Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
It took another twenty minutes for Clover to walk Pyro to the money collection, then to the pickup truck, where Pyro fell asleep before Clover had even managed to buckle his seatbelt. He was snoring by the time Clover took the wheel and drove off from the old toy factory where the illegal fights were being held.
Driving was a difficult task, at night, as Clover’s vision didn’t have perfect sharpness even with glasses, but he did what he had to in hopes that they wouldn’t be stopped by the police. Because he wasn’t legally allowed behind the wheel.
In his drunken, drugged state, Pyro was an even worse candidate to drive. When Clover watched him sleeping so soundly, the serenity of that moment made his heart ache. Sleep and sex were the only times Pyro seemed at peace nowadays, and Clover suspected fighting also allowed his mind not to drift off to Boar.
No matter how hard they searched and how much hope they had, the truth was that they might never find him, or that he was already dead. It was a reality none of them wanted to face. The search was all that stood between Clover and self-loathing so intense it charred his skin, because he’d been the one to pull Boar into going with him on that disastrous night. He’d used Boar’s love for him as a way to force him into a situation he hadn’t agreed with. Pyro did not know that part, but when his already-sparse filter failed, his words didn’t leave place for doubt whether he blamed Clover for this mess.
He blamed everyone, including Clover.
At least he was still willing to interact with Clover, something that couldn’t be said about Pyro’s relationship with Drake.
It was as if Boar had been both their glue and the frame that had kept everything sane, and without him, nobody could pick up the pieces.
Clover was glad to leave the main road and head for the small property they’d rented for the week. The grassy plain offered Clover some peace with its silence, but a naked hill provided enough shadow to prevent them from getting baked alive in the trailers. It wasn’t a bad spot, and Clover hoped he could convince Tank to stay a little longer after Drake’s return from a reconnaissance in Denver.
It was 2 a.m. when his headlights licked their little compound, and he was relieved to switch off the engine and take a breather. Every time he came back here after a few hours away, a spark of hope lit up inside him that he would see Drake’s van, but today, just like every day over the last two weeks, it was nowhere to be seen.
Pyro still snored in the other seat, his face remained streaked with red, but cleanup would have to wait until tomorrow. Clover was too tired.
He walked around the truck and opened it on Pyro’s side before gently shaking his arm. “We’re home.”
Pyro jerked out of his sleep, and for a moment stared at Clover with pupils wide as saucers. “Home?”
Home was where they made it. Home was where they all lived together. Without Boar, it was broken, but still the best thing Clover ever had. The one home he’d known to be his safety net.
“Come on, let’s get you into bed.” He gave Pyro a quick kiss.
“That’s not home. I burned it down,” Pyro grumbled but didn’t resist, and slid one leg out, balancing on it as he moved out of the vehicle at the speed of a grandpa with bad rheumatism. The adrenaline from the fight must have worn off.
“Yes you did. And because of that, we couldn’t make an insurance claim. Because we don’t want you in prison. So this is home until—” Clover stopped himself from speaking because ‘until we find Boar’ wasn’t something he wanted to discuss with an intoxicated Pyro.
For a few tense seconds, Clover feared accusations coming his way, but Pyro slumped against the truck and only moved once Clover slung his heavy arm over his shoulders. Pyro’s trailer was just a couple of footsteps away, but his weight still made Clover’s back ache by the time he switched on the light inside, illuminating a mess of food and alcohol packaging scattered on every available surface. The stale smell made him scowl, and he made a mental note to tidy the place up tomorrow. There was an empty bag of chips on the unmade bed, but Clover ignored it and deposited Pyro onto the mattress with a sigh of relief.
Pyro had enough strength to shift closer to the wall, leaving space on the right side, where Boar would have slept, and seeing him do it even in his fatigued state broke Clover’s heart. He watched Pyro roll his face into the pillow and go still, with his knees slightly bent. Clover only pulled the blanket over him once Pyro’s breathing evened out.