Rogue - Jericho's Boys #1 - ch. 10 (Patreon)

This is the last of the old chapters. All chapters going forward will be new. I am just editing what I've written, then I'll be putting them up. As always, this is unbeta'd and unedited. But more to come this week. 

Shiloh

Shiloh’s heart thundered in his chest. What had he just done? Why did he say that? Why had he fucking said that? He’d only left Micah a few minutes ago, and he’d already fucked it all up. What if they killed him? What if Micah had Mal killed? What if Jericho killed Micah before he could get Mal out?

Shiloh couldn’t remember how to breathe. He was dizzy, the room spinning around him. From far away, he could hear Levi saying his name but he couldn’t respond. He was trying to force himself to breathe, his lungs burning from the effort. In. Out. In. Out. He really was useless. So fucking useless.

For once he was grateful he’d sobbed himself to sleep. He wasn’t sure he could even physically produce tears. How was he going to get out of this? He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to run, knowing he wouldn’t get far. Shiloh could feel Levi shaking Shiloh’s wrists like he wanted him to look at him . But he couldn’t. He couldn’t look at him knowing he’d betrayed him. But what else was he supposed to do?

Cool hands suddenly clasped his face. Levi sat beside him, turning Shiloh towards him, forcing him to meet Levi’s gaze. “Look at me,” he ordered, voice stern, but edged with something else. Fear? Concern? “Breathe, dimples. You have to breathe. You’re going to pass out if you don’t.” Was he not breathing? He had to be. Each exhale dragged out of him, raw and painful. “Shiloh. You’re having a panic attack. I need you to focus. Can you focus on my words? On my voice?”

He was shaking so hard. “Can’t,” he gasped. “This is so bad. I’m so sorry. This is so bad. I’m so fucked. I’ve ruined everything. Everything.”

“You haven’t. We will figure something out. Please. I need you to focus on—”

Shiloh shook his head harshly. “I can’t. You don’t get it. I’m dead. Mal’s dead. I’ve ruined every-”

Shiloh’s words died as Levi jerked him forward, soft lips settling over his. It wasn’t a kiss…not really. It was off-center, too harsh, Shiloh’s lips pressed painfully against his teeth, Levi’s fingers digging into his cheeks hard enough to bruise, hard enough to force a cry from Shiloh.

Levi didn’t attempt to deepen the kiss, just kept their lips together, letting him pant into his mouth. It should have been weird, gross even, trading air. But he soon found his lungs syncing with Levi’s, breaths slowing to match his. As the panic faded, Levi’s hold on his face softened, but he made no attempt to leave.

Shiloh gave one final shaky exhale, hoping it would let Levi know he was better, that he didn’t have to do this anymore. Instead, Levi trapped his bottom lip between his own in a soft kiss that sent Shiloh’s heart racing for an entirely different reason. When Shiloh didn’t pull away, Levi used his hold on Shiloh’s flushed cheeks to angle his face, pressing his tongue inside.

Shiloh made a desperate sound into Levi’s mouth, letting him explore as he gripped his shoulders, hanging on for dear life. Levi didn’t seem to be in any hurry, tongue lazily sliding over Shiloh’s, thumbs stroking his cheekbones. Shiloh wanted more but had no idea how to convey that, or what more even entailed. He wasn’t good at this stuff.

He made another frustrated sound and Levi chuckled against his lips. The hands at his face disappeared. Before Shiloh could even guess his intentions, Levi’s hands were under his ass, hauling him into his lap until he straddled him. Shiloh gasped at the sudden change in position. “Oh,” he breathed against Levi’s mouth.

Levi’s hands stayed on Shiloh’s ass as they continued to kiss. Shiloh had never kissed anyone just for the sake of kissing, but Levi didn’t seem interested in taking it further. That was fine with Shiloh. There was something safe, something soothing, about the soft slide of Levi’s lips against his, the way his tongue teased and explored, his hands rhythmically squeezing his ass.

