Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 159050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 795(@200wpm)___ 636(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 795(@200wpm)___ 636(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
The sense of indignity pushed Elliot forward, and he started walking even though he had no idea where he was going. “All you need is good aim.” But Knight was right. Elliot had the worst taste in men, because he was attracted to the douchebag who insulted him at every turn and threatened him with a gun. At least he didn’t feel like Knight was about to murder him anymore.
The warm hand was back on his shoulder, and he welcomed it this time, excited by the touch of an enemy he’d fought tooth and nail for so many years already. He really was fucked up, wasn’t he?
“Spare me. It’s bullshit, just like your stupid costume.”
“Just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it bullshit! Some people deserve to die, and William Fane understood that.” Despite his agitation, Elliot moved those few inches closer to Knight.
“Like who?”
Elliot glanced up at him and almost tripped over a branch. It seemed that they were going somewhere because the landscape was changing. Smaller trees surrounded them now, allowing the moon to brighten up the scene.
“Depends on who makes the choice, doesn’t it? William might have thought Laurent Mercier deserved to die, but Laurent also made his decision and ultimately murdered William. There is no universal rule. It’s up to those who have the guts to make those judgments. You know what Richard Ramirez said? That we all have the power to kill, but are afraid to use it. William wasn’t. He controlled life and death. And depending on what he thought of you, he would choose if you would live and bask in his friendship or die at his whim.”
Knight watched Elliot. “Funny. In my experience it’s only the weaker ones who die. People own alligators and deadly animals as pets, but they don’t try to cuddle them to sleep, because they know that their admiration can never be mutual. That is exactly where you and your serial killer-crazed friends are going wrong.”
Elliot’s feet landed on a sturdier path, and while he appreciated the lack of mud, he also feared stray trash that could hurt his bare soles. “I would have understood him, adored him, I would have given him everything he missed out on. He would never have hurt me.”
“What makes you think that? How do you think his victims were different from you? It’s been over two hundred years, and there are no details known about their relationships with Fane.”
Elliot curled his shoulders, not even wanting to think what a mess his wig and face were. “I just do. Few people are ready to give as much as I am. You wouldn’t understand.”
“You might be the most delusional guy I’ve ever met. Can’t wait to push you into your car and go back to the guys,” Knight said in a sour voice.
Could there possibly be an opening for one last attempt at pleading with Knight? He hadn’t even hit Elliot despite having put on an aggressive front for everyone else back at the clubhouse. The pebbles they reached wreaked havoc on Elliot’s feet, but he still looked back at Knight. “And I would give anything to spend a night in William’s home. That’s all I wanted.”
Knight groaned. “Why? To toss rotten tomatoes at Laurent Mercier after coming up with another theory you’d just pull out of a hat?”
The wet asphalt was a relief to Elliot’s aching feet when they passed the tall, creaking South gate to the asylum in faint light provided by the stars. “It’s hard to appreciate Laurent Mercier after what he’s done, but I guess he hung for it, so justice was done. I… I could stop delving into the topic of him if it bothers you so much. There are all those new bodies to focus on anyway.”
“If it bothers me?” hissed Knight. He unexpectedly grabbed Elliot by the shoulders and shook him, testament to just how strong he was. “He was later called a hero. Everyone but you and other delusional ‘Faneatics’ like you knows that! Whenever I listen to one of your idiotic ideas about him, I just want to twist your head off.”
With no punch coming Elliot’s way, the cuffs on his hands were only giving him a thrill. He’d never met a man who shared his interest in history and was hot at the same time. “I can’t help my attraction.”
Knight swallowed, staring straight at him with an intensity that burned through Elliot’s skin and cooked his flesh. “I don’t fucking care if you like a dead psycho. But hands off my family and real history. It’s because of people like you that so many are misinformed!”
“Have you ever searched for the other bodies? The authorities only found seven in total, but over thirty men went missing in the area back when those lands belonged to William.” Elliot couldn’t stop staring at Knight and didn’t even care anymore that he couldn’t feel his toes.