Mal snapped his gaze to Levi. “What?”
“Heknowswhat he’s done,” Levi said. “He knows how you try to keep it from him. He knows he’s the one who killed that kid who raped him. He thinks he may have even killed your mother, too.”
Mal sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “He’s…right. But it’s not his fault. He doesn’t know what he’s doing inthe moment. He just disappears into his head and someone—or something—else takes over. Micah called it intermittent explosive disorder. He had him on meds for it, but he’s been without them since he went home with you.”
Lucas frowned. “Does he often have violent outbursts?”
Mal shook his head, glancing at his brother. “He only gets violent when cornered. Like an animal. He’s protecting himself. Or, at least, he thinks he is.”
Micah was bound when Shiloh attacked. He hadn’t been capable of posing a threat. But in Shiloh’s head, that wouldn’t have stopped his brother. Micah was Shiloh’s boogeyman, Freddy and Jason all rolled into one impossible-to-stop killer who would never let him rest.
Of course, he’d finally snapped.
“I don’t think it’s IED,” Lucas said, looking at both Mal and Levi. “Obviously, we would need a formal evaluation, but it’s not a stretch to say he likely has severe CPTSD. They often have extreme reactions to stress and can experience blackouts. We have someone he can work with. Someone who’s in the fold. He works with a lot of us.”
“Ever’s doctor?” Levi asked.
Lucas nodded. “He’s excellent. He will make sure he gets whatever he needs. But right now, he needs calm. He needs cuddles and electrolytes and orienting. You need to reassure him he’s safe.”
Levi was shaking. His rage and helplessness were radiating from him like toxic radiation. He wanted nothing more than to take Shiloh and cuddle him for the rest of their lives, but he knew his presence in this state would only agitate Shiloh.
Levi swallowed the lump of sand in his throat. “I don’t know if I’m the best one for that right now. I’m so fucking mad.”
“Well, then, you’re just in time,” Avi said, sauntering towards them. “We’re ready to play ball.”
Avi toed at Micah’s side. He was alert, staring at all of them with a malevolence Levi found disturbing considering the state he was in. He was in terrible shape, not just cosmetically. His breathing was labored, every breath costing him more energy. “He’s going to go into shock soon,” August said. “If you want to have your fun, you need to do it now. I’d say we have less than half an hour before he’s useless.”
Avi tilted his head, whistling low. “God damn. I’ve seen bear attacks that were less brutal. He did all that with just his hands? I’m impressed, and I’m rarely impressed. I want to buy him a basket of kittens or something. Shit. This is like Hulk strength.”
Levi let himself really look at Micah, at the carnage Shiloh inflicted, cataloging every injury. Chunks of hair were missing from his scalp, leaving open wounds. His left ear was only half attached. Part of his lower lip hung free, revealing his lower teeth like a skeleton. His face had huge gouges where Shiloh’s nails had sunk in as he’d raked them over him again and again. His nose was almost completely caved in, hence the mouth breathing. And two of his top teeth were missing.
The level of force required for that was astronomical. “How did he do all this?”
“You can only bend a person so far before they break,” Mal said. “Shiloh…broke. And then he unleashed twenty-two years of pent-up fury on him. If I hadn’t knocked him out, I honestly don’t know how much would be left of his body. It was like he thought he had to dismember him to make sure he couldn’t respawn.”
Levi looked at Shiloh. His head was nestled in Felix’s lap, his legs over Zane’s, while the two of them used baby wipes to remove all the caked on blood from his skin.
A paper-thin wheezing laugh drew their attention back to Micah. He was looking at Mal. “I told you he was weak.”
August caught Levi as he lunged at him. “Let’s not give him an easy death.”
Asa and Avi grinned at each other, catching Micah under a bound arm before hauling him up the rusted metal stairs to the catwalk above. Levi looked between Micah and Shiloh.
He was no use to Shiloh like this. And Shiloh would need reassurances that Micah was actually dead. That he wouldn’t…respawn as Mal put it. Levi needed to see it, too.
Mal tilted his head to the stairs. “Shiloh’s okay. Let’s go end this so you can get him somewhere safe,” Mal said.
Levi gave one last look at Shiloh, catching Felix’s gaze. He smiled at him and gave him a thumb’s up. Levi nodded, then chased after Mal who was already halfway up the stairs. The others made their way up behind him—all but Felix, Zane, and Shiloh.
It was much scarier at the top. The metal catwalks were old and rusty, and Levi wondered if all of them should be standing so closely together.
At the end of the catwalk was an opening that led directly to the top of the meat grinder. The meat grinder the twins had been desperate to play with for as long as Levi had known them.
Jericho had finally agreed.
For Shiloh.
Mal frowned at the large machine. “Isn’t that going to leave a lot of evidence behind?”
