Zed came walking up to the open door, his tool bag dangling from his fingers. He nodded toward me, not bothering with a friendly smile. I appreciated the neutrality, honestly.

“How much shit do we have to build?” he checked.

“A lot,” I admitted.

“Good. Elliot needs to take his anger out on some screws.” Zed patted Elliot’s shoulder.

I snorted as Elliot gave his buddy a lighthearted shove. I’d only known Elliot for a few hours and could already tell that he didn’t have a ...