Page 24 of The Primary Pest
“All of them. But does someone need a reason? I upset the status quo. I made it okay—even stylish—for people to be assholes, and then I called them out on it.”
“From what I can see, you called yourself out, Ajax.”
“Probably.” Uncertain, Ajax asked, “What do you think that means?”
Dmytro shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Can I please have the window bed? Being on the inside makes me feel closed in.”
“No. Take the bed by the bath while we’re here.” Dmytro didn’t look up until he plugged his phone in. Then he patiently met Ajax’s gaze. “It’s for your safety, Ajax. If anything happens, you’re to take your phone into the bathroom, lock the door, and call 911 for help. Get in the bathtub if there’s any shooting.”
Ajax gave an eye roll. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
“If there’s an emergency,” Dmytro said sternly, “Bartosz and I will place our lives on the line for you. Please do as I ask.”
“This is bullshit.” A mutinous feeling swept over him. He hated being told what to do. He hated unknown threats and uncertainty.
“It’s not bullshit to me.” Dmytro turned away, but not before Ajax saw he was visibly angry. “Your safety matters because getting home to my daughters alive matters. How I do that, when I spend my time protecting other people’s children, is through careful preparation and planning, and—”
“I’m sorry.” Feeling slapped again, Ajax turned away and sighed.
Dmytro gave a sharp rap on the wall, and Ajax jumped about five feet. Seconds later athudechoed back. “Bartosz will take thefirst watch, and I’ll take the second. When it’s my turn, he’ll sleep in here with you.”
Ajax didn’t expect they’d braid each other’s hair, but he’d hoped Dmytro wouldn’t leave him alone with Bartosz. Not that there was anything wrong with Bartosz. He’d talked to Dmytro. Felt some kind of bond, over Anton maybe. Now it looked like that was wishful thinking too.
Ajax brushed his teeth with the same care he gave to all aspects of grooming. He was meticulous. Precise. It was time-consuming but well worth it. He’d never had a cavity in his life.
Alter ego Ajax Freedom wasn’t that guy. He spent his evenings drinking J?ger bombs and fell asleep draped over the backs of couches. He’d passed out in hotel bathtubs in order to avoid sorority girls who wanted to fuck him. That life was never meant to last because Ajax Freedom was performance art. He’d never believed it could go quite so horribly wrong, but what had he expected? He’d basically trolled his audience twenty-four seven.
He slipped into bed and glanced over at Dmytro, who lay on his side, phone in his hands. Ajax couldn’t tell whether he was reading the news or interacting with someone.
“You want the light off?” he asked about the table lamp between the two beds.
“I’ll get the lights in a minute.” Dmytro thumbed something into his phone and put it aside. “Do you take anything to sleep?”
“No. Why?”
“If we have any problems, I want to know now whether I can wake you or if I’ll need to simply pick you up and carry you.”
Ajax’s groin tingled. “I don’t take anything, but you can carry me anyway if you want. Anton was an awesome piggybacker.”
Dmytro gave that the look it deserved. “Go to sleep.”
“All right.” He rolled over and punched the surprisingly nice pillow. “I’ll need the light off to sleep.”
“Fine.” Behind Ajax, the light went out. “Do you want me to sing a bedtime song too?”
“I could use a bottle of water.”
“That,” Dmytro said, “I can do.”
Dmytro picked up his phone again, and a couple minutes later, a discreet tap on the door led to a fresh, cold water bottle for Ajax.
“That’s service.”
“Iphicles is client-driven,” Dmytro offered. “Whatever I can do to make this easier without compromising your safety, I will try to do.”
Ajax sat up and turned on the light to do an irony check. He didn’t see any. Maybe Dmytro had warmed up to him?
