“You have forty-eight hours,” Thomas said. “And we will be watching you.” He looked at the twins. “Boys, escort Mr. Mercer back to his car. Be sure to tell him, in great detail, all about how you handled that pedophile last week. I’m sure he’ll find your use of a fountain pen fascinating.”
Asa grinned. “No problem.” He threw an arm over Mercer’s shoulders, guiding him out the door. “Have you ever heard an eyeball pop?”
Levi looked at Jericho, his heart racing. “Can we go now? I want to go home and tell Shiloh.”
Jericho looked at Thomas, who nodded.
“Yeah, come on, boys. Let's go home. I’m sure Freckles is waiting up for me.”
“It’s, like, not even ten o’clock?” Seven noted.
Jericho snorted. “It’s like you don’t even know my husband at all.”
Shiloh’s head pounded, literally. It was like tiny fists were beating on the inside of his skull, making him flinch with every hit. Every time he thought it was over, it started again. After what felt like forever, he dragged his eyelids open, listening intently. He could hear someone in the living room, but otherwise, the house was silent. He flopped onto his back, wiping at the saliva on his chin in disgust. He’d been sleeping so deeply. He probably looked a mess. He still held his phone clenched in his other hand. Had he fallen asleep scrolling or waiting for Levi to call?
He couldn’t remember. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, then slid open his phone, waiting for the numbers to crystalize. Should Levi have called by now? Was he on his way to get them? He chewed his lip at the thought. Could he stand there and watch as Mal killed Micah? Should he feel some kind of way about it? He didn’t feel disgust or sadness. More than anything, he was just afraid. Afraid Micah would somehow escape death yet again.
He threw his feet over the edge of the bed and stumbled into the small living room. He jumped as a fist beat on the door, his heart racing. He looked at Nico with wide eyes but he was staring through the peephole.
“Who is that?” Shiloh asked, voice wavering.
“Go away, Naomi. He’s not here,” Nico shouted.
Shiloh winced, looking down at his bruised wrist, rubbing it absently. The noise stopped abruptly, but Nico continued to look. Finally, he turned to Shiloh and plopped down on the sofa, bouncing a bit before he settled.
“Does she do that a lot?” he asked, floating closer.
Nico shook his head. “Nah. Honestly, I didn’t think she even knew where we lived. Before the hospital, she was practically a shut-in. The farthest she’d venture from her apartment was to the bar on the corner or, if she was really desperate, the bodega a few blocks down the road. Mostly, she just waits until Levi’s at work and then guilts him into buying her beer so she doesn’t die.”
Shiloh’s heart twisted at that. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Levi had to make those kinds of decisions. It wasn’t fair that he had to choose between his mother’s life and his own mental health. What kind of choice was that?
“I wish there was something I could do, you know?” Shiloh said.
“We tried getting her help a million times. She doesn’t want to get better. The amount of times she’s failed out of rehab is crazy, really. She always checks herself in, does the tearful goodbye, swears she’ll change, then checks herself out within a day.”
“I meant for him,” Shiloh clarified. “To make him feel better. To…help?”
Nico gave him an odd look. “You are helping.”
“I am?”
“Yeah, since you showed up, this is the first time Levi has never given in. He’s tried to go no-contact before. A million times. It’s just this never-ending cycle. He makes it a few days, then unblocks her number because he’s afraid she’s dead and he won’t know. Then she calls, he answers, she tells him that she needs him, that she loves him…the usual. It’s the guilt that eats at him. If Naomi doesn’t get alcohol, she’ll have seizures, and if she has a seizure, she might die. If she dies, then Levi is the root cause of her demise. At least, in his mind.”
Shiloh’s eyes filled with tears. He ached for him. It wasn’t right. “I still don’t understand how I’m helping?”
“He’s never gone this long before.He’s never stuck to his guns like this. He told me she grabbed you. I think knowing she could hurt you—someone he loves—was the final push. It’s one thing if he’s the one she’s hurting. It’s a whole other if it’s you.”
Shiloh’s mouth fell open, and he blinked back the wetness in his eyes. He was not going to cry about this. He refused. But he understood. He and Levi were kindred. Soulmates. Both of them were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. Levi was perfect; his soul was as beautiful as the rest of him. Shiloh didn’t deserve that kind of radiance in his life, but he was selfish enough to keep it anyway.
To keephimanyway.
He opened his mouth to ask Nico whether he’d heard from Levi, but the knocking started again. This time, it was a monotonous thumping sound, the same rhythm, the same intensity, like a machine, just knocking again and again.
Nico blew out an angry breath through his nose, then forced himself to stand, crossing the short distance back to the door. “She’s relentless,” he muttered.
They both stood there, motionless. Shiloh didn’t know what they could do. “Won’t someone, like, call the cops?”
Nico snickered. “We’re in the hood, babe. Nobody calls the cops unless they need a body carted away or someone is actively in the process of murdering them. People mind their business around here.”
