“Details.” Oli chuckled. “Listen, I’m letting you go. I’ll call you back later. Let’s say seven? That’ll give me plenty of time to get home and change into pajamas, and it’ll give you enough time to tie your new love slave up to the bed to make sure he doesn’t bolt while we have a private conversation about him in thenextroom.”
There was no reasoning with him. Cedric shook his head, but he was laughing on the inside. “Sure. Seven. I’ll have my chainsready.”
“Perfect.Seeya.”
The line went dead. Cedric set the phone on the counter, and he was about to pick up the third egg when he realized the two in the pan had turned toplastic. “Shit.”
The overdone eggs were introduced to the garbage, two new eggs hit the hot oil, and a handful of minutes later, Cedric had breakfast ready. Eggs and toast. Simple, but satisfying. There were other ways to reward a submissive, and if that meant doting on him until they worked out Gabriel’s issues, then Cedric woulddoso.
He wasn’t sure if Gabriel drank coffee, so he fixed him a glass of orange juice and brought his meal from the kitchen to the bedroom. The door was closed, so Cedric balanced the plate on the crook of his arm and knocked. “Good morning,Gabriel.”
One beat passed. Then another. There was movement in the room, and Cedric assumed Gabriel was getting out of bed to answer the door. He counted the seconds inhishead.
Five. Four. Three.Two.One.
Nothing.
Cedric knocked again. “Good morning, Gabriel. This will be your last warning. When you are greeted, you are expected torespond.”
Nothing.
Cedric frowned. He’d been of the opinion that Gabriel required a gentle touch, but it seemed like he was wrong. If he needed to be more forceful, he’d do it—but it upset him to think that he’d misread Gabriellikethat.
Patience depleted, Cedric twisted the doorknob and pushed the guest bedroom door open. With Gabriel’s fragile mental state, he hadn’t wanted to enforce punishment, but Gabriel left him with no choice. He stepped into the room and opened his mouth to speak, but stoppedshort.
No one wasthere.
Gabrielwasgone.
16
Gabriel
Run.
Run, and don’t stop. Never stop. Don’t let himgetyou.
Gabriel skidded around the corner of the sun room and into the kitchen. Sir was at his bedroom door, looking to come in. If he didn’t run now, if he didn’t get out, then he’d be ensnared in this place. Sir would claim him, he’d be too weak to resist, and he would never see Garrisonagain.
He couldn’t let thathappen.
The side door leading to the carport was locked, but with a simple twist of his fingers, Gabriel worked it open and burst through the door. The cold morning air sent goosebumps up his arms, but he hadn’t had time to grab a sweater. Sir had come in earlier than he’d anticipated, and he hadn’t had time to pack like hewantedto.
It didn’t matter. He had togetaway.
He’dbeenbad.
Sir was nice, but Gabriel had met nice men before, and he’d never dreamed about defying Garrison for them. Sir was handsome, but appearances were shallow, and age would change his face and destroy his looks. Kind words and a willingness to understand wouldn’t change Gabriel’s life—action would. And while Garrison may not have whispered sweet words in his ear or given him much physical affection, he’d always providedforhim.
Gabriel couldn’tforgetthat.
This time, he didn’t try to run for the woods. Gabriel dug in his heels when he arrived at the sidewalk and changed course, running in the direction Sir had driven to get back to thehouse.
Garrison was countingonhim.
He hit the street corner, but there was still so far to go. Gabriel knew that if he kept following a straight path, Sir would find him right away. He’d been banging on the door right when Gabriel was getting ready to go, and that meant that he was running on borrowed time. Sir would be after him. He needed to get away, or he’d be taken back to the house and he wouldneverget a chance to see Garrisonagain.
There was a mailbox on the corner, old, blue, and metallic. Gabriel rounded it, but before he could pass it, he came to a sudden stop. His hands and feet had gone numb, and pinpricks shot up his legs as his feet hit the sidewalk. A familiar, unsettling scent filled his nose, and his stomach balled up and squeezed until every pang of guilt Gabriel had ever felt was forced from the dark recesses of his stomach where they lived and up into his throat and lungs. Air deserted him. No matter how deeply he breathed in, he couldn’t satisfy his body’sneeds.
