Page 9 of Venomous as a Snake

A series of expressions roll across his face before his charcoal eyes flutter close. “Just to be clear, your sudden disinterest has nothing to do with the way I look naked and everything to do with—”

“If we were basing the decision on looks alone,” I cut in, running my fingers through his coarse black beard. “I would have already tied you to the bed and left you there so no one else could see what’s mine.”

He grins, the foot of height between us causing him to look down to meet my gaze. “So, just Walker then? What a dick.”

I sigh. “Yeah.”

“Have you found him yet?” he asks.

His question is more upbeat, animated, than I expect.

“I’ve only been here for two days,” I remind him, my brow furrowing. “Why did you—”

“This is the last place, right?”

“Yeah,” I drawl.

“So, he’s here,” Ali states like it’s a fact.

I nod slowly. “Hopefully.”

“Anyway,” he says quickly, releasing his hold on me. “Let’s get these rats tied up before they wake up.”

“They won’t be waking up for a while, if at all.”

He studies me for a moment too long, darkness pooling in his charcoal eyes. “What did you give them?”

I grimace. “Chocolate chip cookies.”

“With?” he prompts.

“Forget-me pills.”

Ali’s eyes narrow on me. “How many?”

“Are you their doctor now?”

He crosses his thick arms over his broad chest, bringing my gaze to his pecs. They make amazing handles when I ride him.

“At least six each?” I say it as a question. “I didn’t measure the crushed pills and mix them into individual dough balls.”

That’s more precise, but it doesn’t do me any good now.

Next time, though.

It’ll totally come in handy next time.

He whistles. “Were you trying to kill them?”

“No,” I confess. “But they’re the idiots who ate cookies from a stranger. Isn’t that a lesson all parents teach their kids?”

“That beautiful strangers lace cookies with forget-me pills?” Ali shakes his head. “No. Can’t say my mother ever taught me that one.”

“Shame,” I mumble as I pass him a few zip ties.

He rolls Short Stuff onto his side, pulling his arm from behind his back. The first plastic tie wraps around his left wrist, while the second tie crosses to secure both wrists together. Zip ties aren’t always effective restraints, but this way works better than the one strip method.

Let’s be honest. Metal cuffs work best. But we’re not worried about these guys waking up any time soon.