Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 02 - Death in the Dark Read Online Free

looked like he was carved from pure black granite. “And Lucy, the smartest dog that ever crossed my path.” Lucy stood and wagged a small nubbins, the remainder of her cropped tail. She was not as big as Michael or as wise as Thunder but there was something in the dog’s eyes that made me think she might be the most dangerous of the three.
    “I see you’ve met Blue,” I said, still standing in my underwear and torn T-shirt with my wrists and ankles bound.
    “If I let you free do you promise not to try to headbutt me?” Merl said, his eyes all smiles.
    “Ok, but I think you should realize that was a pretty normal reaction.” Merl laughed as he came around the bed. He leaned across my pillows and cut the rope on my wrists. There were soft red lines but nothing permanent. “I think there were a couple of factors that made me think you were here to hurt me. Like the binding and the knife.”
    Merl leaned over the bed and cut the rope around my ankles. I stepped away quickly and pulled a pair of pants out of my closet. I slipped into the oversized jeans and pulled the belt tight.
    “You know you kind of dress like a hobo?” Merl said and cocked his head. I looked over at the four dogs and their heads were all cocked too.
    “That’s a compliment coming from a guy dressed like one of the Columbine shooters.”
    Merl laughed heartily at that. He was wearing a black T-shirt tucked into black jeans and I just bet there was a matching trench coat somewhere in his car or tossed over the couch in my living room.
    Now that I was no longer in mortal danger I could feel that I was hungover. My head was banging and the nausea I’d experienced was not subsiding. “I need a glass of water,” I said pushing past all the fucking dogs into my living room. The place was a mess. I hadn’t done any dishes since Mulberry’s arrival and he hadn’t done any either. Another reason the two of us living in an RV together didn’t worked out.
    I pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long slug. The small space smelled like dogs panting. I pushed open the door and stepped out into a cloud-covered day. A cool breeze was blowing off the sea and I walked toward it. Blue leapt out after me and ran toward the beach. He jumped into the small surf and turned to me, his ears and tail high with anticipation.
    The other three dogs followed Merl out. They flanked him like tigers in a circus show. “Free,” Merl said, and the dogs took off, black streaks of speed against the beige sand. They barreled toward Blue and soon it was a just a mess of dogs in the surf, rearing up against each other, teeth to neck fun time.
    “You like to play like your dogs,” I said then took another sip of the cold water.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Playing at killing each other.”
    Merl laughed. “Very well put, Sydney. Very well.”
    He was the first person to call me Sydney without ever calling me Joy.
    “Let’s get some food,” Merl suggested. “Do they serve breakfast here?”
    I nodded and we walked over and sat down at one of the plastic tables. Ramon came out and waved to me. “Huevos, por favor,” I called. He held up two fingers, I nodded. Ramon went back in the house.
    “Interesting set up you have here,” Merl said.
    “It’s been working.”
    “But not anymore?”
    I took another sip of my water. “Maybe.”
    Ramon’s mother, Abedella, came out with a pot of coffee and a big smile. She placed mugs in front of each of us and poured the first steaming cup. We thanked her and she headed back into the house.
    “You do that often? Tie women to their beds?” I slurped my coffee hoping it would revive me.
    “I wanted to see what you were like. We reveal a lot about ourselves when surprised.”
    I put down my coffee cup. “Not the best way to build trust, is it?”
    Merl leaned back in his chair. “Maybe.” A smiled played on his lips.
    “Is this the kind of behavior I should expect from you?” I asked.
    Merl laughed.