Chapter 46
Oliver
I was on high alert. With both hands on the wheel, I scanned every inch of the neighborhood while we drove toward Remi’s place. He was ahead of us, and I’d barely taken my eyes off of him. Sure, he was safe in his car, but I wasn’t using my rational brain right now.
“If Cole freaks out—” I stopped and shook my head. “When he freaks out, what’s the plan?”
“Depends. Is he gonna get violent?”
“Who knows?” I laughed humorlessly, lifting one hand off the wheel while I gestured at nothing in particular. “He’s a wild card.”
“Tell me about him.”
I blew out a long breath. “He and Remi met in college. They dated off and on. It was toxic, but that’s not really new for him. At a certain point, it escalated. Cole got really jealous, thinking Remi was out messing around, especially once he started working at the bar.”
“Was he?”
“No. Remi’s a lot of things, but he isn’t a cheater.
I convinced him it wasn’t healthy, so he eventually broke up with Cole.
He was doing better, bought the bar from the old guy who owned it before, and things were okay.
Then they started seeing each other again.
Cole was still jealous, but he’d also gotten into drugs. ”
Dean looked over at me. “Is he still?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “If he is, he’ll be hiding it because Remi .
. . Either way, Cole’s worse than he used to be.
He likes to drag Remi back into his life.
I think he enjoys having power over him, but they always end up fighting.
Remi’s not innocent in it, but he isn’t abusive.
He eggs him on, it gets to the point it did when you found him at the bar, and it goes round and round. ”
“We’ll put an end to it,” he decided.
I nodded, even though it was hard to believe him. I’d tried for a long time. There was just something missing inside Remi, a thing he was so desperate to fill that he’d look for it in all the wrong places. It was like it transcended all sense of self-preservation and logic.
“Dean.” I swallowed hard as I turned a corner. “I despise fighting, but I will defend myself. And Remi. If Cole does something—”
He took my hand, so I stopped talking and looked over at him.
“I’ve got it covered.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled, then looked ahead. I pulled up to Remi’s rental and put it in park beside the curb. Before I’d even gotten out, I saw the doors open on the car across the street. Two guys hopped off the red motorcycle behind it, and soon, there were four men heading directly for us.
“Oh my God.” Jumping out of the car, I looked between all of them. “What are you guys doing here?”
Kai winked, then popped a piece of gum into his mouth. There was a guy beside him with blonde hair and a softer look to him. When he got close, he offered me a kind smile.
“We’re the backup, I guess. I’m Sen.” He held his hand out, and when I shook it, he made a surprised sound, followed by a laugh. “Damn. Strong handshake. Respect.”
“Who’s getting their ass handed to them today?” West shouted as he came up beside Kai. There was a maniacal look on his face, which was amplified by his wild blue eyes.
Instinctively, I took a step back. Linc slung his arm around West’s shoulders and whispered something in his ear, but it just seemed to excite the guy.
“Friends of yours?” Remi asked, looking both amused and cautious.
West’s head cocked. Stepping toward Remi, he looked him up and down. “Where’s the fuckwit? I’m ready for a forcible eviction.”
“Ugh, how forcible are we talking?” Sen asked.
West bounced on his toes and flexed his fingers. “Pop, pop, making motherfuckers drop.”
Kai cackled. “Let’s not add to your record, yeah?”
It was impossible not to laugh when West started swinging his arms around like Popeye. Linc looked mortified, although the gleam in his eyes as he watched him betrayed how enamored he was.
“Let’s get this over with,” Remi suggested before he turned around.
I walked beside him, making sure to keep an eye on him. He was clearly nervous, and I would’ve told him there was nothing to worry about if I thought it would help.
“Relax, baby,” Dean murmured.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because then you won’t be all sweet to me.”
Dean wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple. “You play me like a fiddle.”
“Do you know how to play a fiddle, clootie dumpling?” West asked.
