Red Hot(Sex & Mayhem #5)(73)

He started the car with a new sense of purpose.





Chapter 22



Red Jack sat on the beach, smoking a cigarette. The freedom of watching the dark gray sky above the ocean as the waves whispered into his ear was one of the reasons why Red Jack had invested in this house. Sometimes he enjoyed getting smashed, fucking, playing video games, but other times—all he wanted was a bit of peace and quiet, far away from anyone who’d bother him. Only right now, the faint buzz from the road nearby wasn’t enough, and both the beach and the house seemed too deserted. Red Jack needed to cool off, so he had even gone for a quick dip in the ocean before. Not because of the killing. That was easy-peasy in comparison to what he had to deal with now.

Loki didn’t come home after the murder. He also stopped answering Red Jack’s calls. At first, Red Jack was pissed off and thought this was just some mindfuck Loki-style, but after the five voice messages and ten hours without a reply, he was getting worried. The moon was laughing into his face. A few weeks with Loki around, and an empty house felt weird, as if something important was missing. And now that Red Jack had already slept off his hangover in the afternoon, he couldn’t even fall asleep and stop worrying for the damn pest.

He made one more call as he finished his cigarette and got up from the sand when no one answered. Again. Back in the house, Red Jack half expected to find Loki sitting there on the couch and playing Xbox with no shirt on, as if nothing had happened, but he found the living room empty.

Red Jack went over to the fridge for a beer but stopped before opening the door and stared at Loki’s bucket list. ‘Fucking Red Jack’s ass’ was crossed out with a marker so black, it was not readable anymore, but Red Jack knew what was underneath the thick lines, and that knowledge was biting deep into his guts.

There was something about a dick sliding against his ass that created a reaction so visceral it was hard to breathe. But after Loki disappearing for so many hours, Red Jack would put out just to have him back safe at home. How stupid was that? Loki pursued Red Jack with so much ferocity that it felt weird to have all that interest removed. Maybe bottoming wouldn’t be that bad? Loki seemed to love it, and Red Jack had already discovered that giving blow jobs wasn’t unpleasant either. Surely, Red Jack could bear it that one time. It wasn’t like anyone would know he’d done it. A secret between him and Loki.

The longer all those questions floated through his brain, the more agitated he became. What if the outcry against the assfuck, plus the shitty way of killing Brian was too much for Loki to handle, and he had simply decided Red Jack was too much hassle to deal with and a waste of the precious time he had left?

Red Jack dropped to the couch and switched on the TV, but no matter how much he changed the channels, nothing caught his attention for long enough. It was just so much more fun with Loki hanging around in the living room, whether for a fuck, sleeping, or watching TV together.

Red Jack’s phone buzzed, and he stalled for a second, staring at it in disbelief. Loki’s name was on the screen, bringing a whole wave of conflicting feelings. He didn’t even care to wait a few rings to seem casual.

“Where are you?” was the first thing blurting out of his mouth.

For a horrible moment, all he heard was rustling and creaks, but eventually, Loki’s voice came through. “I had an accident.”

“What?” Red Jack squeezed the phone so hard he was afraid he’d crush it. He jumped to his feet, with his heart up his throat already. “What the fuck? Where are you? What kind of accident? Are you hurt?” Questions flooded out of him as he rushed toward the door. “Why are you such a fucking idiot? Wait, I’ll be right there. Where are you?”

“On that road between Vinhamville and Green Park, the one with the giant white cow sculpture. I didn’t break anything, I think.” Loki exhaled. “There’s a dent in my car. It’s pretty shitty.”

“Fucking… fuck!” Red Jack envisioned Loki sitting there in his car with broken ribs and a head fracture that he couldn’t assess because of shock. His heart was beating so hard he could barely breathe. “Wait there, okay? Don’t move. Should I call an ambulance?” He darted out the door and straight for his bike.

“No, I don’t think it’s that bad. And I’m not sure I’m still insured.”

Red Jack screamed, unable to contain himself. “You stupid fuck! Who cares? If you need to go to a hospital, you’ll go. I can’t believe this shit. See you soon.” He turned off the phone and started his bike with a squeak of tires.