Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“I love you, too, Ryder Livingston. I always have. You’ve always been such a bastard to act like I wasn’t old enough or mature enough. It was just plain evil to drop me like you did after what we’d shared. I forgive you, of course, but I’ll still bring it up in every fight we have for the rest of our lives.”
“Remi…I’m not playing with you. Come back to me. Now, baby,” Ryder pleaded. “I need you to come back to me right now. You’ve done everything in your power to help her. I need you, Remi. Me. I can’t live without you.”
“But she’ll be by herself,” Remi whimpered. “I don’t want her to die by herself; she’s so afraid, Ryder. She doesn’t want to die.” Remi’s lips quivered. “I don’t want her to die.”
Three minutes.
“He must leave there,” Mary whispered urgently. “Something this traumatic could sever his cord, Ryder. He cannot witness this.”
“I love you, Remington. You have to stay with me. I need you more. If you don’t leave now, you might not ever be able to come back to me.”
Remi heard Ryder’s words as clear as if he were sitting next to him in the death car. He heard the urgency and the pleading. It seemed like Remi had waited most of his adult life for Ryder to notice him…to fall in love with him, so he knew he couldn’t turn his back on Ryder, even if it meant leaving Kris to die alone.
He hadn’t been able to save her.
Both Mary and Gertie had tried to warn him of this, but, like a fool, he’d thought he could conquer any demon. Kris sobbed and then cussed; he would have loved having Kris as a friend. His eyes drifted toward the backseat to see Gary and rat girl looking at him. Their expressions were filled with sadness and pity. Rat girl held her rodent up and made the little guy wave goodbye to him.
He'd failed them all.
The train whistle grew louder and the tracks beneath him began to vibrate as the iron locomotive barreled in their direction. With the curve of the tracks, they would never see the stalled car in time to pull the brake, much less get stopped.
He looked at Kris one last time, memorizing her image…wishing he could have helped. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
After trying, and failing, to reach out to touch Kris one more time, wishing again he could offer some sort of comfort, he leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes. Right before they closed, a bright light flashed in front of him, nearly blinding him…then he was gone.
“Remi! Remi! Open your eyes, baby,” Ryder yelled. “I need to see those beautiful eyes. Please, Remi. Please open your eyes.”
One second Remi felt like he floated and then in the next instant, his soul connected with his body again. He felt himself gasp for air and his eyes flew open. Ryder leaned over him on one side of their bed at the hotel. Mary sat on his other side. He felt tears slide down his face.
For a split second, he’d known peace and loved how it felt when his soul collided with his body. For that second, he forgot that he failed in his mission to save Kris. He forgot that he’d watched Gary be crushed to death and that a girl who was dead and played with a rat was suddenly one of his best friends. All he knew was that Ryder loved him. He smiled up at the beautiful man that held the keys to his heart.
Then…his world crashed.
“Oh, fuck, Ryder…I…I couldn’t save her,” Remi moaned in agony. “I tried. I couldn’t. I failed her, Ryder. I failed them all.” Remi tried to breathe, to force oxygen into his lungs, but it didn’t work. He couldn’t get air. His chest ached, like something incredibly heavy sat dead-center on it.
Ryder pulled him into his arms. “It’s okay; you did everything. You worked so hard for Kris. You’ll get him the next time, baby. He won’t get away with this; I promise.” Ryder rocked him back and forth as he talked. Remi’s entire body shook, making Ryder hold him tighter and wish he could do something to ease his pain.
“Yes!” Jeremy screamed, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Remi jerked away and looked in the direction of Ryder’s phone as it rested on the nightstand. Ryder reached over and grabbed the phone. “What, Jeremy? What’s happened?”
“I was able to get the owner of the home to answer the phone! The man has to be ninety years old, but he was able to get into his tractor and push the car out of the way seconds before the train hit it. I’m not messing with you, dudes! The old motherfucker got there! Kris is okay. An ambulance and the police should be there within minutes. Remi? You there, Boy Wonder?”