If he didn’t do it first. It was obvious that’s what he was getting at, but he left it to their imaginations to fill in the blanks.
The color drained from Rexton’s face.
“This isn’t about Popcorn either,” Flix turned against Ani’s neck and whispered. “You’re the one who brought him into this. Here’s your chance to get him out.”
Aneski inhaled shakily. “Unscathed?”
“So long as he doesn’t try to stop us on the way,” Flix promised. He could give up on his revenge against Rexton. If doing so meant using him as a stepping stone to what he really wanted? It’d be well worth it.
“What do I have to do?”
Flix smirked and planted a kiss against his carotid artery, chuckling when that caused the other man to shiver against him. “Come home with me, Tiny Terror. No chains. No ropes. Just you on your own two feet.”
“What the hell are you saying to him?” Rexton found his voice.
Irksome.
Flix sent him a warning glare, but Ani beat him to the punchline.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”
“What?” Rexton started for them, but the dark-haired one smartly stopped him, pulling him back.
“Don’t follow me,” Aneski ordered, sounding more certain speaking with them than he had with Flix. “That’s an order.”
“You can’t—”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Fuck!” Rexton swore and pulled himself free, but merely kicked at a stool. He didn’t try approaching again.
Flix laughed mockingly. “Good guess.”
The dark-haired one frowned, but Rexton’s face flushed.
Flix stepped out from behind Ani and grabbed him by the nape of the neck. “Fucking is exactly what’s on the agenda tonight.”
Aneski didn’t struggle as Flix practically shoved him from the room, and his friends didn’t attempt to help him.
“You’re a shit kidnapper,” Flix drawled as they made their way down the hall, “but apparently your Shepards follow your orders. Good for you.”
“I don’t need or want your praise,” he growled.
“You’re a shit kidnapper,” Flix repeated, bringing his mouth to the curve of Ani’s ear. “But you’re an even worse liar.”
Unfortunately for the both of them, Flix seemed to get off on that fact.
Chapter 8:
He was quiet the entire drive, like he’d been all that time he’d kept Flix chained up, his head turned stubbornly toward the passenger side window, glaring daggers out at the passing streets.
The glares were just for show, Flix could tell. Ani was scared and trying to hide it.
Good.
Flix had known all about his involvement with the Shepards, but he’d kept his distance anyway, figuring it wasn’t his place anymore to order Aneski to quit. The hope had been eventually, the younger guy would realize his mistake and grow out of it, like his brother had. But no. Seemed like that was a lesson he was going to have to be taught by Flix after all.
“I put too much faith in you,” he stated as he pulled them onto his street. “Here I thought you’d be smart enough to keep yourself out of trouble.”
