“You charmer. I don’t believe you, since you’re biased. Can you order our meal? I’m in their database.”
Dre saluted. “Will do that. Take your time under the shower.”
Sammy sauntered over and pressed a kiss to Dre’s lips. “Thank you, Dre.” The look in Sammy’s eyes told Dre he was thanking him for more than just ordering their dinner. He caressed Sammy’s hair, wondering how he had managed to fall so hard for the man in such a short time.
“It’s fine,mo grah thu. Go shower. We can talk later.”
With one last kiss, Sammy vanished through the kitchen door. Once Dre heard the water in the shower running, he took out his cell to make their order. While he waited for Sammy to finish his shower, Dre made himself comfortable in the living room, where Sammy had one of those couches with a seating surface so big that it was impossible not to put your feet up if you wanted to lean against the backrest. The cover was made of a sturdy canvas material in different shades of orange to red with six fluffy pillows in yellow. The floor was done with light hardwood planks, which went well with the white walls and furniture that provided a nice contrast to the colorful couch. A slim wardrobe with the door missing and stocked with books and an entertainment center with gleaming silver surfaces made for an interesting mix.
Dre studied the pictures Sammy had hung on the walls. Most of them were family pictures, showing Sammy from being a baby up to a clumsy teenager who seemed to be made purely of legs and arms, always together with a woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and lightly tanned skin as well as a lean black man with soft, dark eyes. The love in those pictures was palpable. Sammy hadn’t told Dre much about his parents. The topic seemed to be too painful for him, and if the pictures were anything to go by, Dre could understand.
The doorbell ended Dre’s musings. Since Sammy hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet, Dre made his way down to the back door that doubled as the entrance for the apartment. Getting out his wallet with a grin, Dre opened the door. It seemed as if Sammy would have to wait until he could pay for one of their dates, which was just fine with Dre. He liked providing for Sammy.
The delivery guy was still in his teens, with some acne spots on his cheeks, a few patches of brownish stubble growing around his chin and mouth and decidedly too much cheap cologne that did a poor job of masking the stench of puberty sweat. The boy held out the bill but avoided making eye contact.
“That’s twenty-five seventy, sir.”
Dre felt a strange niggling at the back of his mind, telling him he had heard that voice before. He ignored it, getting out the cash to pay for their dinner. When he handed the boy the money, he looked up from under his baseball cap and his eyes widened, almost as if he were a cartoon character. His mouth opened and closed a few times, doing an impressive impersonation of a fish before he squeaked: “Thank you, sir.”
Dre frowned. Hehadheard that voice before, not even a week ago. “You! You’re the black terrycloth guy!”
The boy dropped the insulated box, turned on his heels and tried to make a run for it but Dre was faster. He grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around so fast that the boy practically crashed against his chest.
“Oh no, my friend. You’re not going anywhere.”
Dre put his wallet back into his jeans pocket, threw the struggling boy over his shoulder, bent down to retrieve the food and went back upstairs. Sammy was out of the shower now, his hair still a bit wet—a look that worked well for him—and was busy carrying cutlery and glasses into the living room. He threw Dre a questioning glance.
“Did you change your mind about the pizza?”
The boy struggled more fiercely on his shoulder when he heard that question, so Dre hurried to put the box with the food down before he placed the boy on his feet, never letting go of him.
“I might still do that. This is one of the little shits who tried to sacrifice you. I thought it would be nice to get some answers.”
Sammy gasped at this revelation and started approaching Dre and his prisoner carefully.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes.” Dre knew his eyes were deep red by now because he was so angry about what Sammy had had to endure. If it hadn’t been thanks to the kidnapping that Dre had met Sammy, the boy would already be on a trip through the demon cells in the royal prison to teach him a lesson.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I never thought you’d appear anyway, and I just wanted Josh and Chase to shut their stupid mouths. I’m sorry. So sorry.”
The boy started wailing and Dre felt almost sorry for him. Almost. He bared his fangs at him, which elicited a shriek and more sobbing.
“You summoned a demon and tried to sacrifice a human being because you wanted your friends to shut their mouths? What did they say to you that was so offensive?”
The boy cowered on the floor, his arms over his head to protect himself. “P-p-please! Don’t kill me!”
Dre opened his mouth to tell the little shit exactly what he thought of him, but Sammy beat him to it. He approached the weeping boy carefully, put his hand on his shoulder while making soothing sounds in the back of his throat.
“Hey, man, it’s fine. It may not seem like it, but Dre and I just want to talk to you. I assume you’ve already realized how dangerous it was to play with the occult?”
The boy looked up. He had tears and snot staining his face, and his cheeks had taken on an unnaturally deep red color. “Yes. I never thought it would work. I just wanted them to leave me alone.”
“Okay, uhm, what’s your name?”
“I’m Milo. Milo Tenniel.”
“Milo. I’m Sammy. Now, why did you want Chase, I think you said his name was, to leave you alone? Aren’t they your friends?”
