40. Cash
CASH
“It took them long enough to release his body,” Red said as we stood in front of the casket at the cemetery.
“Yeah,” I cleared my throat. “Um…they had to do some further testing.”
“On what?” Eli asked, coming to stand on my other side.
I stared at the casket, trying to hold back the laughter. “They found a suspicious yellow substance coating his body. They weren’t willing to release his remains until they could identify it.”
“And you didn’t tell them?” Red asked.
I shrugged, “Fox wouldn’t have wanted me to.”
“Christ, they might have released his body days ago.”
But then, days ago, I would have had to say goodbye, and I wasn’t quite ready to do that. Thunder crackled in the distance and rain started dripping from the sky. I chuckled as the words filtered through my mind like a record that Fox would play nonstop whenever it started to rain.
“Anyone want to take the lead?” Scottie asked, smirking as he saw my foot tapping.
“You were the one who danced with him. It should be you.”
“I didn’t dance with him. It was dance fighting. It was a thing, and we killed a lot of baddies that way.”
“Sure,” I grinned. “You tell yourself whatever you have to.”
Scottie flipped me off as the rain started coming harder. Then Singing In The Rain started playing from someone’s phone.
“How fucking poetic,” Rae laughed, snaking her arm through her husband’s.
I glanced up at the sky and let the rain pour down over my face. It was so fucking odd because it was like he was right here beside me. Nothing about this was right, but it was like Fox was telling us he was still here and we would be fine.
“You doing okay, boss?” Dash asked.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Feels weird to be home, right?”
It did. Nothing would ever be the same again. “I’m thinking of asking Lock to take the reins for another month.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m taking my family on vacation. Somewhere warm.”
Dash’s eyes lit up. “Hey, you know, that’s a great idea. We could head back to Utah.”
“Actually—”
“Hey, guys! We’re going on a company road trip! Utah, baby!”
“That’s not—” I tried to interrupt, but FNG cut me off.
“I call shotgun!”
“I am not going anywhere with you,” Thumper snapped. “The last time I went to Utah with you, I nearly ended up dead!”
“That was not my fault. Obviously, you’re forgetting that it was your wife who got us into that mess.”
Thumper snarled at him. “And clearly , you’re forgetting that the whole trip was fucked up the moment you and Dash started following me everywhere.”
FNG scoffed at him. “ Obviously , I was only there because Cash told me to follow you!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed as Eva walked over. “It could be fun,” she chuckled.
“It could be hell on earth. You know there’s no getting out of it now,” I said, dragging her away as FNG and Thumper continued to argue. “Do you want me to get you an umbrella?”
“No,” she sighed, letting the rain fall over her face. “This is good.”
I tucked her into my side and held her close as the ceremony started.
Looking around, I wasn’t surprised at all to see the guys arguing and the ladies laughing.
Fox just had that effect on everyone. Yes, we got frustrated, but it was hard to be mad at the man with his childlike personality and slightly psychotic behavior.
“Would anyone like to say a few words?” the minister asked.
Everyone’s eyes swung to mine, waiting for me to step up and say something. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this, or that I could even find the words, but they were waiting on me, and Fox was only in that casket because of the job he agreed to go on for me.
I stared at the casket, trying to find the words, but instead, found only tears filling my eyes. “Uh…” I cleared my throat, pulling myself together. “They wouldn’t give Fox a flag because he was kicked out of the military, so I found a special flag just for him that I’m sure he would appreciate.”
I nodded to Eva, who pulled a yellow flag out of her purse and unfolded it with me, draping it over his casket. A large bag of Funyuns was in the center, but instead of Funyuns, it said Foxyuns.
“I don’t think any of us knew Fox quite as well as Anna.
” I glanced at her, but she wouldn’t look up.
Her head hung as she held her kids’ hands.
“He was odd and annoying at times, but he was the very best of all of us. He’d give you anything you needed, do whatever had to be done.
I don’t think a single one of us could say there was a selfish bone in Fox’s body.
“When we found out that Knight and I were related, Fox jumped in, happy as shit because we were all brothers. And he was right. Fox was my brother, and he always will be.”
There wasn’t a damn thing more I could say. Not when it felt like I was choking on my own grief. Hanging my head, I said a prayer that wherever Fox was, he was happy and eating shawarma and Funyuns.
And if he was lucky, some pickled pig’s feet.