When Levi finally broke the kiss, he leaned his head against the back of the couch, gazing at Shiloh with a soft, sad expression. Shiloh willed himself to look at him. Why did his chest feel hollow every time he’s eyes met Levi’s?

“I’m…so sorry,” Shiloh heard himself whisper.

Levi looked a little sad, but mostly…tired? Finally, he asked, “How are you a spy?”

“What do you mean?” Shiloh asked, frowning.

A smile smile twitched at Levi’s lips, then he was running a finger along Shiloh’s spit-slick bottom lip. “Like what does that mean in this context? What is it your brother wants from you? From me?”

He opened and closed his mouth several times, each time aborting his explanation as his fear swelled, stealing his voice. Shiloh’s stomach lurched at the thought of another rooftop session so soon. But it was already too late. He’d blurted out the truth. He might as well just put it all out there. “Micah wants me to get close to you. He wants to find out more about your boss’s operation.”

Levi slow blinked at him like he was processing his words. Shiloh could only sit there, acutely aware of the way their bodies pressed together. Levi was so warm. Shiloh wanted to burrow into that warmth. Levi felt safe. He felt like…promise. The promise of safety, security, love. Or maybe Shiloh was as crazy as his brother said.

“Jericho doesn’t have an operation,” Levi said. “He’s a mechanic. Sometimes people around the neighborhood come to him for help when others take advantage. That’s it. He’s not on the take. He’s not some secret criminal mastermind. He’s not a superhero. He’s just a guy.”

Shiloh didn’t care. About any of it. He didn’t care if Jericho was a vigilante planning Micah’s downfall. He didn’t care if he was a literal superhero with a cape and a cave. He hoped Jericho wanted to take Micah down. Shiloh was all for it. His oldest brother could die screaming for all he cared. But not until Mal was safe. He wouldn’t survive much longer in that prison. Not without doing something that guaranteed he’d never walk free again.

Shiloh swallowed the lump of sand in his throat, croaking, “I believe you.” He gave a little cough, then tried again. “I believe you. But it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. Micah wants me to find something on your boss. Something he can use to blackmail him into leaving the city or maybe get him locked up like Mal.”

“Well, you’re not going to find anything.”

Shiloh shook his head. “Micah doesn’t care if it doesn’t exist. If I can’t find something he’ll just manufacture it, just like he did with Malachi. He’s just fucking with me. He’s fucking with Jericho too. He likes to play with his food before he eats it. Worst case scenario for Micah, he has to fake some evidence with the added bonus of punishing me for failing. This is what he does.”

Levi shook his head. “But why? What’s his end game?”

Shiloh scoffed. How did he explain the unexplainable. “Micah is smart. Scary smart. But he’s not sane. He’s not rational. He’s impulsive and violent and mean. And right now, he’s bored without Malachi. So he’s acting out. Making everyone’s life miserable. Creating an enemy so he has someone to have this imaginary battle with.”

“Didn’t he put Malachi in jail?”

Shiloh nodded. “Yeah. He did. That doesn’t mean anything. Not really. When Micah feels slighted, he lashes out…violently. But sometimes, like this time, he punishes us in different ways. Mal hurt Micah’s feelings, so he threw Mal in jail where he wouldn’t be able to protect me anymore. That way he could punish us both in the worst way possible.”

“What do you mean?” Levi asked, a crease forming between thick brows.

Levi’s hands slid from Shiloh’s ass to his back, rubbing. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the sensation.

Finally, he said, “Malachi doesn’t care about pain. He likes taking it, he likes giving it. But only with consent. Only in a controlled environment. When Micah realized that to punish him, he found a new way to torture him…by hurting me. Mal has spent his whole life playing the buffer between me and Micah, but now he can’t. He’s stuck in prison and I’m out here. Knowing he can’t protect me is killing him. Micah found the ultimate punishment for us both.”

“But you said he’s bored without Mal?” Levi said, like he was trying to make sense of something nonsensical.

