“He didn’t, but yeah, that makes sense. Where’s the money?”
“Petty cash in the glove compartment, more stashed in the safe. Lochie will know all of that.”
“Got it.”
Lochie said, “Ye daena hae tae think on any of this, Ash, I ken how tae do it.”
I said, “I know, Lochie, I’m just being on your team.”
He nodded. “Good, I am glad ye are, but daena worry, I ken how tae do it.”
In the clearing, Lochie and I stood together, each carrying a bag, each with a weapon. Lochie and I looped our arms. Quentin passed us a vessel from his sporran. Lochie worked the device.
I said, “I hate this. I don’t want to do it.”
Lochie said, “I ken.”
He tightened his hold around my back. I saw the machine twist in his hand. I stepped back and pushed him away. “Wait, hold on.”
Lochie said, “Ash, ye canna let go, if I jump without ye, what would ye do — survive here by yerself?”
James joked, “Quentin and I are literally right over here!”
Quentin said, “That’s not his point.”
I said, “I know. I know. That was dumb, just hold on.” I jiggled from foot to foot, rolled my neck in a circle, swung my uninjured arm.
“Okay, I’m ready— no, wait... hold on.”
I got down into a one-armed plank and started doing push-ups. “One... two...”
James called over from his vantage behind the trees, “Lochie, ye gonna let your girl do one-armed push-ups while you stand there?”
Lochie said, “Nae.” He dropped and started doing them too. I counted two more, it was hard to do with an injured arm. I sat up. Lochie finished twenty push-ups, saying, “Two-hundred seventy two.” Then he jumped to his feet, put out a hand, and heaved me up. “Put yer arm through the crook of m’arm.”
I did as I was told. He put his strong arm around me, and before I had a second to think, he twisted the vessel. Pain shot upmy arm, spread through my body, and my brain filled with my own screams.
CHAPTER 19 - ASH
THE SAFE HOUSE, HIDDEN IN NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA - MAY 20, 2025
Lochie’s face swam into view.
“I hate it. I hate it so much, I do not like it. At. All.”
Lochie said, “I ken, Ash, I ken, tis terrible.”
“But look, you’re up, you’re sitting there, like it’s easy!”
“Nae, I am sittin’ here as if tis dangerous. I had tae get up, I daena hae any choice.”
I looked around and moaned because turning my head, using my eyes, effort, hurt. “What danger? Is there danger?”
“I daena want tae talk about all the danger, because I daena want tae scare ye, but I can think of thirteen dangerous things that might hae happened tae us during that jump.”
I said, “Oh, yeah, maybe don’t tell me, it’s hard enough to do that without knowing how it could go wrong. How could it go wrong? Wait, don’t tell me. Let’s just call it a dragon attack. You got up early in case of a dragon attack.”
“Aye, tis because of dragons. I was up so I could fight them off, while ye slept I fought two, valiantly, ye dinna see me?”