Linc roared with laughter. I didn’t think I’d ever heard him be so loud. “Put it in my hands and I bet I’ll figure it out in a day.”
“Arrogance. Not attractive.” West suddenly shouted in alarm. “Hey, leave my ass alone.”
“Not a chance in hell, hush puppy.”
“Not funny.”
“They’re weird,” I whispered to Dean.
His nose wrinkled. “Yeah, no kidding.”
When we got to the door, I moved ahead of Remi. As if they were in sync with each other, all of the other guys formed a barrier around us. Remi looked at them, clearly unsure how to react.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Dean stayed right by my side, keeping one hand on my back.
“Remi?” Cole called from down the hall. His footsteps were loud as he approached, and I saw Remi’s shoulders rise. “Babe, where’ve you been?”
When he stepped into the living room, he stopped. His eyes went to each of us, narrowing further with every second that passed.
After a minute, he laughed. “What the hell is this shit?” His gaze went to me. “Staging a little intervention, Oliver?”
Now that we were all packed into this house, it felt like overkill. He didn’t seem keen on backing down quite yet, though, so I was grateful that Dean had enlisted help.
West sauntered forward, whistling the Kill Bill theme. He kept his hands casually in his pockets, and when he stopped a few feet from Cole, he craned his neck forward to study him, sort of like a chicken.
“This is the guy?” West looked over his shoulder at Remi. “My good bitch, you’ll have to raise your standards. You’re far too adorable for this troglodyte.”
“And who are you?” Cole challenged.
“Who am I? According to my lover back there, I’m goddamn Lucifer.”
“Yeah, okay. I’m not concerned about a bunch of toddlers who think they’re tough.”
“Oh-ho-ho.” West rocked forward on his heels. I watched warily as his hand formed a fist at his side.
“West,” Kai said, his voice a simple but firm command that had me shrinking into Dean.
“Just leave, Cole,” Remi demanded. “I already told you three days ago.”
Cole crossed his arms. “You don’t want me to.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Until when?”
Remi’s teeth ground together. Even though I wanted to say something, this wasn’t my fight. Not unless it escalated. If Remi wouldn’t put his foot down here, there wasn’t much I could do. And if he didn’t keep his foot down, that was an even worse problem.
He looked around at the guys, and slowly, he began to nod. When he stepped forward, I felt my heart pick up speed.
“We’ve been doing this a long time,” he said. “I could blame you for all of it, and I probably should, but if you keep inviting the Devil into your home, what can you expect to happen?”
Cole’s face twisted in anger. I saw the guys bristle, and something about it brought a satisfied smile to my face.
“I really don’t feel like mopping blood off the ground,” Remi went on, his gaze moving to West. He felt it too, that sleeping beast inside of him, but he didn’t shrink in the face of it the way I did. “So, let’s just call it, okay? Once and for all.”
“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” Cole growled, crossing his arms.
Remi started to say something, but Sen suddenly walked out of the hallway. I hadn’t noticed he wasn’t with us anymore, and I felt a little worried about it, but he was smirking. Looking at Kai, I found him smiling too.
“Oh, look,” Sen said, holding up a little baggie with a pair of kitchen tongs. “This looks like a crime.”
Cole immediately started toward him, but West stepped in his way immediately. Kai walked over to Sen, positioning himself just ahead of him. With his hand behind him, he gently held his boyfriend by the front of his sweatshirt, no doubt ready to throw him out of harm’s way.
I put a hand on Remi’s forearm, assessing the situation carefully. He was silent, but not the good kind.
“Oli—” Dean started, but I shook my head.
“Rem,” I said softly. “Let’s start packing. They can deal with this, don’t you think?”
His eyes were full of a dark rage, and I racked my brain for something to say to calm him down.
Before I could think of anything, his nostrils flared.
Tears brimmed in his eyes, and I knew he’d walk away before he did it.
He marched right past Cole, not sparing him a glance as he slammed through the back door.
