Long Time Gone (Hell or High Water ) Read Online Free PDF Page B

he’s got a lot of time to send emails,” she said coolly. “Nice to meet you, Prophet. Why did you bring a U-Haul? Are you also moving in?”
    “Supplies. Unless you’d like to evacuate?”
    “Never have. Never will. And I have supplies, you know. This isn’t my first hurricane.”
    “You don’t have supplies like mine.”
    She moved aside to let him in, and, after a brief pause as he realized there had never been any escape, he entered.
    The house was just as nice inside. He thought back to Tommy’s rental apartment, half an old Victorian near EE’s HQ and wondered if that was a conscious thing, if somehow this home pulled to Tommy that badly.
    “Is there anyone else who’ll be staying with you during the storm?” he asked, taking in the portable oxygen concentrator a few feet away.
    “Roger and Dave rent the third floor. They’ve lived with me for the past ten years, but they’re completely useless during storms.”
    “I heard that.”
    Prophet had seen the man coming down the stairs before he’d spoken. Della simply rolled her eyes. “Prophet, meet Roger. Prophet is Tom’s friend—he’s got supplies and he’ll get us through the worst of the storm.”
    “Is that right?” Roger asked.
    “I’ll do my best,” Prophet said as he shook hands with Roger.
    He looked to be in his late sixties. A man Prophet assumed to be Dave followed closely behind. Both men were still handsome—Dave was taller and thinner, Roger shorter and mouthier—and Prophet liked that they had no problem holding hands, in front of a stranger or otherwise.
    Roger saw him glance at their hands. “We’ve been together thirty years.”
    Prophet had known John for nine—best friends for all of it, lovers for four years. Add to that teammates and confidantes. Sometimes Prophet had loved him, and sometimes it had been just the opposite, which he suspected happened in every long-term relationship.
    “You didn’t ask what it feels like to be with the same person for so long,” Roger noted. “Which means either you are or were in a long-term relationship yourself, so you know what it feels like, or you’re built for one.”
    “Please ignore his rambling pontifications—they’re well-meaning but totally insane.” Dave dropped his voice to a stage whisper. “He’s already been drinking.”
    “Hurricanes frighten me,” Roger said.
    “We’ve got him,” Dave said, pointing to Prophet. “Does it look like anything frightens him?”
    “Well, does it? Wait, don’t answer that.” Roger held up a hand. “I need more wine.”
    Yes, they had a great hurricane plan—drink themselves silly. Granted, from where Prophet stood, it seemed like a decent way to go.
    “So, you work with Tom,” Roger continued. “And your wife or girlfriend doesn’t mind that you’re here?”
    Prophet gave a smile that was harder than he thought to muster because Tom’s face flashed in front of his eyes. And then it got easier because Tom would get pissed being associated with the word girl . “I’m single at the moment.”
    They weren’t trying to dig—they’d read him as straight. Most did, and Prophet liked it only because he never liked anyone knowing things about him.
    He also liked surprising the hell out of people.
    Dave sighed. “Before we interrogate the man, why don’t we let him get settled so he can save us.”
    Roger lifted a wineglass in Prophet’s direction.

    Della had pointed him in the direction of a bedroom on the second floor, and Prophet checked it out quickly. He only planned on using it for scoping rather than sleeping, but he didn’t tell her that. Just like he didn’t mention the inflatable boat and the power engine and oars he’d keep on the second floor, in case they needed to float the hell out of there.
    And then he got to work. He wore his iPod most of the day, blasting lots of classic rock so he could pretend not to hear Della or Roger or Dave trying to engage him in conversation—as he’d predicted,