Page 83 of The Rat

Rory woke to the sound ofbuzzing. Hegroaned and tried to get his bearings. He tried to hop downfrom the top bed, but his legs hit the floor as soon as he swungthem over.

“Rory,” Sebastian hissed fromabove. “Phone’s in my pillow.”

He reached for it, tuggedit out, then handed it to Sebastian. He answered the phone with astring of curse words, and the bed creaked as he sat up.

Rory rubbed the heels of his hands intohis eyes and tried to remember why he was on the bottom bunk.They’d been having sex, standing up, and Sebastian had told him notto come across the bed. His deep voice had sent Rory over the edge,and he’d done what Sebastian warned him not to. Sleeping in thedamp bed was the consequence.

Rory lay back downand pulledthe sheet over his stomach. The whole bed smelled of Sebastian, andhe inwardly decided he’d cum on it more often.

“What?”Sebastian hissed. “Are yousure?”

Rory didn’t hear the othervoice, but Sebastian’s harsh tone cleared the last remainsoffog fromhis mind. He was angry, then shocked, then angry again.

“I don’tknow,”Sebastian snapped. “I have no idea.”

Any endorphins vanished, andthe heavy weight of guilt pressed onRory’s chest. Something on the outside hadgone wrong, and Rory suspected it was to do with the farm, or thebarrels Sebastian was getting his friend to store.

“Well,think of a way.”

Sebastian sighed, then spoke over the sideof the bed. “I’m sorry that woke you.”

“It’s okay… is somethingwrong?”

“Yes.”

Rory’s throattightened.“Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Night, Sebastian.”

Rory didn’t get areply.

ChapterFifteen

Rory tapped hisfinger on the table,then lifted his head. “Ten days ago, he got a call and it didn’tsound good.”

Hamish nodded. “What did hesay?”

“He wasshocked, angry. It seemed likesomething had gone wrong, and he didn’t know how to fix it, andsince then, he’s hardly said a word.”

“I intervened in the saleof the farm.”

“Yeah?” Rorywhispered.

“There’s no chance him or hisfriend will get theirhands on that land. Whatever he was planning ondoing there, I’ve stopped him.”

“What about thebarrels?”

“They were confiscated, containedall sorts of chemicals. A lot of potassium nitrate. Charcoal. Lookslike they were going to experiment with other substances, too.”

“Why?”

Hamish shrugged. “Could be bombsagain, but the point is, with your help, we’ve stopped him beforehe can go back to his old ways.Rory, you’ve done good.”

He didn’t feelgood. For tendays Sebastian hadn’t touched him, and he’d barely spoken. Therehad been no Vaseline nights, or hours spent together in the gym, orintense chess games, Sebastian had reverted back to the coldversion of himself that Rory had trouble looking at.

“Your dad would be so proud ofyou.”

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