Sen grimaced. “Was that my fault?”
“No,” I sighed. “Just get him out. Call the cops if you have to.”
I followed after Remi despite the urge to say something to Cole. It wouldn’t do any good, and there was no closure the two of us would ever need.
“Rem,” I said. The scent of tobacco made me wrinkle my nose. “Again? When did you start?”
“Last week.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He said he was clean. Gods, I’m fucking stupid.”
“You ignored the signs. You always do.”
“I don’t want that shit here,” he said, his voice strained.
“The guy or the drugs?” I joked. Sobering, I took his free hand. “You’re going to be with us. If you want . . .”
“What?”
“You can stay for a while.”
“Maybe we should just all get a house together at this point.”
“I’d say yes, but it isn’t that simple anymore.”
He looked at me with eyes rimmed in red. “Because he’d hate it?”
I took a long breath. “We’re moving east if we’re still together after I graduate.”
His eyes widened. When they started to become guarded, I leaned closer.
“Hey—”
He shrugged me off. “That’s all it took? A week in New York and you’re ready to pack up and leave m—” He swallowed. “Leave Seattle.”
“Come.” I squeezed his hand tightly, ignoring the incredulous look on his face. “We found freedom in Seattle, but maybe we’ve outgrown it. You need a fresh start.”
He shook his head. “I can’t search for a fresh start every time things are bad. I’ll never stop moving.”
“Just this time. You’ve been here eleven years, and you’ve grown so much. What if you grow even more out there?”
“You just feel bad. That’s why you’re telling me to come.”
“Bad?” I chuckled. “No, it’s definitely selfish.”
“How?”
“Because I found a family, but I know that no matter what I gain, I’ll never be completely whole without you. I’m asking you to come for me, but also, I think you’re due for your own happy ending. You’ve earned it.”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it. Dean and I already talked about it, and we’ll do whatever we can to help you get a new bar going there.”
He was quiet until he’d finished his cigarette. After setting the butt on the table, he folded his hands and leaned forward. “New York, huh?”
“Maybe not the city. We’re hella poor.”
“It can’t be any worse than staying here,” he finally said. “So, maybe.”
“Really?”
“A snake grows by shedding its skin. A man dies by shedding his spine.”
“I don’t get it,” I admitted. “Are you the snake here?”
“By Tyr’s missing hand,” he groaned. “Shed what you’ve outgrown, but not what holds you upright.” He tapped his fist against my chest. “You hold me upright, dumbass.”
Jumping to my feet, I smiled at him. “New adventures.”
He groaned. “I don’t like change.”
“Yeah, I know.”
The door opened, letting out the whole group of guys at once.
“Is he gone?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Dean said, scratching his head.
“What happened?”
“West happened.”
I looked at him. Thankfully, I didn’t see any blood. But he was shirtless.
With a grin, he held up a shredded piece of fabric. That was when I saw the blood. In his mouth.
“Did you bite him?” I demanded, already imagining the news story.
“I’m not a wolf. I offered to pre-make a tourniquet for him,” he explained casually.
“And did he punch you in the mouth?”
He looked offended. “Nah, man. I just bit my tongue to add to the threat. Worked too. He ran out like a baby.”
Remi burst into laughter and hung his head between his legs. “I love this guy.”
“Sorry, man, the sexy piercings aren’t my style. This one is.” West grabbed Linc and dipped him backward.
“Don’t you dare—” Linc started, but he was cut off by West’s mouth on his. After a second, he seemed to just go with it.
I looked at Dean. “Would you—”
“No,” he said immediately.
“I think you would.”
Remi cocked his head as he studied him. “He totally would.”
I didn’t even know these people very well, and Remi had never met them in his life. But if they weren’t here, I didn’t think he’d have found the courage to follow through. He definitely wouldn’t look this content.
Every day, it felt like I learned more about what the word ‘family’ really meant. I could only hope Remi would begin to remember as well.