Page 19 of Surging Reef
Fuck, for how long had she had Ashby locked up? He’d been a skeleton, but when he talked, it didn’t sound as if he’d been held captive for months on end.
“A few weeks ago, and it’s getting fucking hard to get by without my credit card.” He hoped he managed to sound angry instead of scared.
“Come in, Brian.”
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He did not want to go inside when she was there. “It’s okay. I’ll come back another day.”
“But you were so eager to get your wallet back.” She smiled a mostly closed-lipped smile, but he could’ve sworn her teeth were sharper than could be considered normal. Hell.
“You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“Me?” She chortled. “Are you often afraid of petite women?”
“Pharos never growls.” He gestured at Pharos. “But he growled at you. I trust my dog. I think I’ll come back when Asher is here.”
“Ashby.”
“What? No, I’m here to see Asher.”
Her gaze flicked to something to the left of him, and Pharos’ growl grew in intensity. Ice spread in Kazimir’s veins. He didn’t need to turn to know someone was there.
He took a deep breath and looked. A large man with curly chestnut hair and startling blue eyes was glaring at him. “Oh, hi, are you here to see Asher too?”
The man smiled, with fangs. Then he grabbed Kazimir’s upper arm in a bruising grip and pushed him inside the apartment. Pharos tried to bite the man, but he blocked everyattack with a booted foot. Kazimir had to give it to him—he didn’t kick Pharos; he simply pushed him away. It didn’t mean he was a good man, but a better man than some.
“Pharos, stay!”
Pharos whined but stilled. Huh? Maybe he’d had proper training at some point.
The man, vampire, whatever, pushed him down on a chair, and Kazimir allowed it. He wasn’t sure what he could do. He had his pocketknife, but it was two against one.
“So, Brian…” The woman smiled at him again, with fangs this time, and Kazimir gasped. He’d known they were there, but he figured he wasn’t meant to know there were vampires in the world. “You’re here for your wallet?”
“Yes.”
“In the middle of the night.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re important to Ashby?”
Kazimir frowned. He didn’t think he was important to Ashby. Sure, running for your life created a bond, but no, he didn’t think he mattered to Ashby. “Asher. No, we hooked up once. He’s a dick. Hot but mean. Maybe he’s in the closet, I don’t know. Internal homophobia or something. The moment he shot his load, he told me to get the hell out of here. Some guys are like that.”
The woman laughed. “They are?”
Kazimir shrugged. “It’s better not to pick up guys in alleyways. I don’t know, maybe he’s a rent boy and…Fuck, did he steal my wallet?”
He looked between the two, allowing desperation to show on his face. How long would Ashby wait in the car?
Chapter 9
Ashby held his breath as he listened to Kazimir talk. Rent boy. He’d make him pay for that. As quietly as he could, he moved over to his closet. There, he grabbed a backpack at the bottom and shoved a few changes of clothes into it. His laptop, luckily enough, was on the bedside table. The charger was in the room Kazimir was in, but he could get a new one. Hopefully.
“I think we’ll wait here for a bit, see if Ashby comes to the rescue.” Anne’s smug tone made him want to rush in there and attack her, but he was alone against at least two, and he couldn’t risk Kazimir getting hurt, or Pharos. Silly dog. It would’ve been better if he’d waited in the car.
“Asher. His name is Asher. Ashby is such a stupid name. Or is it his last name? Asher Ashby? No wonder the man’s a dick if he’s been forced to go through life with that name.”
The guard laughed. Ashby didn’t know his name, but he’d been there when Naveen had set him up. Fucker.