Shiloh nodded. “Without Mal to torment, he’s acting out, looking to make trouble on a larger scale. He misses him. He probably even thinks he loves him. He knows we hate him. Which he thinks makes him the real victim in all this.”

“So Micah threw Mal in prison so he could hurt you more?” Levi asked, voice thick.

“Yes.”

“And now Micah wants to use you to get to me so he can get to Jericho?” Shiloh closed his eyes. “Yes.”

Levi was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was sad again. “Is that why you were so desperate to sleep with me?”

Shiloh’s eyes flew open, snapping his head in Levi’s direction. “No!” he cried, then deflated. Wasn’t it? Sort of? But not really. “I wanted to sleep with you. I did. So badly it hurt,” he said, gripping Levi’s hand, letting the warmth bleed into his skin. “But Micah said I had to sleep with you. He thinks I did sleep with you. But that’s not why I panicked. Not entirely anyway.”

“So what was it?” Levi muttered, eyes dull, like he’d already prepared himself for the next blow.

Shiloh could feel tears pricking at the back of his eyes. Why did this hurt so much? Why did it already feel so heavy between them? “I get…nervous.”

Levi dragged his hands around Shiloh’s back to his waist, squeezing once. “Nervous?”

Shiloh nodded, suddenly wanting to look anywhere but at Levi, who now gazed at him with such sincerity it shattered Shiloh’s heart. “Sex has never been good for me and what you were doing, what we were doing-” He cut himself off, heat creeping from his neck to the tips of his ears. “It felt so…so good. Too good. And I was trying so hard to get out of my own head because I wanted you to feel good too and I thought I was doing it all wrong and when you hit pause I-I panicked.”

Levi stared at him, Shiloh’s misery building like water behind a dam, threatening to break free and drown him.

“You panicked,” Levi echoed.

Levi didn’t believe him. Of course, he didn’t. Why should he? They were strangers. Beyond strangers. They knew nothing about each other. All Levi knew was that Shiloh was a criminal and a liar and a spy. But why did it have to hurt so badly?

Still, Shiloh clung to the fact that Levi hadn’t shoved him away. That had to mean something, right? He wanted to rewind time and start over again. He wanted to go back to yesterday in Levi’s bed when he looked down at him like he was something special and worthy. He wanted his hands on him, his lips, wanted to feel him press him into the mattress once more.

Shiloh was so lost in his thoughts, he almost forgot Levi still waited for an answer. He owed him the truth no matter how humiliating. He dropped his gaze to his lap. “Yes,” he whispered. “I panicked. It doesn’t mean I didn’t want you to keep going. When I’m nervous I just say stupid stuff. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed in me if the sex was bad. And it probably wouldn’t have been great.”

He sucked in a breath as Levi gripped his chin gently, tilting his face up to look at him. Shiloh’s already galloping heart tripped over itself, the air too thick to breathe. He ached to close the distance. He needed Levi to kiss him, to hold him, to reassure him they were okay. That he hadn’t ruined everything. Not having Levi’s arms around him suddenly felt like a punishment.

A pitiful whine fell from his lips. He needed Levi to get it, to read his mind and give him what he needed. Levi’s eyes widened, shifting almost imperceptibly until Shiloh felt pathetic in a different way. Small, helpless, like prey. But not like when his brother looked at him.

Levi dragged him forward, pressing his lips to Shiloh’s ear, murmuring, “What am I going to do with you?”

Goosebumps erupted along his skin as teeth bit at his earlobe. “What do you want to do with me?” he gasped.

Levi pulled back to stare at him from beneath hooded lids, his thumb stroking over the seam of Shiloh’s lips, now laser focused. “That’s a loaded question, dimples. There’s a lot of things I want to do with you.”

“Like what?” Shiloh asked, voice trembling just a bit.

“Like this.” Levi closed the distance between them, tongue tracing the same path as his thumb, humming his approval when Shiloh’s lips parted.

