but nothing is missing.”

“That’s true,” I sigh. “Okay…”

We get dressed and go outside to walk around to the cabin. I casually walk inside and pay no attention to the mess. Right away, I know that my old phone is gone, and my new disposable is in a completely different spot. That tells me he fucked with it.

I find my shoes and put them on before I come out. “Ready to get ice cream?” Bodhi asks. “I think Rhett might come with.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I sigh.

“At least nothing is missing,” he says. “I can’t imagine it matters when they broke everything.”

“Yeah. It's not a big deal. Just annoying,” I say. “I’ll get the place cleaned up, and we can change the locks.”

“Yeah, that would be good,” he says as we walk out of the cabin. Rhett is getting out of his car, and Bodhi gives him a look that instantly relaxes Rhett. “Hey, man. Ready for some ice cream?”

“Let’s do it,” Rhett says with a smile.

“This is an ‘I’m sorry a crackhead broke into your home,’ ice cream,” he tells Rhett.

“Oh, but of course,” Rhett laughs.

We get into Bodhi’s truck, and we stay silent as we drive. When we get a few miles from the cabin, I open my window and throw my disposable phone out. “Are we good?” Rhett asks quietly. I put a finger up to tell him to hold on as I search my purse. When I don’t find anything out of the ordinary, I drop it to the ground and sigh.