Page 47 of Hold Back
Someone out there wanted him dead. The thought curled cold in his stomach. Kit shifted under the covers, the sheets whispering too loud in the silence. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He thought he was tougher than this. A glitter demon shaking his ass at the world. But now his world was turned upside down, he realized how weak he was. He needed a Daddy like that kid in the club. What was his name? Tim? Tom? Ti, that was it, Tiger.
Sleep. He’d been given an order by his Daddy. He could do that. He closed his eyes and focused on Red. He was just starting to drift when it happened.
A sound. Soft, but wrong.
Not the creak of cooling wood or the sigh of wind through the trees—this was sharper. Deliberate. A scrape, followed by a dullthumpsomewhere above him.
Kit’s eyes snapped open.
Was someone on the roof?
He lay frozen, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might shake the bed. He held his breath, straining to listen. Nothing. No footsteps. The cabin fell silent again, but Kit waited for the next sound.
Friend or foe?
Don’t be stupid,he told himself. Old buildings made noise. But this cabin was a new structure. Red was still up, probably moving around, Sergeant Patrol never missed a beat. Even that thought didn’t make Kit feel better.
Then it came again.
A knock.
Three soft, uneven taps, echoing faintly through the floorboards.
Kit sat up so fast the covers tangled around his legs. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out reason. His gaze flew to the door, half-expecting it to burst open.
“Red?” he called, hating the way his voice cracked.
No answer.
The silence stretched. Too long.
The cabin creaked somewhere down the hall. Kit’s breath caught before he could stop it, his pulse spiking, every nerve suddenly awake.
This wasn’t his place. These weren’t his rules and he wasn’t in control of anything.
And Red—solid, infuriating Red—was the only thing standing between him and and the rest of the world. Where was he?
What if they’ve taken him? What if he’s hurt out there?
Kit swallowed, staring at the dark ceiling, pretending his eyes didn’t keep drifting toward the door. But he listened for footsteps. Needing to hear Red’s voice again, low and steady, telling him everything was locked, everything was handled,go to sleep, boy.
Nothing.
Kit told himself he was fine. But he wasn’t fine. He was scared.
What if I’m alone? Should I run to the panic room?
“Red.” His voice cracked as he called Red’s name. “Red.”
He had to know if Red was still here.
The door burst open. Kit nearly crawled out of his skin.
“Kit, what’s wrong?”
Red was dressed much the same as Kit, in sleep shorts and a T-shirt. He hadn’t gone away. He was safe, he hadn’t left Kit alone.
Kit rubbed his chest over his pounding heart. “I…I…can’t…sleep.”