“You’re so good for me,” he said, tongue dipping inside.

His praise shot through Shiloh like lightning, electrifying his blood and making heat pool low in his belly. He was already half-hard.

The kiss intensified quickly, one of Levi’s hands back on Shiloh’s ass, squeezing and the other burying in his hand in Shiloh’s curls, holding him in place as he plundered his mouth. Levi kissed him like he needed him, like he’d die without him. He wasn’t gentle, sucking and biting at Shiloh’s lips, swallowing each one of his gasps and moans.

Shiloh could only hang on, arms wrapping around Levi’s neck and letting him take what he wanted. Kissing Levi was heavy, all-consuming, dizzying in the best possible way. It made him forget everything but the taste of his lips and the stroke of his tongue and hands that seemed to be everywhere.

Shiloh made a sad sound when Levi’s lips broke from his with a wet sound, but he didn’t go far, mouth attaching to the side of Shiloh’s neck. Shiloh’s eyes fluttered, hands spasming in the fabric of Levi’s shirt as he tilted his head to give him better access. Just like his kisses, he was all teeth, scraping and sucking as he explored Shiloh’s jaw, his ear, even biting at shoulder until Shiloh was desperate for more.

When Levi canted his hips, Shiloh made another frustrated whine. Levi was so hard beneath him, the pressure was so good against Shiloh’s own aching cock. He buried his face, nosing at the spot where Levi’s throat and shoulder met. The next time Levi ground up against him, Shiloh rolled down experimentally, gasping at the shock of mind-numbing pleasure that rocketed through his whole body. Had it felt this good last night? Had anything felt this good in his whole life?

Levi’s lips found his again, sucking Shiloh’s tongue in a way that made him feel a little faint. He tugged Shiloh’s bottom lip between his teeth, biting the plump flesh then tugging a little before he pulled back to ask, “Are you okay?”

Something that felt a lot like love exploded behind Shiloh’s ribs at the concern in Levi’s voice. He nodded frantically. “Yes. This feels so good. Please don’t stop.”

Levi’s eyes widened at Shiloh’s plea, then he made a low sound in the back of his throat before dragging him back for another kiss. This time it was Shiloh who ground down, moaning at the sensation.

“Still feel good?” Levi asked against his lips.

“So good,” Shiloh whispered.

Levi’s hands fell to his hips again, encouraging him into a rhythm, then letting Shiloh do as he pleased. Shiloh couldn’t stop rutting against him, quickly addicted to the stab of bliss that rocketed through him each time they collided. Levi was so hard against him. Because of Shiloh. Because he wanted Shiloh.

Levi held him tighter against him, lips against his ear. “That’s it. That’s so good. You’re doing so good. Fuck. Keep going. Make yourself feel good.”

Shiloh trembled as much from Levi’s words as the pleasure of his movements. He couldn’t stop rocking against him, clawing at his shoulders, rubbing his cheek against Levi’s scruffy jaw.

Shiloh had never wanted someone so badly in his entire life. He wanted to roll around in his scent, live in his skin, crawl inside him and hide. Was love at first sight a real thing? If it was, Shiloh loved Levi. He loved him.

It was all too much. Tears he didn’t think he had, pricked at his eyes. He blinked them away, pushing his face into Levi’s neck, forcing his negative thoughts back into the corners of his mind. He didn’t want to think. He just wanted to feel. Thinking only led to bad things.

He pulled back enough to meet Levi’s gaze, even as his hips still rolled deliciously. “I didn’t come here for this,” he managed, feeling the need to reassure the other boy.

Levi captured his mouth in a kiss, this one a little dirtier, more teeth, more tongue, then asked, “Then what did you come for?”

“I just…I just needed to see you…to explain. Something. I just wanted…” he trailed off, eyes rolling and head falling back, another needy sound dripping from his tongue as Levi held his hips and rubbed their clothed cocks together on a harsh roll.

