Page 322 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“What the hell are you smoking, Max?” I turned to Cooper. “You don’t believe this asshole, do you?”

“Who served with you in the Stan, man? It was fucking me.”

Cooper turned his attention from Max back to me.

I pleaded to him with my eyes – please understand and believe me.

“I’m leaving,” he said, taking a step back.

“Wait, bro.” Max stepped forward. “Fuck her. Let’s do this business deal. Once you’re in, you can’t get out. Remember?”

“I’m leaving,” Cooper said, spinning around and walking toward the elevator.

Laura spilled out, pointing at Max, “She show you the article, mother fucker?”

Cooper walked around her and into the elevator. I rushed over, but the door closed just as I arrived.

“What’s wrong?” Laura asked, as clueless as ever.

“Ugh,” I sighed, stomping my foot as if that would help.

“You two crazy bitches need to get out of here,” Max said, walking toward us.

“Come on.”

I grabbed her hand and hurried for the stairwell. We went down two flights before getting out and hopping on another elevator. He stopped in the hallway just as the doors closed.

“You bitches!” he yelled, his voice cut-off as we descended.

“What the hell was that all about?” Laura asked. “What happened?”

“Cooper showed up.”

“The other guy from Afghanistan?”

“Yeah,” I said, staring straight ahead.

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Why did he…?”

“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. We don’t need either of them.”

“Cooper didn’t seem so bad,” she said, still staring at me.

I took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I guess. He doesn’t seem crazy about me, and we keep getting caught up in these stupid games.”

“Well, he doesn’t know you as well as I do. You’re worth the chase.”

Laura put her arm around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder a moment. We returned to my apartment to enjoy the last of the weekend before we had to return to work.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Cooper