“The alternative is I become the thing I hate,” Tobias allowed.
Soren kissed his shoulder. “What’s that?”
Tobias could’ve said any number of things, made up a million lies, but the truth tumbled out instead. “My father.”
There was a long silence, broken by three words that stopped Tobias cold. “The Trust Fund Killer.”
Soren knew. Of course, he did. Tobias’s lip curled at the moniker. “Don’t call him that. He loved it, loved having an audience, loved the attention of the trial. Loved denying his crimes, no matter how the evidence piled up against him. The book deals. The movie offers. All of it.” He sighed. “I wondered if you knew.”
Soren’s fingertips went back to gently stroking Tobias’s belly. “We did our homework on you when Az and Madi needed your help.”
“Who?” Tobias asked. “The contract killing husbands?” He answered his own question before Soren did.
“I believe you knew them as Akil and John.”
“Ah, yes. Were they actually husbands? They were definitely a couple.”
Soren laughed. “You know, I’m honestly not sure. They are together. A couple. I suppose they could have gotten married in their travels, but it's likely not legal.I really can’t imagine the two with anybody else anyway. Nobody would tolerate either of them for long. Madi more than Az. Az can be quite charming. Though, some might say the same of Madi, I suppose.”
It was all said with a fondness Tobias couldn’t begin to comprehend. He turned in Soren’s arms. “You genuinely care about them.”
It wasn’t a question.
“They’re my friends. Hell, they’re the closest thing I have to a family. Why’s that so shocking to you?”
Tobias looked at him like he was crazy. “Because the only other killers I’ve ever known were killers like me.”
“Like you?” Soren examined Tobias’s face.
“Cold. Calculating. Unfeeling. Murdering for fun. Because they enjoy it.”
Soren frowned, pushing damp hair out of Tobias’s eyes so he could look at him. “Is that why you killed Killeen? Jennings? Because it was fun?”
There was no judgment in Soren’s voice, just that same curiosity. It fucked with Tobias’s inner compass, made him feel like the dial was spinning out of control. “I killed them because I need to kill. No, because I only feel like me, the real me, when I’m killing, and killing them is a public service. It’s the least I can do.”
Soren shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“You think you’re like Jennings and Killeen. That your need to kill somehow makes you like them, but they prey on the weak and vulnerable. When was the last time you looked at a person walking down the street and fantasized about killing them just because they looked like an easy target?”
“I—” Tobias cut himself off, reeling at the pointed question.
“Exactly. You’re not like them. You’re like us. Sure, maybe your circuits are wired a little differently. Maybe you need the blood and the feel of their life slipping away to appease some inner demons, but you don’t kill simply because you can. You kill the people who need killing. In some ways, you’re a lot more principled than me or any of the other guys in the group. We’ve killed for far less. Hell, we’ve killed for pure profit.”
Before Tobias could formulate a response, Soren’s phone started buzzing from somewhere on the floor. He rolled away, his top half disappearing and his legs landing on Tobias’s thighs as he hung half off the bed, likely attempting to extract his phone from his pocket. He found himself squeezing Soren’s perfectly formed furry calves, only half listening as Soren answered the phone with a terse, “Why the hell are you calling me at two in the morning?”
Tobias wanted to know the answer, too. Who felt comfortable enough with the man in his bed to call that late? Or early? Had they even discussed whether Soren was single? Had they? Why did Tobias even care? Why did he suddenly have a pit in his stomach?
“Well, shit,” Soren muttered. “Hey, he’s new. Remember your first kill? You practically had the entirety of the MexicanFederalesafter you. Killeen’s just got a few mob goons. I’ll take care of it.” There was a pause. “Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?” It wasn’t said with any malice, more a camaraderie Tobias couldn’t even begin to fathom. “Yeah. In the morning.”
With that, Soren hung up and swung back around until he was almost nose to nose with Tobias.
“What’s wrong?” Tobias asked, chest tight.
“Seems Killeen was slightly more paranoid than either of us knew.” Soren sighed. “You took out the cameras inside but failed to notice one he had posted in the back, out in the yard itself. They saw you.”
“They?”