“Wanted what?” Levi urged, working them together faster until Shiloh couldn’t form words, just sounds. Desperate, needy, embarrassing sounds. “Fuck, that’s it. I love your noises. They fuck me up in the best way. Is this what you wanted? Is this what you needed?”

Shiloh was high on pleasure, chasing something more, something that his body promised was close. “I-I just needed…”

“Say it,” Levi demanded, dragging the collar of Shiloh’s shirt away to bare the skin where shoulder met throat.

“You,” Shiloh cried just as Levi sank his teeth into the skin he’d revealed. Precum leaked into Shiloh’s underwear. He fought the urge to cover himself.

Levi leaned back, gaze hungry, voice raw. “Open up for me, dimples.”

Shiloh should have been embarrassed by how quickly his lips parted, but there was no time for that. Levi was on him once more, tongue sweeping inside, swallowing Shiloh’s needy whine.

His lids slipped shut and he just stopped thinking. He let Levi have him, let him do what he wanted, grateful as he took over completely. Shiloh just clung to his shoulders, losing himself in Levi’s tongue fucking into his mouth in time with each roll of his hips, the way his hands were everywhere. The way he whispered filthy words into Shiloh’s open mouth. The way he’d growl each time he prodded another needy sound from Shiloh. It was all too good, too much.

“Fuck, baby,” he murmured between kisses. “Does it feel good? You like rubbing off on me?”

Shiloh wanted to go back to Levi’s bed, wanted them naked, wanted Levi to work him open and push inside. He needed it, needed him, needed Levi to make him full. It was all too much, and not even close to enough. He whined, hoping Levi would give him more. Even his hand would be good. He wanted to come. He needed it. He’d been good. Hadn’t he been good?

Levi suddenly gripped Shiloh’s hips, forcing him to a stop. Shiloh whimpered, trying to work himself free from Levi’s grasp, trying to return to that grinding rhythm. But Levi held firm, using his free hand to grip Shiloh’s chin and force his gaze to his. “I asked you a question,” he said, tone teasing.

He had? Shiloh stared at Levi’s red and swollen lips. Did Shiloh’s lips look like that too? Did his neck? Levi had been biting and sucking at it. Would Micah know what happened when he got home. Would he think Shiloh had done as he asked? Something curdled within him at the thought.

“Hey,” Levi said, capturing his gaze and holding him hostage. “Stay with me.”

Shiloh’s gave Levi a miserable look. “I am,” he pouted. “Please,” he whispered, grinding down on Levi’s cock once more. “Just…move. Please…”

Levi held firm, shaking his head. “Not until you answer my-”

The office door flew open. An older man with dark hair and broad shoulders stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised.

Jericho?

Jericho!

Shiloh sucked in a breath, diving off Levi and scurrying to the far corner of the couch, yanking his hoodie down over his obvious erection, then tugging his legs up for good measure. What if Jericho didn’t want feet on his couch? Shiloh dropped them back down to the floor, then stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket.

The man smirked at Levi, jerking a finger in his direction. “Shiloh, I presume.”

Did everyone know who he was?

Levi adjusted himself, looking disgruntled at having been interrupted just when things were getting good. “Shiloh, meet Jericho. Jericho, meet Shiloh… the world’s worst spy.”

Shiloh burned with shame as he gave a faint wave in Jericho’s direction, looking anywhere but him.

“So I was witnessing what? A new interrogation technique?” Jericho teased.

“Like you haven’t banged your husband on every available surface in this office,” Levi said, sulky enough to make Shiloh’s mouth twitch upwards at the corners.

“Yes, the key phrase being my office,” Jericho noted. “I can bang my husband in my office all I like. You can rail your little spy all over your apartment if you like…well, once I’m done with our little talk anyway.”

Jericho moved to his desk, dropping into his chair, before turning his full attention to Shiloh, his deep brown eyes not unkind. “So, Shiloh the spy. What is it your brother wants from me?”

Shiloh found the drawstring on his hoodie, twisting it between his fingers as he stared at his lap. “He needs you out of the way.”

