Page 73 of Preying Heart
I wake up early and give sleepyhead Remi a kiss. “I’m going to head into town and check my mail. I’ll have Lucy drop by while I’m gone to keep you company.”
She yawns and opens her sexy eyes, smiling. “What? Honeymoon’s over? Shouldn’t we start the day with a healthy warm-up?”
I have exactly what she needs and craves, and I never get tired of satisfying her and myself. Except for the love part, everything else is perfect.
It’s as good as it can get, I tell myself as I dip my tongue into her mouth and move myself over her. Which worries me, because in my experience, something bad is homing in right around the corner like a guided missile shattering all our illusions of safety.
I’m soon lost in Remi’s moans and caresses and I let my heart open to her, imprinting her smooth, taut skin, her silky hair, the tone of her muscles, and the deep and welcoming kisses, the heat in her eyes, flashing green and mysterious, the way she moves and undulates underneath me, and the hungry friction when she rides, and the taste of her in my arms and the emotions tangled around my heart like curling vines exuding her unique blend of sweet blossoming nectar.
I’m so desperately in love, and I don’t want to lose her.
* * *
Later on, after we’ve showered, eaten breakfast, and fortified ourselves with coffee, I show Remi the basics of my security network and ask her to tap into the feed at Lucy’s clinic.
“Let me know if you see anything anomalous. Notice any patients or the men dropping them off that look dodgy. Maybe going back immediately after an appointment or casing the joint.”
“Are you going to be gone long?”
I dot a kiss on her lips. “The usual. Shopping. Post office. Make the rounds at the bar and the church. See if they’ve found the missing hikers or if anything new came up. Stuff that’s not on the news or the internet. I’ll send Lucy.”
“I’m going to miss you,” she says after a slight hesitation, and I wonder if she was about to say more. But instead she stands up and walks me to the door. “Are you taking Glock with you?”
“No, why don’t you take him on a walk? I’d worry less with him around.”
“He never barks. How do I know if someone’s coming?”
She’s teasing me because she senses I’m hiding something. I don’t know why I don’t just fess up, but little lies have a way of growing, like a snowball turning into an avalanche.
“You’ll know when he attacks.” I pinch her behind and she jumps. “Can’t wait to see your new NFTs when I get back.”
“You’ll get your agent’s cut.” She laughs because we set it up so that I’d get my initial investment back as well as a portion of each new one auctioned off.
I’d rather have her one hundred percent, but it’s too soon, and I don’t want to scare her off. Just in case, though, I’ll make a stop at a jewelry store.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Remi
Lucy is missing! Or at least she’s not been to her clinic for over a week.
I check the dates of the video feeds and go through them again, looking for motion detection. Her Oldsmobile is sitting in its spot but it hasn’t been moved. A few patients straggle by. They ring the bell and knock on the door. After peering into the windows, and one even looking inside her car, they shrug and go back the way they came.
I have to alert Heath, but we already tossed the burner phone and he had promised to get me a new one.
What can I do? I can’t panic. Maybe Lucy took off for safety reasons. She knew Heath and I were going on our jaunt and she left town because he wasn’t around to protect her. That has to be it. She forgot to cancel the appointments, or it was part of the ruse to make people think things were normal. Just a vacation.
Glock senses something is amiss since he gets up and lays his muzzle on my knee, begging for neck rubs.
“I’m probably overreacting,” I tell him. “Let’s go for a walk.”
I pocket my crypto wallet and take the handgun Heath showed me how to use. I’m not a good shot by far, but I know how to safely load and unload a clip as well as use the sights to shoot.
The walk calms my jittery heart. I have to learn to be alone and not rely on Heath, although truth to tell, I’m getting completely attached to him. I wonder if this is what love feels like, to physically ache when he’s not around, to worry about his safety, and to yearn to comfort him and soothe his wounded soul. Maybe there’s more, and I’m not there yet. I know I’m selfish, asking for his protection and craving his attentions. I haven’t given him the one thing he truly needs—the assurance that I’ll never leave him. That I’d give my life for him unconditionally. That feels too much like losing my freedom.
We’re near the mine entrance when Glock dashes forward, his head lowered and his teeth bared. He bounds into the cave before I can call him back. He’s on the attack.
White-hot fear shoots through my body, freezing me to the spot. I don’t dare call him, and I’m afraid to shoot him. I unholster the 9mm Glock 17 and load a clip, keeping the safety on.
