Usually, those family members kept their grief to themselves before they ended up becoming the next name on a list. But not always.
The boy blinked sweat from his eyes, looking a little disoriented. How hard had that asshole hit him? He still hadn’t raised the gun. That was good. He was doing this under duress. There was no part of this kid that wanted to do this. It was clear he was just following orders.
“Hey, look at me. Talk to me,” Levi said, snapping his fingers to get the boy’s attention. “Your brother wants me dead?”
He gave a jerky nod, blurting out, “Y-Yes. He wants you dead.”
“Why?”
“T-To send a message,” the boy mumbled. “To let your boss know he’s running things now.”
“My…boss?” Levi said, frowning.
There was no way he was talking about the owner of the store. Nobody was sending Mr. Mendel a message by killing Levi. He had to be talking about Jericho. It was common knowledge that Levi was one of Jericho’s boys and that they routinely took out people in the community who took advantage of others. But nobody had ever been ballsy enough to challenge Jericho directly.
“The mechanic,” he clarified. “The one who took out the 4Loco gang.”
Levi frowned, trying to follow the boy’s words. “Your brother was 4Loco? He’s a little late to the party. We took them out months ago.”
The boy shook his head, hand flexing around the metal grip of the gun. A Browning .9 mm. “No. Look, just—I’m—I’m really sorry, but if I don’t do this, he’ll kill me, too,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Levi didn’t know how to help him. “What’s your name?” he heard himself ask.
“Shiloh,” the boy said, eyes going wide as soon as he said it, the color draining from his face.
“There are cameras everywhere, Shiloh,” Levi finally admitted, pointing to them vaguely.
Shiloh’s nod was jerky, his lip quivering. “I know. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care what happens to me. He’s fucking crazy. He already framed my other brother for murder. I guess I’m next.”
It was hard to believe there was a family member out there worse than Naomi, but it sounded like this kid’s brother was coming to take the title. Levi could see how much Shiloh was suffering, could smell his fear, could see the dread pulling down the corners of his mouth.
Shiloh stumbled forward until he was a little less than an arm’s length away, finger twitching on the trigger but the gun remained at his side.
Levi’s gaze dropped to the shotgun once more, but he couldn’t bring himself to reach for it. He didn’t want to kill this kid. But he also didn’t want to die. Or have this kid go to jail.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“If you raise that gun, I can’t help you anymore, Shiloh. Right now, the cameras just think we’re having a real intense conversation about the weather, but the second you raise your hand, shit gets real. If you kill me, your brother will be the leastof your problems becausemybrothers will not stop until they get revenge.”
Please, don’t do it. Just run. Go. Get out of here.
A frustrated sob broke from Shiloh’s lips, his face twisting into a look so hopeless it broke Levi’s heart. “Nobody can help me,” he said, voice cracking.
Then it happened.
Shiloh swung his arm up, leveling the gun an inch from Levi’s nose. It was a rookie mistake, one that would have gotten anyone else a bullet to the skull. But Levi wasn’t thinking about revenge, he was thinking about this dejected boy and his sad eyes.
He grabbed Shiloh’s wrist, yanking him forward, obscuring the gun from the camera’s view. Shiloh cried out in surprise, staring at him with wild eyes. Pretty eyes. Honey brown eyes with flecks of green in them. He struggled in Levi’s grip, lips parted, his face close enough for Levi to feel his breath panting against his face.
If he didn’t relax, he was going to hurt himself or Levi. But he was too far gone, clearly lost in a fog of panic.
Levi didn’t know why he did it. It wasn’t a conscious choice. With his free hand, he snagged Shiloh by his hoodie and dragged him that last inch, crashing their mouths together. Shiloh went rigid against him, his startled cry vibrating against Levi’s lips in a way that shot lightning through his blood.
Levi tried to rationalize his actions. It was better Mr. Mendel thought Levi was making out with his boyfriend rather than thinking Shiloh was a potential murderer. But it was a lie. He’d just wanted to know what he tasted like and had wanted to see him flustered over something good.
Shiloh’s lips were soft and tasted like something almost citrusy. He smelled faintly of sweat and coconut. Levi couldn’t get enough.
But Shiloh was making these sort of keening noises as he fought Levi’s grip, and as much as it was turning Levi on, he knew he had to let him go. He didn’t want to be someone else who assaulted him, no matter how altruistic his intentions.