“Out of the way of what?” Jericho asked, leaning back and frowning.

Shiloh flicked his gaze back up to Jericho briefly. “Micah wants to expand his business here. He thinks with the 4Loco crew disbanded, the territory is up for grabs. He thinks you’re what’s standing in his way. He thinks getting rid of you will scare the neighborhood into accepting the new regime.”

“Why would he ever think that would work?” Jericho asked, tone almost bored.

Shiloh shrugged. “He’s done it in other places. Micah always gets what he wants.”

“If he’s got a problem with me, he needs to keep it with me. He needs to leave my kids alone.”

“He went after Levi because he was the easiest,” Shiloh said, eyes darting to Levi, hurrying to add, “Access wise, I mean. Working the graveyard shift at a convenience store made him a target even I could take out.” He flushed to hot. “Theoretically, at least.”

“Why did you have to kill Levi? Doesn’t he have people for that?” Jericho asked, frowning.

Shiloh sighed“I don’t think it was so much about killing him, as it was forcing me to do something I would hate. If I managed to do it and Levi died, great. One more thing for him to threaten me with. But if I failed, he had another excuse to beat the shit out of me. Which he did.”

Shiloh waved vaguely at his own face, to the swollen flesh and numerous bruises.

“Can’t we just kill him?” Levi snapped. “He definitely meets the code. Look at Shiloh’s face.” To Shiloh, he said, “Show him your bruises on your stomach.”

Shiloh looked at Levi in horror. “What? No. I’m fine. It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

Levi looked at him with…something. Pity, maybe. “You shouldn’t be used to it. Show him,” Levi insisted, giving him a little push. “Please.”

Shiloh swallowed loudly, then stood, sliding up his t-shirt and hoodie in one go, doing a slow spin so he wouldn’t have to do it again. When he was back where he started, the muscle in Jericho’s jaw ticked, pulsing like a beating heart.

“What did he use?” Jericho asked, his voice a terrifying low rasp.

Shiloh dropped down onto the couch, this time drawing his knees to his chest, Jericho’s sofa be damned. “It doesn’t matter,” he said faintly.

“I’d like to know,” Jericho said, his tone soft, almost like he was talking to a child.

Shiloh let his head fall back, trying to gather himself. Did they have any idea how embarrassing this was? “My brother used to be a baseball player.”

Levi and Jericho swapped glances. “What are you saying?”.

“Sometimes he still likes to play,” Shiloh managed.

“Those marks didn’t come from a bat,” Levi said. “No way.”

Levi was right. They didn’t. Tears pricked at his eyes. He tried to speak but the words didn’t come. All he could hear was Micah’s crew laughing as Micah adjusted his stance, then waited for the ball to release, staring at his target—Shiloh—with laser focus.

Micah always swung for the fences.

“The baseballs,” Jericho said, understanding dawning.

Shiloh’s eyes darted to Levi, watching him put the pieces together. “Wait. Are you saying he hit you with baseballs?”

Levi’s fury was instantaneous, he went to his feet tugging up Shiloh’s hoodie again, his fingers dancing over the marks like he had to see them again to verify Jericho’s words.

“It looks worse than it is,” Shiloh cried, yanking the fabric from Levi and dragging it back down, making himself as small as possible, sounding unconvincing even to himself. “Like I said, I’m-I’m used to it.”

“Used to it,” Levi parroted, aghast.

What weren’t they understanding? Micah had spent years perfecting ways to hurt Shiloh, physically, mentally, emotionally. When it came to making him suffer, his eldest brother was an expert. It wasn’t the physical pain of the roof that really fucked Shiloh up. It was the psychological warfare. The threat of Shiloh ending up on the pavement below, head cracked like an egg, blood and brains flowing towards the gutter.

Just like their mom.

