River sat on the couch looking miserable. That was something Newt could try to put a stop to.
He dropped down beside him. “Do you have a long list of people who might like to kill you? How big a piece of paper do we need? Who shall we put at the top? What about that guy who wants the same film role as you? I’ve forgotten his name. Harry something?”
River managed a small smile. “Gard…”
“Harry Gardner. Yes, that’s it.” Newt held his hand. “I can’t tell you not to worry. I’m worried too. But if we think about this logically, maybe we can work out who might have sent the letters. Whoever it is knows you live here. Can we make a list of those people?”
River shrugged. “Don’t know…who knows. One…can…tell other.”
That was true.
“One thing I thought about was what if the hold that let you downwasthe one Malik had marked, but it just crumbled. Rock does that. He might be trying to deflect blame from himself for not having climbed before you that day.”
“I like Malik.”
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t make a mistake.”
River shrugged.
“Well, you’re not currently being physically stalked. We’d have seen someone. No one has followed us when we’ve been out in the car.”
River widened his eyes.
“Yes, Ihavebeen checking. Iamyour bodyguard.” Newt beat his chest and launched into a mock-coughing fit.
River smiled.
“Max told me you were a shit to people who came tohelp you. Well, you weren’t sweetness and light to me at first. And we both know Jorge deserved to be fired. How much of a shit were you to the others?”
River shrugged. “Not bad… Not to get…tho…letters. Why? No point.”
“To upset you?”
“Not enough mo… mot… motive. People use…hmm…usually after money. Max paid them off for being a …sh…shit.”
“Maybe the police will get to the bottom of it.”
“I don’t…”
“You don’t want the police involved?”
“No.”
“Maybe we should stop thinking about it. Nothing we can do. So what do you need? Food? Something to drink? Want me to read to you? Or shall I try and make you see stars?”
River touched Newt’s smile, stroking his fingers against Newt’s cheek, following the line of his mouth. “Stars.”
Newt pulled him to his feet. They went upstairs hand in hand, Newt’s heart pounding harder with every step. River pulled him into Newt’s room.
“Strip,” River said.
“I’ve noticed that you’re very good at the words you really want to use.”
“Strip…now…fast…slow…sex.”
Newt laughed. He peeled his T-shirt over his head and as he tossed it aside, River slipped into the bathroom. Newt took off the rest of his clothes, tugged the duvet to the bottom of the bed then lay down. He was hard. Of course he was. The thought of being naked with River always made him hard. Though he’d been hard when they’d flown the kite, hardwhen they went swimming and hard when he’d watched River watching the deer. He chuckled.
When River emerged naked from the bathroom, a strip of condoms dangling from his fingers, Newt’s lungs stopped working. Was this what Max had meant when he’d told them to be careful?
