Page 78 of Hold On

“Armenian.”

That did raise an alarm. She asked him more questions than others had, including a couple about ‘his friend’ Nic. Though asking him if Nic was single, sort of flatlined Ren’s interest in her as being more than she seemed. But he would never discount anyone on the grounds of gender. Women were just as capable of treachery and deceit as men.

Ren sat near but not next to Dominic and continued to chat. Nothing he heard alarmed him. Nothing he saw disturbed him. When he found himself starting to yawn, he caught Dominic’s attention and indicated he should go. Ren kept an eye open for anyone watching Dominic leave, but no-one reacted other than to wave goodnight.

He didn’t really think Dominic was at risk from Kilic. His family would be the obvious suspects if anything happened. Plus, to get at him inside Asquith would be a difficulty they wouldn’t want. No quick getaways, unfamiliar territory. And why would they go to the trouble of being part of the dig when all they needed to do was confirm he was working there? Ren thought the most likely scenario was that Dominic’s Offender Supervisor had wanted to get in one last jibe.

Even so, they needed to stay alert.

There was no sign of Dominic at the tent and Ren felt a moment of concern until he saw him step out of the trees carrying his toothbrush and a bottle of water.

“We moving or not?” Dominic asked.

“Not tonight.”

By the time Ren had cleaned his teeth and returned to the tent, Dominic was lying on the mattress in just his boxers. It was too warm to use sleeping bags. Ren settled next to him and Dominic took hold of his hand.All I need to do is say no and Dominic will listen.Ren’s breathing eased.

“That stroganoff was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten,” Dominic said. “Sorry, but if everyone had broken out into singing Kumbaya there’s no way I’d have left until I’d cleared my plate.”

“It was good. Hear anything that worried you?”

“Everyone loves you. A few hours digging next to you and they’re smitten. They’re all still laughing at the way you freaked out at the worm.”

“It was huge! Could have been a snake.”

“Everyone seemed fine, though a guy called Jorge asked a lot of questions, but I’m not used to talking to people. Not that I’d expected anyone to stand up and sayHello! My name is Miran Kilic. You killed my brother. Prepare to die.”

“A Princess Bride fan? It predates us both.”

“But it’s fun. What about those you talked to? Anything alarming?”

“Not really. It would have been very quick work if they’d managed to not just find you but get someone onto the dig.”

“I’m not sure about that. It’s been on my file for a few months that I was coming here. It’s on Asquith’s website that a dig’s taking place. Though I’m just not sure they’d need to go to all that trouble. They could send one visitor in and if they identify me, then they go and tell Kilic and he’ll look for a way to… Do whatever he wants to do.”

“That occurred to me too. And I agree. There’s little likelihood of anyone on the dig being after you. I think your Offender Supervisor was just being an arsehole. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Okay.”

“I mean it.”

Nothing did happen. Ren fell asleep before Dominic and woke before him. He wasn’t a fan of camping but he’d had a surprisingly good night’s sleep. He lay staring at Dominic’s face for a while and thought how it would be good to wake up to that every day. He’d never contemplated settling down with anyone and after what Levan had done, he’d thought he’d never be able to have sex with a guy again. But he was getting there. He hoped.

He put on his boots and crept out of the tent to take a leak. He sent a text to his mother and sent an email arranging something for him and Dominic to do later that day. He hadn’t expected to get an immediate reply that said yes, but he did.

By the time he was back, Dominic was up and dressed. Ren knew he’d fucked things up a little between them. How could he explain that all the hot kissing and giving Dominic a blow job had been brilliant, but he couldn’t get his head around Dominic doing the same to him? Or more. He might claim he was fine but it was clear he wasn’t.

Since Levan had… Ren swallowed hard. Quite an irony that he’d managed to tell Dominic what had happened to him, but he still couldn’t say the word in his head. He supposed he was suffering from a sort of PTSD. He’d suddenly find himself peppered with emotions and anxieties that he’d try to deal with, and sometimes did, only to find they came back. The fear that he’d felt, the pain, the helplessness, the awareness that he was being killed—even though he survived, then the lingering worry that he’d end up with an STI, maybe HIV… That might have gone, but… Trust continued to be an issue. He didn’t want to be alone but sometimes he couldn’t stand to be with anyone.

They spent the morning at the dig with Victor and Irma. Between the four of them, they uncovered a section of the ditch at the side of the road.

“What’s this?” Irma asked.

Ren moved to her side.

“A dice?” She rubbed it with her fingers. “There’s marks on it.”

“A die technically,” Ren said.

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