Yeah, that was Mal. He would kickbox for two hours each morning, go to dance practice, and then put on a face full of makeup before going to a club. There was no rhyme or reason to Mal. One day, he was joggers and snapbacks, staring people down menacingly. The next, he was wearing leather and lace, staring at people seductively and slinking along like a cat. Mal just woke up and shimmied into a new person every morning. Shiloh envied him.
“I think he missed all that when he was in prison. I doubt there are a lot of hair-care options at the commissary, no matter how much money was on his books,” Shiloh said wistfully. Then his shoulders came up, his head whipping around to Nico. “Wait. Why is Mal in there…primping or whatever, if Levi’s coming to get us to take us to Micah to off him?”
Nico sagged with relief as Mal opened the bathroom door, dressed in nothing but a towel slung low on his hips and another wrapped around his hair. Nico wolf-whistled. Mal preened, adding a little sway to his hips as he walked to Nico’s room.
His hand was on the doorknob when Shiloh touched his arm. “What’s going on?”
Mal turned, looking down at Shiloh, doing that slow-blinking thing he did when he was recalculating. “Globally? Regionally? Locally? With the world? Here? Now? Me?” He frowned. “Be specific.”
Shiloh huffed out a breath through his nose. This was the problem with having a brother like Mal. Ninety-five percent of the time, he couldn’t help but be difficult, but times like now, where Shiloh knew he was pretending to misunderstand just to get out of talking to him…it made him want to scream. Just a little. “With Levi,” he said through clenched teeth. “Why are you getting all dolled up to off our brother? Are you planning on taking commemorative photos or something?”
Mal opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, then turned to look down at Shiloh with a placid smile. “Let me put some clothes on, doodlebug, and I’ll be right with you.” He closed the door almost all the way then opened it again. “Also, you shouldn’t clench your teeth like that. I have a feeling we’re about to lose our dental insurance.”
Shiloh’s mouth fell open as he stared at the closed door. When he heard Nico’s laugh, he turned hostile eyes his way.
“What the fuck is going on?” he shouted into the air. Maybe the universe would help him out.
“I think you just need to chill?—”
Shiloh cut Nico off, his blood thrumming with building anger. “I do not need to chill. I need someone in this fucking house to answer my question before I really lose my shit.”
“Mal said he’d tell you as soon as he got dressed,” Nico said, like he thought that was in any way helpful.
Shiloh opened his mouth to kindly tell Nico to fuck off, when the pounding started again, setting his teeth on edge. This was all too much. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms, hoping the pain would drive back the panic attack he could most definitely feel building in his system.
Nico glanced at the peephole, his sigh confirming it was once again Naomi. “Maybe she’ll just go away on her own?”
Shiloh tried to ignore the banging, but it felt like a thousand ants swarmed around his lungs. “I’m serious, Nico. What the fuck is going on? Somebody needs to tell me something right fucking now because I’m starting to freak out.”
Nico flailed his hands, looking conflicted. “Levi wants to tell you himself.”
“Tell me what?” Shiloh shouted. The knocking stopped. Shiloh gave Nico an imploring look. “Just say it. Please?”
He deflated. “Fine. Micah?—”
Shiloh gasped as the knocking started once more, but this time, it was dialed to a hundred, so loud Shiloh fought the urge to clap his hands over his ears. It was faster, too, sending his heart rate into the stratosphere. It was like she was beating both hands against the door. When he thought it couldn’t get any worse, she started shouting over the racket. “I’m not leaving until you open the door. I know you’re in there. I can do this all night.”
Shiloh snapped. He shoved Nico out of the way, unlocking the door and ripping it open. “What do youwant?”
Naomi was so surprised, she almost fell inside, and she would have, too, if a much larger figure hadn’t sent her flying farther into the hallway. Shiloh choked on a cry as a gun was shoved into his face.
Nico made eye contact as Shiloh stumbled back but he only managed to say “What?” before the door smashed into his face, blood gushing from his nose.
Nico stumbled, holding his face. His eyes went wide when he saw Micah. And the gun. He tried to rally, but Micah struck him with the gun grip so hard it made a sickening thunk. Nico went to his knees, conscious but just barely.
Shiloh’s phone was in his room. He could call the police. He took off running while Micah had eyes on Nico. If he could just get the door shut, maybe Mal would hear him. Maybe Mal was calling?—
Shiloh whipped around as soon as he was in Levi’s room, putting all his weight on the door but he was no match for Micah. He shouldered it open with so much force it ripped the top hinge and sent the door sagging inwards. Shiloh heard someone scream and it took a second before he realized it was him.
Then Micah was on him, pressing him into the bed, shoving the barrel of the gun between his teeth. Shiloh’s stomach heaved at the taste of metal and oil on his tongue, his teeth clacking painfully. His vision pinholed until all he could see was Micah and the gun. Until all he could think about was Micah and the gun.
He froze, eyes wide, staring up at his brother’s face, eyes wild, his grin twisted. He looked like a monster. Hewasa monster. He wasn’t even human. This was how he died? On Levi’s bed? Tears sprang to Shiloh’s eyes. Levi was going to blame himself.
Shiloh’s hands flinched, not intentionally, just some kind of panic response, but it was enough to have Micah wrapping his hand around his throat, squeezing slowly, as he turned the barrel of the gun this way and that, the clacking against his teeth making Shiloh’s skin crawl.
Please, don’t let him break my teeth again.
Micah leaned forward, his lips against Shiloh’s ear. “What’s the matter, doodlebug?”
