Free The Four Horsemen 3 - Famine by T.A. Chase

told him to look through them. The minute Fami
had left, Ekundayo had searched them, and hadn’t found his diamond or anything worth
stealing at all.
“What do you do? You’re gone at weird hours of the day and night. You never talk
about what you do, and, to be honest, I’ve never seen anyone who looks like you.” He told the truth. There was something very different about Fami, and not just because
of his eyes. Somehow Ekundayo had got used to those all-black eyes. Yet at other times, when he’d surprised Fami staring at him, those eyes had burned with a lustful fire. Maybe he
wasn’t the only one affected by the closeness of their quarters.
Ekundayo shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about any kind of attraction.
He forced his mind back to how different Fami was from him. Fami rarely slept. Even when
he curled up in the corner across from the bed, Ekundayo knew Fami wasn’t actually
sleeping. Oh, his eyes would be closed, and his breathing would be even, as though he was
sleeping soundly, but, if Ekundayo made any sort of noise, Fami would sit up and ask if he
was okay.
“Why don’t you eat with me?” The question popped out of Ekundayo’s mouth before
he could stop it.
Fami sat at the table, since Ekundayo was obviously in no hurry to leave. He ran his
hand over his braids as he stared down at the scarred wooden surface. Ekundayo kept his
gaze on Fami’s face, not allowing it to drop to the wide expanse of Fami’s chest. “I do eat; just while I’m cooking your food.”
While that might be true, Ekundayo sensed there was something Fami wasn’t saying.
He wondered if it had something to do with him being gone at such irregular hours.
Ekundayo decided to ask about something else that had been bothering him. “Why do you wear that medicine bag all the time? Are you a shaman or magic
worker?”
Ekundayo jumped when Fami shoved his chair back and shot to his feet. “Do you want to go for a walk around the island while you decide if you want to leave
or not?”
He guessed the questioning session was over. Ekundayo stood slowly, holding his wrist
in his other hand while walking over to the trapdoor. Fami opened it without any trouble,
causing Ekundayo to roll his eyes.
“Show off,” he muttered.
Fami snorted. “Once your wrist is healed, and you’ve regained all your strength, you’ll
be able to open the door without help. I’ll toss the rope ladder down, and go first. If you slip
or anything, I’ll be there to catch you.”
“I’m not completely sure I can trust you. You’ve sort of kept me prisoner up here since
we arrived,” Ekundayo pointed out as he hesitated at the edge of the opening. After dropping the ladder, Fami started down, not really looking where he was going.
It was obvious he’d climbed the ladder hundreds of times.
“Now that’s harsh,” Fami yelled up at him. “I could have just left you in the crevice,
dying of thirst and hunger, Ekundayo, but I didn’t. I freed you, and brought you here to my
place, where no one has ever been.”
“Not true. There was that grey-haired man one time.” Ekundayo squinted as he tried to
remember when he’d seen the other man.
Fami paused, and glanced up at him, a concerned expression on his face. “You saw
him?”
Ekundayo nodded. “For a moment. I opened my eyes and saw him sitting at the table
across from me. Before he noticed me, I fell back asleep. Is he your boss or something?” “Or something is right.” Fami started back down. “He’s going to have a fit when he
realises you saw him.”
Ekundayo eased his feet on to the first rung of the ladder, and he started making his
way to the ground. He was able to keep a tight grip with his uninjured hand while ensuring
he didn’t hit or reinjure his other wrist. He checked below him, and Fami had reached the
ground. He stood below him, closely watching each move he made.
“I won’t let you fall,” Fami said, loudly enough for Ekundayo to hear, but not so loud
that anyone