here for a day or two if you don’t mind. But if it’s a problem, we can go somewhere else.”
“Bullshit.” Trey started spooning coffee grounds into the mugs. “You like your coffee strong?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at them.
“Sure, I guess,” Caelyn muttered.
“So, we’d just stay for a couple days, until things cool off, and then we’d be out of your hair,” Elijah continued.
“How do you know?” Trey asked, his back to them as he continued making the coffee.
The kettle began whistling.
“How do I know what?”
“How do you know that you only need to stay a few days?”
Elijah looked at Caelyn.
She shook her head and whispered. “We should go.”
He mouthed at her. What?
“We should go,” she whispered, a little louder.
Trey cleared his throat. Caelyn looked up to see him facing their direction once more. “If you’re really in trouble with the cops, then you probably need to hang here for a lot more than two days, bud.”
“Yeah, well I can’t ask you to do that for me.”
“You didn’t ask. I’m saying it for you.” Trey stroked his beard. “You don’t have to tell me what you did or didn’t do. I don’t give a shit. Just hang here for a few weeks or a month, make sure its safe before you head back out to the world again.”
Elijah smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Trey. I really appreciate that, bro.”
“No doubt,” Trey replied, turning back to the table where he began pouring water into the mugs.
He carried the steaming cups over to the couch and handed one to each.
Caelyn accepted hers with a quiet thank you, unable to even meet Trey’s gaze.
Something about him made her nervous. Maybe it was his size, or his unkempt hair, or the shotgun he liked to carry around.
Whatever it was, she decided then and there to tell Elijah that this wasn’t going to work.
Trey went and made himself the final cup of coffee.
“This is really good,” Elijah said, holding up his mug appreciatively.
Caelyn sipped hers. It tasted like sludge, but it was drinkable. “It’s so good,” she agreed.
Trey stroked his beard and sat down in the recliner with his own cup. There was a picture of a pyramid with an eye in the middle of it on the side of the mug. “So,” Trey said, “we got a spare room you both can use. But only one bed,” he grinned.
“That’s fine, I can sleep on the floor,” Elijah joked.
“How long you been running for?” Trey asked. His expression had turned serious.
Elijah shifted on the couch. “Not long. About a day.”
Trey nodded. “I’ll check the news and my police scanner to see if this thing’s blowing up or not.”
“I doubt you’ll find anything, not in New York anyway,” Elijah said.
Trey’s cheeks reddened. “Are you kidding me? Everything’s global now, man.
You can’t fart in Australia without someone in Homeland Security knowing about it.”
Caelyn repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she nodded seriously and raised her mug to her lips.
Elijah switched the subject, seemingly trying to head the conversation into smoother territory. “So, what have you been doing to keep yourself busy these days?”
Trey raised his hands. “You’re looking at it.”
“I doubt that,” Elijah said. “You’re always into something. Buying, selling, having some dude in Taiwan manufacture a piece of jewelry for you to sell at fifty times the price here.”
“Sure I do a little buying and selling,” Trey said, “but it hardly pays anymore.
Everyone and their grandmother thinks they’re a fucking antique dealer now. The business is oversaturated and the margins are for shit.”
“Well, the economy sucks.”
“Since when do you know jack shit about the economy, bud?”
Elijah shrugged. “You’re right, I was talking out of my ass.” He grinned, and then both of them started laughing hysterically.
Caelyn didn’t even know what to say. All she knew was that the first chance she got, she was going to convince
“Bullshit.” Trey started spooning coffee grounds into the mugs. “You like your coffee strong?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at them.
“Sure, I guess,” Caelyn muttered.
“So, we’d just stay for a couple days, until things cool off, and then we’d be out of your hair,” Elijah continued.
“How do you know?” Trey asked, his back to them as he continued making the coffee.
The kettle began whistling.
“How do I know what?”
“How do you know that you only need to stay a few days?”
Elijah looked at Caelyn.
She shook her head and whispered. “We should go.”
He mouthed at her. What?
“We should go,” she whispered, a little louder.
Trey cleared his throat. Caelyn looked up to see him facing their direction once more. “If you’re really in trouble with the cops, then you probably need to hang here for a lot more than two days, bud.”
“Yeah, well I can’t ask you to do that for me.”
“You didn’t ask. I’m saying it for you.” Trey stroked his beard. “You don’t have to tell me what you did or didn’t do. I don’t give a shit. Just hang here for a few weeks or a month, make sure its safe before you head back out to the world again.”
Elijah smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Trey. I really appreciate that, bro.”
“No doubt,” Trey replied, turning back to the table where he began pouring water into the mugs.
He carried the steaming cups over to the couch and handed one to each.
Caelyn accepted hers with a quiet thank you, unable to even meet Trey’s gaze.
Something about him made her nervous. Maybe it was his size, or his unkempt hair, or the shotgun he liked to carry around.
Whatever it was, she decided then and there to tell Elijah that this wasn’t going to work.
Trey went and made himself the final cup of coffee.
“This is really good,” Elijah said, holding up his mug appreciatively.
Caelyn sipped hers. It tasted like sludge, but it was drinkable. “It’s so good,” she agreed.
Trey stroked his beard and sat down in the recliner with his own cup. There was a picture of a pyramid with an eye in the middle of it on the side of the mug. “So,” Trey said, “we got a spare room you both can use. But only one bed,” he grinned.
“That’s fine, I can sleep on the floor,” Elijah joked.
“How long you been running for?” Trey asked. His expression had turned serious.
Elijah shifted on the couch. “Not long. About a day.”
Trey nodded. “I’ll check the news and my police scanner to see if this thing’s blowing up or not.”
“I doubt you’ll find anything, not in New York anyway,” Elijah said.
Trey’s cheeks reddened. “Are you kidding me? Everything’s global now, man.
You can’t fart in Australia without someone in Homeland Security knowing about it.”
Caelyn repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she nodded seriously and raised her mug to her lips.
Elijah switched the subject, seemingly trying to head the conversation into smoother territory. “So, what have you been doing to keep yourself busy these days?”
Trey raised his hands. “You’re looking at it.”
“I doubt that,” Elijah said. “You’re always into something. Buying, selling, having some dude in Taiwan manufacture a piece of jewelry for you to sell at fifty times the price here.”
“Sure I do a little buying and selling,” Trey said, “but it hardly pays anymore.
Everyone and their grandmother thinks they’re a fucking antique dealer now. The business is oversaturated and the margins are for shit.”
“Well, the economy sucks.”
“Since when do you know jack shit about the economy, bud?”
Elijah shrugged. “You’re right, I was talking out of my ass.” He grinned, and then both of them started laughing hysterically.
Caelyn didn’t even know what to say. All she knew was that the first chance she got, she was going to convince
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