Page 44 of Broken Wheels
His mind went off on a tangent, taking him down several roads, each with a different destination: Doc as a teacher, Dix his unruly student; Dix as a cop, and Doc an unrepentant speeder, to be bent over the hood and taken, pants around his ankles; Doc as a pizza delivery boy, and Dix the customer who’d asked for extra sausage.
His cock was making a valiant effort to rise again.
Son of a bitch.
He had to do something or he’d go crazy. Getting laid was no longer a matter of fun.
It was now a matter of life and death.
Chapter 14
When Michael’s name popped up in a call, Josh wasn’t all that surprised. He figured Dixon would have kept him and Gary informed about the events in Racine.
What did surprise him was that Michael hadn’t called before then.
Dixon glanced at Josh’s phone. “You’d better answer that. We’ve got about ten minutes before take-off anyway.”
“He’s going to yell, isn’t he?”
Dixon chuckled. “I don’t see why. You did as you were told, you’re in one piece. What would he have to yell about?”
Josh already knew the answer to that question. Michael was going to insist on knowing everything, and Josh didn’t think he could do that.
Not if it puts them in danger.
He clicked Answer. Before Michael could get a word in, Josh blurted, “Hey. We’re just about to take off, so I haven’t got long. What’s up?”
“I’m just giving you some advance notice. When you get back here, we’re going to have a talk. Except you’ll be doing most of the talking.”
Josh’s mouth dried up. Aw crap.
“I mean it, Josh. We need to see the complete picture here. We have to know what’s going on.”
He thought fast. “I understand, but?—”
“No buts, Josh,” Gary’s raspy voice came from the speaker. “This is serious.”
“I know, but…. Please, give me a little more time?” Not that he needed it, but he’d do anything to delay the inevitable.
Sharing his knowledge put everyone Josh knew at risk, and a whole lot of people he didn’t know.
“And how much is a little?”
“A few days? A week at most.” That was asking a lot and he knew it. A pause followed where Josh caught fragments of a whispered conversation.
“Fine,” Michael said at last. “We’ll all sit down for a meeting next Wednesday, where we’ll expect the whole story. You got that?”
“I’ve got it,” Josh said with a sigh. He glanced at Dixon and found him tapping his watch.
Time to fly.
“In the meantime, you and Dix are invited to dinner with us on Sunday,” Michael continued.
“Great. Looking forward to it. Sorry, gotta go. We’ll see you soon.” He clicked End Call, then pocketed his phone.
Dixon gave him a sympathetic glance. “Well, your ass is looking great, so I’m guessing he didn’t chew it off.” Then he pointed to the plane. “Let’s go.”
Josh followed him to the steps. It wasn’t until he stepped into the interior of the plane that Dixon’s words finally hit home.