His stomach lurched at the image that popped into his mind, but he tamped it down. He had to get through this. “He was just really mad I couldn’t do it. Or maybe he was just mad I made it home alive. Usually he doesn’t tie my hands and he lets me have some padding sometimes. I can usually try to get out of the way. But this time…”

Levi looked like he might actually throw up.

“But this time…” Jericho pushed.

“But this time he had me stand on a chair next to the edge. Not close enough that I would fall over the edge, but close enough to make me think I would, that it was possible. Micah needs me to believe it, needs me to think death is a possibility. It’s no fun if I’m just hurting. He needs me afraid. And he knows how much I hate the rooftop.”

“You’re afraid of heights?” Levi asked.

Shiloh shrugged, then shook his head. “Not all heights. My mom…when she killed herself…she jumped off the roof. She took Mal and I up there too. She was going to…take us with her. But Mal fought her off. Saved us.”

“She…” Levi trailed off like he didn’t even know what to say. How could he? What did someone say when faced with this?

Shiloh couldn’t stop himself from trying to explain, to defend his mom’s actions. “She wasn’t well, mentally. She was schizophrenic. Heard voices. Micah…exploited that. Tormented her constantly even as a kid. One day, she decided death was the only way to save us—all of us—from Micah. Luckily, Micah realized why we were up there and managed to get me away from her before she…you know. He saved me but there was no way to save her…she jumped as soon as she knew she couldn’t overpower Mal.”

Had he ever told anyone this?

Levi fumed, fists clenched at his side, his face a storm cloud. “Seriously, Jericho. Let’s just kill this fucking guy.”

“What? No! You can’t,” Shiloh cried, looking back and forth between them. His pulse skyrocketed. “You can’t. Please. If you kill him, Mal will never get out of jail. Ever. And he can’t be in there much longer. It’s not good for him. It makes him…worse.”

“What does that mean?” Jericho asked.

Shiloh let his eyes fall shut, the tears he’d fought, finally breaking free and trailing down his cheeks. “The thing about Malachi. He’s…not normal.”

“What does that even mean?” Levi asked, confused.

“Remember I told you Mal isn’t like Micah?” Levi nodded. “I meant it. He would never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. But my brother…”

“Your brother…” Jericho urged.

“Malachi is…pretty. Innocent looking. Almost feminine sometimes. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the type of attention he gets.”

“You think people will hurt him,” Jericho said, voice sympathetic.

Shiloh barked out a laugh. “No. You’re not listening. Malachi isn’t like other people. He has no fear. He never hesitates. If someone comes after him, he will defend himself, and that person will die. And then Mal goes to jail for life. People don’t hurt Mal, not more than once anyway. He will defend himself by any means necessary. That’s why I have to go back to Micah. He’ll never let Malachi out if I run.”

“You can’t go back there,” Levi said, “He’s gonna to kill you.”

“I have to,” Shiloh said simply, not willing to have the same conversation again. “I-I just have to. There’s no other choice.”

“Jericho, tell him he can’t go back,” Levi said, eyes pleading. But Jericho only stared at Shiloh. “Jericho. Tell him. Tell him he can’t go back.”

Jericho ignored him, telling Shiloh, “Text your brother. Tell him I invited you to my house for dinner, along with all the other kids. Tell him you might not be home until morning.”

Shiloh frowned. “What?”

Jericho shrugged. “Your brother wants you to get in tight with me, right? An invite into my home—around my children—will be irresistible to him. He’ll want all the details.”

“You want me to tell him where you live? About your family?” Shiloh asked, eyes wide.

Jericho’s expression was grim as he laced his hands behind his head and leaned back in his office chair. “Do you know what a double agent is, kid?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Shiloh said.

“Well, congratulations. You are one. You work for me now. You tell your brother only what I tell you to. If he thinks you’re making in-roads, he’ll cut you some slack. In the meantime, I need to get some information on your brother, Malachi. I’ll look into this case myself.”

Shiloh’s stomach churned, head spinning. “If-If I’m not going home, where am I staying?”

Levi scoffed. “You’re staying with me. Obviously.”