The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed Read Free Book Online Page B

and urgent.
    Adrian glanced back at him. The dog was staring past him, as though he could see through the door to something ominous on the other side.
    From the hallway came a dull thud, as though a weighty object collided with the wall by Adrian’s apartment.
    “Stay,” he muttered, easing open the door. Initially he saw no one, but when he stepped into the hall, his stomach nose-dived.
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    Shelby Reed
    Lucien clung to the wall, bloodied and beaten and reeking of alcohol. He was barefoot. His grimy T-shirt hung off one brown shoulder, hair matted with filth, eyes so swollen and bruised, Adrian hardly recognized him. “Christ! Luke—”
    “Ad,” he choked, grabbing at Adrian’s shirt with desperate hands. “Help me.”
    Then he tilted back against the wall and slid to the carpet, his fingers leaving streaks of crimson on the pristine ivory plaster.
    * * * * *
    “Drink this,” Adrian forced Lucien’s shaking hands around a cup of coffee and directed it to his friend’s mouth.
    When the hot liquid hit Lucien’s busted bottom lip, he cursed and sloshed it down the front of his bare chest.
    “Jesus!” He glared at Adrian through one partially swollen eye. “How about a little salt to go with my wounds?”
    “I’m sorry.” Adrian took the cup and set it on the night table, then handed him a napkin. He studied his friend in abject silence, too disturbed to conjure words. Then, for the hundredth time in three hours, he asked, “Who did this to you?”
    “If I tell you, will you beat him up for me?” Lucien’s bruised mouth twisted into a rueful smile. “Come on, Ad. You know I’m not going to tell you. I can handle it myself.”
    “Bullshit,” Adrian said quietly. “You’re going to die if you keep this up. Don’t you care?”
    “I care. But it’s like being on a train with no brakes, you know?” He shrugged and winced at the pain caused by the subtle motion. “I can’t give up my fun and games. I tried. It’s got such a hold on me.”
    “Sounds like addiction, and you know it.”
    Lucien closed his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. You’ve got a hold on me, too, Ad. But I hadn’t considered myself addicted to you. Not ‘til now, anyway.”
    Adrian clenched his jaw and looked away. “Say the word and I’ll take you to a rehab clinic.”
    “On the off chance that the third time’s the charm? I can already tell you, three times in rehab will end in three failures. Just what my shattered self-worth doesn’t need. Come on, Ad.” His hand enfolded Adrian’s, squeezed gently. “You’re a smart guy. Don’t you know a lost cause when you see one?”
    A surge of anger, kindled by grief and helplessness, seized Adrian’s stomach and twisted. “God damn it, Luke. What do you expect me to do? If the situation were reversed, if I were in your shoes, burned out, beaten and dying a slow death, wouldn’t you pull out all the stops and help me? I’m your friend!”
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    The Fifth Favor
    “And therein lies the problem.” With a sigh, Lucien lay back against the pillows and lifted a trembling hand to gingerly examine the abrasion high on his cheek. “All you have to do is love me back, you know, and the problem will be solved. No more abusive boyfriends. No more drugs. I’ll be so good—”
    Adrian shot to his feet, face aflame. “Jesus Christ—don’t. Don’t ! I’ll put you out of here, Luke. I don’t care if you die in the hallway, or curled up in some gutter with a thousand dollars crammed up your nose. You will not manipulate me in my home. You will not lay that burden on my shoulders.”
    “Sorry.” He held up his hands, palms out in a gesture of contrition. “You know how wasted I am, how maudlin I get when I’m stoned. I’m kidding, Ad. Really.”
    But under all that sarcasm, under the flippant excuses, lay an ultimatum . Love me like I love you, or I’ll die.
    Adrian stared at him, his throat knotted with a mixture of agony and outrage. “I can’t help you. It’s beyond me