“Patrick’s still there. I figured I’d grab stuff for the two of us before the rush.”
I handed over two shoulder harnesses.
“How’s the shoulder?” Grayson asked.
“It’s fine. Pretty much healed.”
Julian held out two sheathed machetes, but pulled them back when Edan started to reach for them. “You remember the weapons safety we went over yesterday?”
“Yes,” Edan said with an impatient sigh.
“It’s not a joke, dude. You could seriously hurt someone with this.”
“I’m aware. I’ll put them straight into the harnesses.” He opened and closed his fingers, waiting.
Julian put the machetes in his hand, then the batons and shields, jaw twitching like he was angry. Grayson gave him two Tasers, and Edan disappeared through the door.
“Is he doing OK?” Grayson asked.
“He puts forth the bare minimum amount of effort,” Julian said, which was a little unfair. Edan was actually one of the best on the team; he just ignored most of what Julian said.
“He did manage to fight off the scrabs last week, though,” Grayson said, his voice perky. “So that’s encouraging.”
“I guess,” Julian said. “I’m not sure why I was elected to babysit Edan.”
Grayson glanced at me, clearly uncomfortable that I was witnessing this conversation.
“She’s fine, she doesn’t like him either,” Julian said.
“You guys weren’t friends in New York?” I asked. I’d been waiting for an opening to ask that question. “I thought you hung out.”
“Hung out is not the right term,” Julian said with a snort. “Grayson met him doing volunteer work at one of the drop-in centers for homeless kids. Took pity on him.”
“I didn’t take pity on him,” Grayson said quickly. “I saw him a lot. We became friends.”
A few things about Edan clicked into place—wearing the black leather jacket in hot weather, his tiny backpack, even the pickpocketing in Atlanta. I didn’t want to excuse it, but I couldn’t help but think of how I’d considered swiping a granola bar from the store when I was starving. Maybe Edan hadn’t wanted to ask for help either.
Grayson was watching me like he could see the wheels turning in my brain.
“Could you keep that to yourself?” he asked quietly. “About how I met Edan? I don’t know if he wants people to know. He deserves a fresh start, if he wants one.”
Julian sighed loudly. “Not everyone deserves a fresh start.”
I avoided his eyes. The word pity was vibrating in my brain, making me uncomfortable. It was a mean thing to say. It positioned Grayson as a rich jerk looking down on the little people. It made Edan sound pitiful. The word cast insults in all directions, and I wondered if Julian had done that purposefully.
You’re not alone here. His words from a few minutes before echoed in my brain. He probably hadn’t meant for it to sound so harsh. Knowing Julian, he was super nervous about his team going out for the first time today. He seemed to have a bad habit of lashing out when he was nervous and then immediately feeling bad about it.
“Julian,” Grayson said in a warning tone. He returned his attention to me, waiting for my reply.
“Of course,” I said. “I won’t say anything.”
We were assigned to the Montparnasse area for our first day. Julian led us through the subway and up the steps, and we exited in the middle of a busy intersection. Cars zipped by, and the sidewalks were crowded. It was eleven a.m. on a Wednesday, a normal workday for most people.
“Remember what we talked about,” Julian said, walking backwards so he could face us. “Stay out of people’s way. Be polite. You’re free to talk to people if they approach you, but please don’t approach them. Don’t leer at women or catcall.”
“Yo, why are you looking at me when you say that?” Gage asked.
“I’m looking at all of you.”
We walked to a median in the middle of the intersection, where bikes and scooters were parked. Directly across from us was a department store and a huge skyscraper. On all other sides were bars, restaurants, and shops. Even a McDonald’s.
And Grayson’s teams were everywhere. I spotted a French team and a couple Mexican teams standing in front of the department store. An American team below a sign that said HIPPOPOTAMUS. Teams down the street in both directions, too far away for me to see who they were.
“Stand here, near the bikes,” Julian said. He pointed to the other side of the median. “Or over there, in between those trees. Just leave a big pathway in the middle for people to walk through.”
“So we just stand here?” Dorsey asked.
“Yes, you just stand here,” Julian snapped, suddenly angry. “Were you listening when we detailed what missions would be like?”
“I was just asking. Damn,” Dorsey muttered.
I squinted through the sun at Julian. I couldn’t really blame him for being short with us today. He was so nervous that it was practically radiating off of him. It was our first day on a mission, and if the number of teams in this area was any indication, Grayson expected scrabs.
“I’m going across the street for a minute,” Julian said, pointing to the French team. “You guys hang out for a sec. You can sit if you want, as long as you’re not in the way.”
I leaned against one of the bike racks as I watched him dart across the street. Edan wandered to the other side of the median. Dorsey and Gage pulled out their cigarettes.
“Man, I forgot my lighter,” Gage said, patting his pockets. “Dorsey, you have one?”
“Mine stopped working yesterday.”
“Here,” Priya said, holding a pink one out to him.
“Do you smoke?” Gage asked, taking it from her.
“No. You just never know when you might need to light something on fire, right?”
Dorsey barked out a laugh. Gage stopped with the lighter poised in front of his cigarette and gave Priya a look like perhaps he had severely underestimated her.
“You can keep it, I have plenty more.” Priya tilted her head up to the sky. It was sunny and clear. “I hope this is
