“What? No!” Remy cried as he began struggling in my hold. “Let me go!”
“Remy—”
As small as Remy was, he was surprisingly strong and it was all I could do to hang on to him when he completely flipped his lid. Thankfully, there was no one around to interfere.
“Let me go!” Remy screamed. “I have to find her!”
My bodyguards both took steps toward me when Remy’s fist managed to clip my jaw, but I quickly shook my head at both of them and motioned them back to the car. I tightened my hold on Remy’s flailing hands and pulled him closer to me so he wouldn’t be able to strike me as easily.
“Remy, listen,” I entreated.
The fact that our bodies were flush against one another set off a whole new round of anger and panic for Remy because he shouted, “Don’t touch me! I hate you!”
I already knew that, but hearing the words were like a knife to the gut.
“Remy—”
“Do you hear me? I fucking hate you, Luca!” Remy snarled. But his struggles had started to wane and there was a choking quality to his voice as he once again said, “I hate you.”
He wasn’t crying but he should have been. His pain was that obvious.
“I know you do,” I yelled back in the hopes that he’d actually hear me above his own grunts as he fought me. “I just want to help you find whoever you’re looking for.”
“No,” Remy snapped. “Just stay away from me!”
“Think about whoever it is who needs your help, Remy,” I urged. “Just think about them. This place you’re going… just…” I almost said “let me help you,” but I suspected that would set him off all over again. It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t want help, he just didn’t want my help.
“You can get there faster in a car and if you need to get somewhere else quickly…” I used my chin to motion to my car. It was a lame argument, but it was the best I could come up with that I didn’t think he’d refuse just out of spite. I was used to having people automatically do what I wanted either out of fear or respect, but Remy was the last person who was going to follow my orders. I was in completely unchartered territory here.
Remy stilled in my arms and looked at the car.
“Who are they?” he finally asked as he eyed the two men by the car.
“Bodyguards,” I responded, figuring he deserved the truth.
He didn’t ask why I had them. Instead, he looked at the car, then down the sidewalk. I had no doubt he was doing a risk-benefit analysis of sorts in his head.
We stood there for a few long seconds, then Remy tugged on my hold a little. I forced myself to release him, silently praying he wouldn’t take off on me. As soon as I let him go, he turned and strode to the car. The driver quickly opened the door for him. I followed. When I got into the back seat with him, Remy pressed his body against his door.
More silent messages that I understood just as easily as if he’d yelled them. He was practically vibrating with emotion, but I couldn’t be sure if it was just anger or if it was fear for whoever he was looking for.
“Where to, sir?” the driver, Terrence, asked.
I looked at Remy. He was looking straight ahead but before I could say anything, he answered Terrence himself. “The ferry terminal.”
Terrence didn’t respond other than to pull the car into traffic. My men hadn’t been in Seattle long, but Terrence expertly navigated his way back the way Remy and I had walked. It didn’t surprise me that he knew his way around the city already. It was exactly what I paid him to know.
Among other things.
Remy was practically hugging his door as we drove. I had a million questions, but I knew he wouldn’t answer any of them, so I remained silent. I didn’t even look at him. I was hoping the more I ignored him, the more he’d relax. But I could see in my periphery that his frame remained tense. The only thing he did do was start rubbing his forearm again with the opposite hand. He was also passing his finger over the button that controlled the power window.
I risked looking at him fully.
He looked physically ill and it was all I could do not to reach out and touch him. I had this weird feeling that I’d somehow lost him.
Which made no sense because he and I had no connection whatsoever.
“You can open it,” I said softly when Remy continued to play with the power button. He actually jumped a little at the sound of my voice. His head turned tiredly and our eyes met for the briefest of moments.