Page 54 of His Keepsake

I covered the width of the hallway in three strides. With my fist winding back to pummel the back of his head, I was brought to a crashing slide by Axl grabbing my arm and whipping me downward. Unbalanced, I thumped to the floor but threw my leg out and caught Wolfman in the shins. Not the best or brightest move, but while he was crying out and staggering, I was hauling myself upright.

I glared at Axl. “Don’t interfere.”

“You can’t do this!”

“I can. Is a bitch-slap better?” Wolfman, recovering, grinned and backed away. Luckily, he’d dropped the stick choking out Emme.

She slid backward away from the brawl. I advanced.

Axl ran between us and threw out a hand to each of us. “Stop!”

It halted Wolfman in his furry tracks, but the man glowered. From his balled-up fists he’d been thinking of throwing a punch.

Me…I was winding down. Fighting one of the patrons was a loser strategy.

“Keep your fucking hands off her. What the fuck was this?” I tossed a head-jerk at the gear Emme had stripped from her throat. Then I hooked the stick with my shoe, hoisted and kicked it onto the far wall. It hit with a clatter and fell onto a sofa.

“It’s a hunting game we play. We let the ladies loose in the yard, chase them down, fuck a few of them. It starts soon. You should come, too.” He tossed a loop of hair off his face, tucked it back. His words were flippant. The dark stillness on his face, though, his stare, that was a threat, an invitation, or maybe a dare.

“You are disobeying the rules,” Axl pointed out, calmly. My estimation of him rose. “Don’t play with another man’s toy without permission.”

“And I apologize.” He did a mock bow. “Sirs.”

After a moment of fuming, I turned and helped Emme to her feet. “Bye, asshole.”

The chopper lurked, still and shadowed past the tennis courts, waiting for us. Only dim lighting in the cockpit betrayed the presence of the pilot.

The golfcart bumped along. Questions ran amok in my mind.

I had always thought myself a dark horse and a badass despite my geeky career.

Tonight had held that naïve me up beside those guests and what they did. My badass side had been shown to be a cardboard cut-out.

Did it matter? I had no wish to copy them.

I had no craving to do worse to Emme. To stitch her eyes shut, to strangle her until her tongue turned blue, to hurt her until she screamed as had some woman had from the top story while we walked calmly down the stairs. Or to hang her from the rafters by her breasts while I whipped and fucked her? No.

Wait… That one was a possible on my list. Not to do permanent damage to her but the mindfuck and the sex would be awesome.

I sighed, rubbed my jaw. The stubble reminded me of the need to shower when we arrived home.

Just one problem remained.

I had my arm around her shoulders, keeping her from swaying too far and falling out the open side of the cart. The bit gag had been removed but she wore the goggles, and still she said nothing.

The one problem was me.

I lifted my gaze from her and checked out Axl.

Make that, two problems.

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