“If you’re trying to scare me, you shouldn’t have hit me and stolen my glasses,” Tobias said. “If you’re going to shoot me, just do it.”
“I don’t want to shoot you. But I can’t trust you.”
He wanted to trust Tobias. He was waiting for him to say some magical phrase that would allow him to keep this fantasy where they were soulmates. “You know you can trust me. You hold all the cards. You don’t have to kill me. You have all the proof you need to have me imprisoned whenever you choose. I no longer have the same luxury. Technically, now, I can no longer trust you.”
There was a long pause. “I would never do that. I’m not a snitch.”
“Then let’s end this. You say we’re twin flames. Soulmates. Prove it. Teach me to do what you do.”
“Like...you want us to kill together?”
Allen’s voice had taken on a breathless quality that Tobias took as a good sign, but he was literally flying blind. If he could see Allen, gauge his reaction, then he’d know better how to proceed. All he could do was hope Allen’s psychosis was as bad as it seemed.
“That’s why I was with Soren. He was teaching me to kill, but he’s not like us. He kills for money. He doesn’t understand the compulsion, the need for a ritual, the pleasure of watching the light go out behind their eyes. He can’t teach me like you can. He doesn’t understand my love of knives, my need to feel their blood on my hands. But you do.”
The sharp inhalation told Tobias he’d won, that Allen was buying it. His vision cleared enough to get a lay of Allen’s position across from him and the door to his left, but there was no way for Tobias to make a run for it. He needed to get behind Allen. Tobias was deceptively strong, but Allen had the benefit of his vision and no head injury.
He slowly got to his feet, gauging Allen’s reaction. The man raised the gun. Tobias stumbled, gripping the desk. “If we’re going to continue this conversation, may I lie on the sofa? I think you hit me harder than I realized.”
Even with the room as an exact replica of his office, Tobias struggled to orient himself within its topography, bumping shins into furniture and tripping over table legs. When he reached the sofa, he collapsed, grabbing his head. “I don’t suppose you have any ibuprofen?”
Allen hesitated. Tobias could feel him watching him, could feel the man’s indecision. He wanted to trust Tobias so badly but some part of him was telling him no.Come on, asshole. I need to get home. Just cave already.“It’s fine. Perhaps I’ll just rest here for a while. You’ll need to wake me every hour. I’m afraid I have a concussion.”
Tobias laid back, pretending to close his eyes. Finally, Allen said, “There might be something left in the medicine cabinet. I’ll go check.”
Tobias didn’t move. “Thank you,” he said, putting as much effort into the words as possible.
As soon as Allen disappeared around the corner, Tobias forced himself to move, grateful that Allen was so meticulous in his recreation of Tobias’s office. Even without his glasses, he knew there was a tacky marble candlestick on the shelf. He gripped it in his hand and stood just inside the door, waiting. Allen couldn’t see the couch from the door, that would give Tobias the element of surprise.
Footsteps came toward him rapidly. “Looks like we only have Tyl—”
Tobias swung for the fences, the marble connecting with Allen’s face with a sickening wet sound. Then, he was on the ground screaming and holding his nose and mouth. Tobias dropped on top of him, bringing the candlestick down one more time for good measure, grateful when the screaming stopped. He rifled through the dead man’s pockets until he found his glasses and a set of keys he hoped would belong to whatever vehicle he’d used to transport him there.
He was almost to the door when he turned, trudging back into the office. He retrieved his father’s antique clock and tucked it under his arm before heading out the front door and stopping short at the sight of Soren, Azrael, and Madigan. He wasn’t sure who looked more shocked to see whom.
He pulled his glasses off and cleaned them on the small scrap of fabric not coated in blood.
Soren squinted. “Hey, Glasses. You good?” He sounded as confused as Tobias felt.
“I guess that depends.”
“On?” Soren asked, the tiniest bit of concern creeping into his voice.
“On whether there’s actually two of you.” Tobias watched Soren split into two very distinct shapes before collapsing back into one. Yeah, he definitely had a concussion and quite possibly a fractured skull. He hoped it was the former and not the latter because Soren would never trust him to take care of himself if he ended up in the hospital because of that moron. It was hard enough getting him to let Tobias kill people.
Soren gave a low chuckle. “Nope, just the one.”
Tobias smiled despite his pain. Whatever connection Allen had thought he and Tobias shared, it was nothing compared to the real one he had with Soren. He and Soren were irrevocably tied together. Somehow, Tobias had let the chemicals in his brain tell his heart that this ridiculous man with his frayed jeans and lazy smile and questionable hygiene practices was the one for him.
“Good. One of you is more than enough for me, thank you,” Tobias said truthfully. Soren was just this side of too much. The comedy to Tobias’s drama. They fit. Soren got him and nobody got Tobias. “You didn’t leave Mantis with Sadie, did you? You know she would blatantly disregard her diet.”
Soren rolled his eyes. “Have you no faith in me, Glasses? Sadie had to make a trip out of town, so Mantis is currently at something called the Pretty Paws Puppy Day Spa getting a day of beauty.”
Tobias’s heart did that funny swooping thing again, but he couldn’t help but smile. “You’re spoiling her,” he grumbled.
Soren scoffed. “You’re the one who buys her dog food that costs more than the payment on your fancy-pants Volvo.”
“Are you two done?”Madigan asked. “Where’s your kidnapper?”
