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)
“Fuck!” Jeremy whispered. “It was a trap. It was a trap to catch Remi.”
The captain said, “Whoever took him hasn’t had him long. Our first car arrived on the scene within seventeen minutes of your 911 call.” He looked down at his watch. “We’ve only be here thirty-two minutes. He can’t have taken him far.”
“He set us up,” Ryder murmured. “He…that bastard has Remi!”
“Spread out, men! See what we can find,” the captain barked. Turning to Ryder, he said, “Both of you are off the case. I need you to leave the premises and let us take care of this.”
“Fuck you,” Ryder hissed. As if he could ever trust anyone else to look after Remi’s safety. Horror punched him in the gut. Why was he fighting it? The police couldn’t do a worse job protecting Remi than he had.
“The captain’s right, Ryder. Let’s go. Leave them to it,” Jeremy said. “Let’s get you home in case Eric tries to reach out in some way.”
Ryder started to argue, but then realized Jeremy was simply trying to get them away from the scene so they could begin their own search. The captain knew it too but didn’t look like he was going to argue with them. “Sure…yeah. Maybe he’ll call.”
“Keep us in the loop if he does,” the captain ordered. The look on his face revealed that he didn’t for one minute believe Eric would reach out.
Jeremy looked down at Ron and said, “Take care; I’ll see you again.”
“Damn straight you will,” Ron answered with a smirk. “I don’t know who Remi is, but he’d better not be yours.” Then, in a serious tone, he added, “Find him. Don’t let this crazy man have him.”
“Remi is mine. Eric can’t have him,” Ryder whispered.
Chapter Nine
Remi was aware of several horrible realities of his life the very second his eyes fluttered open. First, that motherfucker Eric Peterman had gotten the jump on him as soon as he’d walked out of the building when he went out to wave down the cops as they pulled in. Drugged…just like Kris and Ron. Second, there wouldn’t be anybody that could send their soul, or whatever the hell it was he was able to do, to come and rescue him. And thirdly, the biggest motherfucker of motherfucking all…he was freezing to death.
Slowly, he looked around him, trying to determine what plan of torture Peterman had devised for him. It didn’t take but a few seconds to figure it out. Ding! Ding! He’d drawn Melissa’s freezing to death scene on the kill board they’d found. He considered screaming but knew it would be a waste of time. Anyway, when he opened his mouth, his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He sat up and held himself in an upright seated position for a few seconds as he tried to get his head to stop spinning wildly. He wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or the astral projection he’d participated in right before grabbed him…or both.
Probably both.
He shivered in disgust when he realized he was naked. The thoughts of Peterman touching him, even if it was just to remove his clothing so he’d be as uncomfortable as possible, gave him the heebie jeebies. The sorry-assed bastard would pay for this. Remi knew Ryder would hunt him down to the ends of the earth to see that he did.
Ryder…fuck. This would hurt him. His Ryder. The Ryder that had been afraid to give his heart to anybody because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing someone else the way he had his brother and sister-in-law. Remi had fought hard to win Ryder’s heart, and he’d be damned if he didn’t go down without a fight.
Carefully, he forced his body into a standing position, holding tightly to one of the shelves that lined the wall of what Remi assumed was a walk-in freezer. When he felt confident he could stand without falling, he let his hand fall away from the shelf and gave the room another, more thorough, once-over. He nearly shrieked out loud when he saw Veronica and Gary standing next to the locked door, watching him with sad expressions on their faces. His hands immediately dropped to cover his junk. “I’m naked! Stop staring, you perverts!”
Veronica rolled her eyes, but Gary had the decency to look the other way. When Gary looked away, Veronica giggled, and Remi’s eyes lit up. It was the first sound he’d heard her make. Just as he’d known it would, her laughter sounded musical.
Why could he hear her now? What was different?
“You laughed,” he accused. “There’s absolutely never a reason to laugh when you’re looking at a guy’s junk. Nope. Never.”
She giggled again, but then her smile vanished. Her hands trembled as she snuggled her pet rat against her chest.
Uh oh. That wasn’t good.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Why do you look so gloom? I’ll get out of this; don’t worry. Eric hasn’t won the war.” Remi figured there was absolutely no truth to that statement, but he thought Veronica needed to hear it. No, he needed to hear it.