Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“These blankets are squishing me,” Remi complained.
“I know, but I need to make sure your body temp keeps rising. Let them squish you for a bit longer, okay?”
Remi offered a silly grin. “I prefer it when you squish me.”
Another soft kiss. “There will be plenty of time for squishing once I take care of Eric. Be a good boy for me and don’t try to move and don’t dare go to sleep. I’ll be as quick as possible.”
“Don’t call me a boy; that pisses me off,” Remi muttered, but winked lazily at Ryder. “I’ll do my best to stay awake. Don’t take too long.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Ryder said as he stood up and quickly started putting his clothes on again. Glancing over in Jeremy and Eric’s direction, he said, “It won’t take long at all.”
“Mmmhmmm,” Remi answered softly. “Oh…and Ryder?”
“Yeah, babe,” Ryder said. He was completely dressed by that point and leaned down, so he could hear Remi better. “What do you need?”
“I love you, Ryder Livingston. You know this, right?”
Ryder nodded.
“You can’t kill him.” When Ryder opened his mouth to argue, Remi started shaking his head. “No, Ryder. It’s not our place.”
Ryder frowned. “He tried to kill the man I love, Remi. It is my place.”
Remi’s head turned to the left and he stared off into empty space for a few seconds. When he turned his attention back to Ryder, he said, “He tried to kill me, Ryder. He failed. I’m with you. We’re together.” His head nodded toward the empty space. “He did kill them. He belongs to them.”
Eric started laughing hysterically. “Would you listen to yourselves? You sound like a bunch of drunk, idiotic fools! There is no them! I’m not falling for your tricks. Trust me, I’m a professional at mental torture and anguish. I know exactly what you’re trying to pull…and you’re failing.” He laughed again but then grunted when Jeremy’s knee dug even deeper into his back. “I’m…I’m not afraid of the dead!”
“They can’t touch him, Remi,” Ryder whispered. “You told me yourself. Back at the warehouse, you couldn’t touch me, and I damn well know you tried.” He leaned closer and said, “Let me avenge them and you, babe. I can do it and sleep like a baby when I lay my head down tonight.” Looking toward Eric, he added, “The bastard deserves to die. There will be no guilt on my heart.”
“Just trust me, Ryder. You can play with him for a bit…rough him up some if it will make you feel better,” Remi said. “But that’s it. No killing from my man. Got it?” He winked. “You love dishing out orders, so I hope you can take them, as well.”
Ryder growled in frustration, but answered, “Anything for you.”
He stood up and walked over to where Jeremy had Eric kissing the concrete. “Let him up.”
Eric laughed.
Jeremy frowned. “You sure?”
“Yep. Take the cuffs off, too.”
Jeremy had cuffed his wrists behind his back to keep his struggling from turning too annoying. With a shrug, he unlocked the cuffs and slid them into his back pocket. “Whatever you say, Ry.” After giving Eric a hard punch to his kidney, Jeremy stood up and took his place next to Ryder. “Do I need to go ahead and call this in?”
Ryder turned and looked at Remi. “Do we need to call it in?”
“Oh, yeah,” Eric mocked before Remi could say anything. “Of course, you need to call it in. You two are police detectives, aren’t you? How perfectly cute. You must do the right thing where I’m concerned. I bet that bites you straight in the ass, doesn’t it?”
Eric tried desperately for a look of bravado, but his coloring was a strange grey shade. He was sweating, and the warehouse wasn’t toasty. Of course, that could be his nerves. With one hand, he pointed to Ryder and said, “Go ahead. Call it in, big bad policeman. I’m not concerned. I have plenty of money to protect me from your silly police department. I’m not at all worried.” The one hand pointed toward Ryder, but the other hand massaged the front of his chest. Blood dripped from his fingers. Once Jeremy released him, he’d been wiping at the blood oozing from his cut lip and the wound on the back of his head…compliments of Ryder.
“No…no need to call it in,” Remi said quietly. He was standing directly behind Ryder, a blanket wrapped around him like a superhero cape.
“I thought I told you not to get up,” Ryder said.
Remi shrugged. “I was getting sleepy so, in order to help me obey my master’s every whim, I stood up to help me stay awake.” He batted his lashes at Ryder and grinned. It was a weak smile, but a smile, nonetheless. “I’m just trying to be good,” he added.
“That’ll be the day,” Ryder grumbled as he tugged Remi up against him.