Page 75 of Doubts of the Egoist
“If you are truly sorry, lie down and rest. Don’t make me worry about you going God knows where in the middle of the night. If you still want to go in the morning, I’ll call Gray, but I’d rather you stay.”
“If I take your bed, where will you sleep?” When the warm hand left his neck, Kuon turned at the waist to look at his friend’s hunched shoulders.
Rick scratched his forehead. “In a hammock. I’m used to it.”
“Why? What happened to my bed?”
Rick also turned around, scrunching up half of his face as he admitted, “Nothing, but your bedroom is kinda crowded. A sofa is in there and some other stuff, so you have to be a monkey to reach the bed.”
“Why?”
“What did you expect?” Rick grinned, and Kuon envied his mental strength. He didn’t feel capable of smiling. “Those little menaces have itchy teeth and are like termites finishing off furniture. Anything chewy enough is locked up in your bedroom.” Rick got up and headed for the door, not sparing him another glance. “I’ll shower first. I need to cool my head.”
The door opened and closed, shutting Kuon off in the cool, dark room that smelled of lavender, mandarin, and disappointment. His throat was parched. He would kill for a glass of water, but he had no mental strength to go out and face the consequences of his actions.
He lost track of how long he’d been sitting in the freezing gloom, but his skin prickled, toes curled, and spasms rolled up and down his muscles, threatening to turn into seizures.
Beyond the window, the sky brightened, and the first pink rays pierced through the thick fog. Colorful dots filled his vision, stretching and swirling into intricate ornaments. His eyelids dropped, and dizziness brought his head down onto the sheets.His mind, loosening its grip on reality, dragged him deeper into a troubled sleep.
He’d heard Rick come to cover him with something soft and warm, felt cool wetness brush over his soles. Heat scalded him, then he was cold, before he felt too hot again. He tossed and turned, until the slogging sleep sucked him into oblivion.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BARK. BARK. BARK.A shrill sound mixed with the loud barking of pups. A cacophony of noises wove into his dream, filling it with vivid projections. Police sirens, red and blue lights flashing, military dogs barking, and blood flowing. So much blood.
“Where is he?”Yugo shouldered his way into the apartment. The door flung open and slammed against the wall before Rick’s white-knuckled hand pushed it firmly back into the frame.
Yugo’s focus jumped from the low padded stool with teeth marks on a front leg and short black animal hairs clinging to the upholstery, to the beige mud smudges on the dark floor that vaguely resembled footprints. A single pair of white tennis shoes sat between the legs of the stool, the soles dusted with gray. The mud didn’t come from them, but that hardly proved Kuon’s presence or absence. He turned toward the living room but stopped when the towering figure with bulging muscles shifted, blocking the only entrance.
“I didn’t invite you.” Rick’s voice sounded tranquil, but his body radiated danger.
“I don’t remember asking for permission.” Yugo copied his tone. “But if you want me gone, ask Kuon to come out. I won’t leave without him.”
“Why should I? You two are done, and I’ll do my best to keep it that way.”
Look who grew balls.Yugo’s eyes skimmed over the nearly naked man, noticing water droplets on his skin, wet hair, and razor burns on his cheeks and chin. He leered, wondering if Rick was prettying up.Oh my, don’t tell me you already got your hopes up.
“Who told you that? He’ll never be through with me. I’m all he’ll ever have, and he knows it. Move.” Not a single muscle in Rick’s body flexed as he stood in the doorway, showing no intention of complying. Yugo glanced at his watch. Mio would wake up soon. He had to be home before then or he would have to deal with yet another tantrum. “I don’t have time for this shit…”
Without warning, Yugo struck Rick’s unprotected throat with his open palm. It was a quick jab with the area between his thumb and four fingers, but a powerful one. Rick staggered back, hissing and wheezing, hands clutching his throat. His face reddened, eyes welled up. He coughed and dropped to one knee, glaring at the intruder with glistening black eyes full of a sense of betrayal.
“Stay down, dog. I won’t be so gentle next time.” Yugo patted Rick on the shoulder, walked around him, and finally entered the living room.
He threw open the nearest door, then the next. But if the room that had once belonged to Kuon had been turned into a storeroom and showed no signs of the fugitive, the bathroom greeted him with warm dampness, puddles of water, and a pile of clothes dropped by the sink. Gritting his teeth, he followed the trail of rusty stains to the last door across from Kuon’s. He needed to know if Kuon was inside, yet feared confirming it,because every instinct in him rejected the idea that his bitch could be in another man’s bedroom.
He was only two steps from the door when a ruthless hand grabbed his elbow from behind and forced him around. A white blur flashed toward his nose, triggering his instincts. He ducked aside, but the fist still caught his cheek.
Yugo’s head whipped to the left. Pain inked his vision black. His molar cracked, and blood pooled in his mouth, seeping from where his teeth snapped the inside of his cheek.
Yugo’s back slammed into the kitchen counter under the shrill barking of two puppies cheering for their master. The unexpected pain flayed his nerves, curling his lips into a snarl.
Staggering, he knocked a coffee mug off the counter with his elbow. It shrieked as it smashed against the floor, red splinters flying asunder. His vision flickered only to return in a roaring firework of pulsing colorful spots.
Stealthy fucking gorilla. I’ll send you back to the jungle in five plastic bags.
Gulping blood, Yugo hopped back, narrowly avoiding a kick to the midsection. Not wanting to lose the advantage, Rick scooted over, ignoring the ceramic shards. His left hook forced Yugo to pivot and block the attack with his forearms, but the force of the blow pushed his lower back into the counter. Rick lunged; his fingers raked the air and drew back, the lapel of Yugo’s jacket clutched in his fist.
“Got you,” the voice leered, sounding like thin ice breaking under a shoe.
Motherfucker… I should have offed you when I had the chance.
