Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Dev was frozen. Kai was just at the other end of the aisle. If he could take a step back…but he couldn’t. Anything he did would set the madman off. A lump grew in his throat as he thought of Jake. What was going to happen to his son? He’d already lost so much. He couldn’t lose his only remaining father, left alone in the world all over again.
“Elijah!”
A bark of laughter left the killer, and his hand tightened painfully on Dev’s shoulder. He was carefully manhandled around so that he faced Kai as he approached, two boxes of pasta tightly clenched in his hand. His face was pale, but burning hatred lit his eyes as he stared at his attacker just over Dev’s shoulder.
“There’s the man of the hour. I was just getting to know your new boyfriend.”
“Let him go,” Kai snarled. He took a step closer but stopped immediately when Dev cried out from a fresh jab of the needle.
“I wouldn’t,” Elijah mocked. “As you’ll notice in my right hand, I’ve prepared a little present for your Dev. Shall we play ‘What’s in the Syringe?’ Is it saline? Or maybe cyanide? Or even turpentine? I could pump it into him, and then we see if he can survive it.”
“No! Don’t.” Kai held up one empty hand, a slight tremble in his fingertips. The boxes of pasta slipped unnoticed from his other hand to thump to the floor. “What do you want?”
“I want to know why him. I want to know what makes him so special,” Elijah sneered, making it painfully clear he didn’t think there was anything special about him.
“Dev isn’t like us. He’s just a normal guy trying to raise his son. He doesn’t deserve this,” Kai said softly.
“No, and he doesn’t deserve you.”
“I don’t,” Dev whispered.
Elijah chuckled and leaned close, his nose poking at Dev’s hair and brushing against the back of his ear. “Good of you to notice. You’re just pathetic enough that I could almost feel sorry for you. I guess it’s a good thing he taught me to never pity your target. And you are my target, Devlin Relic. I will kill you and steal him away.”
Before Dev could say anything, the fingers in his shoulder bit down and he was shoved forward hard. He stumbled to regain his balance while there was a sharp tearing sensation in his side. Just as he was about to hit the ground on his knees, Kai was there to catch him. They went to the shiny white linoleum together with Kai’s strong arms wrapped tight around him, but it wasn’t enough to stop the shaking. He was just barely aware of the sound of Elijah’s footsteps as he ran out of the store.
“Oh God, Dev. Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Kai demanded, holding him so tight against his chest that Dev could barely draw in air. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. So sorry.” Kai’s words were growing more choked and broken the longer Dev remained quiet.
Sucking in a deep breath, Dev pushed at Kai’s chest to get him to loosen his hold. “I’m okay, I think. This isn’t your fault.” He grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it up so he could look at where he’d felt the initial pain. There was a long, thin cut on his side with a line of blood, but that was about it.
“Do you think he…” Kai broke off as if he couldn’t finish the question.
Dev shook his head, though his heart skipped a beat in his chest at the thought. “No. I don’t feel any different. I think it’s just where the needle scratched me when he pushed me forward.”
Kai swore softly and hugged Dev again in relief. Closing his eyes, Dev pressed his face into Kai’s shoulder. Now he had a face to go along with the nightmare that plagued him. And a voice filled with hatred.
Elijah didn’t just hate him. He despised him. From their short conversation, Dev had a feeling that Elijah wouldn’t be happy with simply killing Dev. He wanted Dev to suffer for whatever he’d done to piss him off. Dev still didn’t understand any of it, but he had a dark feeling that Kai did.
“Can we go home?” Dev whispered.
“Yes, of course.”
Kai immediately jumped into action, helping Dev to his feet. They left behind the cart filled with food and the boxes of pasta on the floor. It was a shame. They’d been having such a good time up until Elijah’s arrival. But then, Dev’s new reality had to strike.
At least the question of who the killer was had been answered. Now they just needed a plan to take care of him.
For now, all Dev could think of was going to the relative safety of his home. Once there, he wanted to throw up and have a couple of stiff drinks. He would also need to have a very uncomfortable conversation with Kai about who Elijah was and why he’d trained a madman.