Page 63 of Guardian
Daddy.I choke on the word.I’m going to kill that little shit when we find him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ravi
I couldn’t decideif I wanted to be there when Liam came back.I’m still not sure.
The part of me that wants him to approve of me keeps pointing out that I owe him the full twenty-four hours.Really, though, the bigger question is will he return before the time is up or did what happened between us somehow push him over the edge?
So, once I heard the crunch of Liam’s truck pulling down the long gravel drive, I didn’t waste much time.In spite of being so sore and jiggly I felt like I’d done one of those bootcamp workouts Dean loves so much, I couldn’t turn off my brain.No way was I going to get any sleep.
What I know for sure is, I’m starving.And there’s literally nothing in the fridge.Not even a loaf of bread that I can use to make sandwiches.Apparently while I was gone Liam has been living off salsa and tortilla chips and that nasty green juice of his.
Since I need to get food anyway, I text Channing to ask him if I can pick up my cat.For a moment, I pretend I wasn’t just low-key held hostage by a pissed-off mercenary.Just going to run some errands.Normal guy shit.
Surprisingly, Channing’s up, and his answer comes immediately.
Channing: Right fucking now.Little shit’s trying my patience.He’s put so many holes in my shirt I could use it to strain spaghetti.I’ll be at the club all day.
Ravi: I need to make a stop on the way, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.Be patient with him; he’s just a baby.
Channing: No promises.
He’s joking.Right?Who honestly hates kittens?
Still, I should go get Mr.Cat.
I’m surprised to find the keys to my car in the kitchen drawer where Liam always keeps them.He’s been so controlling lately I would have thought he’d hidden them somewhere.Maybe even the car itself.But no, it’s sitting around the side of the house, next to the garage.
When I pass the door I’ve looked in the window of so many times, I try not to wonder if he’s had any of his little group get-togethers recently.There’s a sticky, blurry feeling inside me I can’t get a handle on when I consider the prospect.Watching him do those things to other people got me off, but I don’t like the way him doing things with other people means he’s not doing them with me.
Yes.He should definitely be doing them with me.
There’s a certain satisfaction in me about what happened last night.Yes, it hurt, and okay, it was also sort of humiliating.For all of those hours Liam edged me, even though looking at me seemed physically painful to him, I also knew I had his full attention.
For a little while I was his and he was mine.The way I’ve always wanted.
The drive downtown is quick, all things considered.In the middle of a weekday it might take over half an hour, but this morning it’s quiet and there’s no traffic.
Which is how I notice the red sedan in my rearview.
Plus, it’s awfully shiny.
I try to tell myself it’s a coincidence that it’s making all the same turns as me.It’s hanging back enough that I could be wrong.I also can’t get a license plate or anything because there are no front plates in Florida.
So I try, once I get into downtown, to make a few random turns.Instead of heading directly to the parking garage down the block from Gil’s, I drive down the street where most of the bars are; one that almost nobody would have a reason to travel early on a Sunday morning.For a second I think I’ve lost the person, but then they appear again.
“Dammit.”
My brain feels sluggish, almost as if it were scrambled by the most intense orgasm ever.Even so, there’s a prickle of awareness that I need to do something here.As quickly as I think of it, I discard the idea of driving home.If Liam were there I might, but the last thing I need is to be on two and a half acres of land in the middle of nowhere when some sketchy car is following me around.
Not wanting another lecture from Liam, I pick up the phone to dial Brennan.He’s the only other person I can think of who would know what to do in this situation.
“You’ve reached Brennan Doyle” is quickly followed by an automated voice saying “This customer’s mailbox is full.”
After circling the block Gil’s is on, the car hangs back again.I’m not dumb enough to think it’s finally stopped following me, but I do think they’ve figured out that I know they’re following me.
It’s probably better to call Liam than to get killed.Probably.
